Hi,
I have been developing websites and intranets since 2008. Before being a freelancer I have worked in a variety of organizations from small (5 employees) to very large (55,000). I have developed an intranet for a company of about 400 employees and with 20 locations around the world. I have used java based solutions (Liferay for instance) and LAMP environment solutions.
I'm well aware of the challenges of developing an intranet. In order to keep cost on the lower side I would recommend the use of a WAMP/LAMP CMS with some customizations.
It would be helpful to have details about your organization, number of employees, number of locations, profiles of the users accessing the intranet, need for mobile access, level of confidentiality to be defined to define access right groups and so on.
It would also be most important to know the type of content you plan on sharing. For instance if you currently have documents that would need to be indexed and searched, what format are they in?
Defining the intranet doesn't only mean developing the initial technical setup but also the processes for maintaining it. Intranets are often doomed by the fact that there is too much content, no longer current and this makes searching information difficult.
I'm running out of space here but do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
I'm also US based which could make communication easier. I look forward to hearing from you and start working on your project.
Regards.
Xav.