The verdict in three sentences
Migrating a desktop claims management tool built in WinDev or a similar 2000s stack to the web costs 200,000 to 400,000 EUR with a Dublin consultancy in 2026, against 120,000 to 220,000 EUR with an experienced French or remote team, always after an audit of 8,000 to 15,000 EUR. Irish insurers must also meet DORA operational resilience rules, which adds testing, incident reporting and third-party risk work. Done well, a progressive rewrite over 9 to 14 months saves about 20 % of handling time per claim and secures 15 years of history.
Why the audit comes before any serious quote
A 2009 desktop application often hides 300 to 600 screens, stored procedures, hard-coded business rules and patched document templates. Without a map, a rewrite quote is a lottery within 40 %.
| Audit deliverable | Content | Duration | Cost (2026 estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Functional inventory | Screens, batch jobs, documents, user rights | 4 to 6 days | 2,500 to 4,000 EUR |
| Business rule extraction | Indemnity calculations, excesses, caps, deadlines | 4 to 7 days | 2,500 to 4,500 EUR |
| Data analysis | Volume, quality, duplicates, target schema | 3 to 5 days | 1,800 to 3,000 EUR |
| Interfaces and flows | Accounting, document management, letters, loss adjusters | 2 to 3 days | 1,200 to 2,000 EUR |
| Batch migration plan | Prioritisation, costing, risks, schedule | 1 to 3 days | 800 to 1,500 EUR |
| Total audit | 3 to 5 weeks | 14 to 24 days | 8,000 to 15,000 EUR |
The audit must include recorded sessions with the original developer. Those 6 to 10 hours are worth more than any documentation you might recover.
Progressive rewrite: costing by batch
The strangler pattern replaces the application batch by batch while old and new systems coexist. It costs 10 to 15 % more than a big-bang rewrite but avoids a risky weekend cutover, which DORA auditors will appreciate.
| Batch | Scope | Timeline | Remote team | Dublin consultancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0. Technical foundation | SSO, API, PostgreSQL, CI/CD, EU hosting | 6 to 8 weeks | 18,000 to 30,000 EUR | 30,000 to 55,000 EUR |
| 1. Claim notification | Intake, attachments, assignment workflow | 8 to 10 weeks | 25,000 to 45,000 EUR | 40,000 to 80,000 EUR |
| 2. Investigation and adjusting | Loss adjuster exchanges, documents, indemnity calculation | 10 to 12 weeks | 30,000 to 55,000 EUR | 50,000 to 100,000 EUR |
| 3. Settlement and accounting | Payments, ledger entries, accounting interface | 6 to 8 weeks | 20,000 to 35,000 EUR | 35,000 to 65,000 EUR |
| 4. Reporting | Dashboards, regulatory statistics | 4 to 6 weeks | 12,000 to 25,000 EUR | 20,000 to 45,000 EUR |
| 5. Migration of 15 years of data | Load, controls, searchable archives | Ongoing | 15,000 to 30,000 EUR | 25,000 to 55,000 EUR |
| Total | 9 to 14 months | 120,000 to 220,000 EUR | 200,000 to 400,000 EUR |
Dublin senior day rates sit around 850 to 1,200 EUR, compared with 550 to 700 EUR in Rennes. Keep 10 to 15 % of budget for change management: training 30 to 80 claims handlers and a double-entry period limited to 2 weeks per batch.
On compliance, DORA requires ICT risk management, resilience testing, major incident reporting and a register of ICT third-party providers. Budget 15,000 to 35,000 EUR for the resilience test plan and documentation, plus GDPR retention rules for closed claims.
Mini case study
Siobhan, CIO of a regional insurer in Dublin, runs 45 claims handlers processing 18,000 claims per year. Average handling takes 2 h 30 in the desktop tool, between re-keying and document searches.
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After a 12,000 EUR audit, she compares a Dublin quote of 320,000 EUR with a remote team quote of 175,000 EUR plus 25,000 EUR of DORA documentation, all over 12 months. The 20 % gain is 30 minutes per claim, or 9,000 hours per year. At 45 EUR loaded per hour, that is 405,000 EUR of capacity freed each year. With the remote option at 212,000 EUR all in, payback comes in about 6 months after full go-live.
FAQ
Can WinDev code be converted automatically to the web?
Conversion tools exist but reproduce 2009 technical debt and ergonomics. For a core business tool, a targeted rewrite costs 20 to 30 % more but halves future maintenance.
How long should the old system run in parallel?
Typically 2 to 4 weeks per batch, then read-only for 6 to 12 months for archive lookups. Desktop licences, around 1,800 EUR per developer seat for WinDev, can then be dropped.
What if the original developer leaves before the end?
Secure a knowledge transfer contract of 2 days per month from day one, around 12,000 EUR over a year. It is the cheapest insurance in the project.
Does a remote team create DORA third-party risk?
It must be listed in your ICT third-party register with contractual audit rights and exit plans. With EU hosting and clear SLAs, this usually takes 3 to 5 days of legal and risk work.
Can the project fit a constrained annual budget?
Yes, batching spreads 120,000 to 220,000 EUR across two financial years. Each delivered batch is usable on its own, which secures budget decisions.
Let's scope your project. Describe your desktop application, its user count and data volume: we will scope the audit, then a costed batch migration 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.
