The verdict in three sentences
An archiving company storing 80,000 boxes and scanning for banks is above all selling trust: traceability, retrieval times and proof of integrity. Custom records management software costs EUR 50,000 to 140,000 and covers archiving with evidential value under NF Z42-013 / ISO 14641, the client portal, legal retention periods and per-box billing. It is justified once banking clients demand audits and manual billing leads to missed charges.
Vendor ECM or custom development
ECM vendors are strong for internal document management. An archiving company has different needs: it manages physical assets (boxes, locations, courier runs) and digital files for dozens of clients, with unit-based billing.
| Option | Upfront cost | Annual cost | Physical box management | Multi-client portal | Per-box billing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vendor ECM, SME licence | EUR 10,000 to 30,000 | EUR 15,000 to 40,000 | No | Limited | No |
| Specialised records management software | EUR 30,000 to 60,000 | EUR 20,000 to 45,000 | Yes | Yes | Partial |
| Certified electronic archiving system (third party) | EUR 15,000 to 40,000 | EUR 0.50 to 2 per GB per month | No | No | No |
| Custom, physical and portal phase | EUR 50,000 to 80,000 | EUR 8,000 to 14,000 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Full custom (scanning, archiving, OCR, BI) | EUR 100,000 to 140,000 | EUR 14,000 to 22,000 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| NF Z42-013 compliance audit | EUR 8,000 to 20,000 | Annual follow-up audit | N/A | N/A | N/A |
2026 orders of magnitude. NF Z42-013 certification (and its international equivalent ISO 14641) covers the system and its organisation: software alone is not enough, you also need procedures and an audit.
Key functions for an archiving company
- Physical management: barcode per box, shelf location, logged movements (intake, retrieval, return, destruction).
- Scanning and OCR: a scanning pipeline for banks, automatic indexing of contracts and statements, quality control.
- Evidential value: digital fingerprint (hash), qualified timestamping, sealed event log, long-term formats (PDF/A).
- Retention schedules: rules by document type, end-of-retention alerts, destruction certificate.
- Client portal: physical or digital retrieval requests, turnaround tracking, statistics.
- Billing: monthly storage per box, handling, per-page scanning, transport.
| Banking document | Legal retention period (France) | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting records and invoices | 10 years | Commercial Code, art. L123-22 |
| Customer files and AML/CFT records | 5 years after the relationship ends | Monetary and Financial Code, art. L561-12 |
| Consumer credit agreements | 5 years after the contract ends | Standard limitation period |
| Tax documents | 6 years | Tax Procedures Code, art. L102 B |
| Online contracts over EUR 120 | 10 years | Consumer Code, art. L213-1 |
| Payslips (employer copy) | 5 years | Labour Code, art. L3243-4 |
Mini case study
Isabelle runs an archiving company near Lille: 80,000 boxes billed on average EUR 0.35 per month, or EUR 336,000 a year in storage, plus scanning for three regional banks. Billing is built from spreadsheet exports, and an internal audit estimates that 3% of services go unbilled (handling, courier runs, urgent retrievals).
Custom software at EUR 110,000, with EUR 16,000 of annual maintenance, automatically bills every movement. On total revenue of EUR 900,000, recovering 3% means EUR 27,000 a year. Time saved on client requests, about 1,200 hours a year at EUR 35 per hour, adds EUR 42,000. Net gain: 27,000 + 42,000 - 16,000 = EUR 53,000 a year, for payback in just over 2 years, before counting new banking contracts unlocked by NF Z42-013 compliance.
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
FAQ
Can custom software be NF Z42-013 certified?
Yes, the standard certifies the archiving system as a whole. Allow EUR 8,000 to 20,000 for the audit and 6 to 12 months to prepare procedures.
Do we need qualified timestamping?
For strong evidential value, yes: timestamping from an eIDAS qualified provider costs about EUR 0.01 to 0.05 per token depending on volume.
How long to migrate 80,000 boxes?
If a spreadsheet inventory exists, migration takes 2 to 4 weeks. Without a reliable inventory, plan a physical audit of about 3 to 6 months.
Can banking clients integrate with the system?
Yes, via a secure API or a portal with strong authentication. Banks often require hosting in France with HDS or SecNumCloud certification depending on the data, adding 20 to 40% to hosting costs.
What happens at the end of the retention period?
The software alerts 90 days before expiry, requests client approval, then produces a timestamped destruction certificate. Each destruction is billable, on average EUR 2 to 4 per box.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your box volume, target clients and compliance requirements: we will price custom records management software in phases, from EUR 50,000 to 140,000, delivered in 5 to 10 months. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
