The verdict in three sentences
For a records storage company holding 2 million boxes, custom records management software costs, as a 2026 order of magnitude, SGD 200,000 to 450,000 in Singapore and TND 120,000 to 300,000 in Tunis, delivered in 5 to 7 months. The payback comes less from scanning than from automatic billing per linear metre and full retrieval traceability, two areas banks audit closely. A generic document management system handles neither physical locations nor contractual retention periods, and that is where custom software pays for itself.
What an archiving company's software must cover
A third-party archiver does not just manage PDF files. It manages physical objects (boxes, containers, files), their location (warehouse, aisle, bay, level), their movements (intake, retrieval, return, destruction) and contracts specific to each client. With 300 banking and insurance clients, every retrieval request must be timestamped, traced and billed.
| Module | Key function | Share of budget | 2026 range (SGD) | 2026 range (TND excl. VAT) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Location master data | Warehouses, aisles, bays, occupancy | 12 % | 24,000 to 54,000 | 15,000 to 35,000 |
| Barcodes and mobile scanners | Box labelling, intake and outbound scans | 15 % | 30,000 to 68,000 | 18,000 to 45,000 |
| Client retrieval portal | Online requests, guaranteed SLA, delivery tracking | 18 % | 36,000 to 81,000 | 22,000 to 55,000 |
| Scan on demand | Scan workflow, indexing, secure delivery | 15 % | 30,000 to 68,000 | 18,000 to 45,000 |
| Retention schedules | Rules per document type, alerts, destruction certificates | 10 % | 20,000 to 45,000 | 12,000 to 30,000 |
| Automatic billing | Linear metres, retrievals, transport, penalties | 15 % | 30,000 to 68,000 | 18,000 to 45,000 |
| Security, audit and data migration | Access log, permissions, legacy migration | 15 % | 30,000 to 66,000 | 17,000 to 45,000 |
The low end corresponds to a single site, a simple client portal and clean data migration. The high end includes several warehouses, offline-capable mobile scanners, APIs into bank systems and 15 years of historical data to migrate.
Custom build, packaged software or extending an existing DMS
Three options are open to an archiving director in 2026. The choice depends on volume, number of clients and the level of integration banks expect.
| Criterion | Packaged records software | DMS + custom add-ons | Custom build (Kolonell) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost (Tunis) | TND 90,000 to 200,000 | TND 60,000 to 150,000 | TND 120,000 to 300,000 |
| Upfront cost (Singapore) | SGD 150,000 to 320,000 | SGD 100,000 to 250,000 | SGD 200,000 to 450,000 |
| Annual licences | 18 to 25 % of initial price | Recurring per user | None (maintenance 8 to 12 %) |
| Physical location management | Yes, standard | Weak | Yes, mapped to your warehouses |
| Billing per linear metre | Configurable | Missing | Native, local tax (GST 9 % / VAT 19 %) |
| Go-live time | 4 to 8 months | 3 to 5 months | 5 to 7 months |
| Code ownership | No | Partial | Yes |
Over five years, packaged software at TND 150,000 with 22 % annual licences costs roughly TND 315,000, against TND 200,000 to 240,000 for a TND 160,000 custom build with maintenance. The same logic applies in Singapore, where licence fees are often billed in USD.
Compliance and bank client requirements
In Singapore, banking clients apply MAS outsourcing and technology risk guidelines to their vendors, and the PDPA governs personal data. In Tunis, banks follow Central Bank (BCT) circulars and Organic Law 2004-63. In both markets the software must produce, within 24 hours, the full access log of any box, proof of destruction and evidence of encrypted backups, with a disaster recovery plan tested twice a year.
Mini case study
Mr Ben Salah runs an archiving company in Tunis: 2 million boxes, about 18,000 linear metres, 300 clients. Billing is prepared in spreadsheets by two people for 6 days each month. Missed charges (urgent retrievals, transport, ad hoc scans) are estimated at 3 % of revenue, or TND 54,000 a year on TND 1.8 M revenue.
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With software at TND 190,000: TND 40,000 of missed charges recovered per year, plus 120 person-days of billing saved (about TND 18,000), giving TND 58,000 of annual gain and a payback of just over 3 years. A Singapore operator of the same size, with higher labour costs, typically reaches payback in 2 to 2.5 years.
FAQ
How much does records management software cost for an archiving company in 2026?
As an order of magnitude, SGD 200,000 to 450,000 in Singapore and TND 120,000 to 300,000 in Tunis, depending on warehouses, clients and integrations. Annual maintenance is 8 to 12 % of the initial amount.
How long does go-live take?
Allow 5 to 7 months, including 4 to 6 weeks of scoping and 6 to 8 weeks of data migration and labelling. A phased start, one warehouse first, limits risk.
Can we keep our existing barcodes?
Yes in about 80 % of cases, if labels are readable and unique. Duplicates are flagged during the initial inventory and relabelled progressively.
How is billing per linear metre calculated?
The software converts each container type into linear metres (for example 0.1 m for a standard box) and applies the client's contract rate, plus retrievals and transport. The monthly invoice run takes less than an hour.
Is the client portal secure enough for banks?
Strong authentication, per-department permissions, a 10-year access log and encryption of scanned files. These points match banks' annual vendor audits.
Let's scope your project. Send us your box volume, warehouses and billing rules and we will price a records management platform with a 5 to 7 month plan. 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.
