Sample Digitization Pricing Pricing structures for digitization vary

Sample Digitization Pricing

Pricing structures for digitization vary significantly from vendor to vendor, which can make it difficult for

agencies to conduct a precise apples-to-apples price comparison. For some vendors, pricing is based

solely on skilled hourly labor while others may utilize a mix of task-based pricing (e.g., price per image),

volume-based pricing (e.g., tiered pricing for higher volumes) and hourly labor categories. Moreover,

vendors often have their own definitions for specific tasks and labor categories that frequently differ

from other vendors, which can further muddle efforts to accurately compare pricing. For example, one

vendor may list a price for “scanning” that includes black and white paper scanning, basic document

prep work and basic image clean-up. Another vendor may also list a price for “scanning” which includes

similar specifications plus basic indexing. A third vendor may simply provide an hourly rate for a

Scanning Specialist to complete the same task. While agencies may encounter a variety of pricing

structures and/or bundles, the components of a digitization project and pricing can generally be

organized under the following broad categories:

• Paper Scanning

• Data Entry/Indexing

• Quality Assurance

• Scanning Output

• Optical Character Recognition (OCR)

• Microform Conversion

The following chart summarizes price ranges observed on various vendors’ GSA Schedule36 for Special

Item Number 51 506—Document Conversion. This is not a complete analysis of every current contract

holder’s rates, but serves as a starting point to understand what price ranges agencies may expect to see

for the following digitization services.

Category

Sample

Hourly Pricing

Sample

Task-Based

Pricing

Comments

Paper Scanning—

Standard Sized Paper—

Color

$30–$50/hr

for Scanning

Specialist

$40–$100/hr

for Scanning

Supervisor

$0.05–$0.15

per image

- Typically includes: Color paper scanning up

to 8.5 x 14”, up to 300 dpi, TIFF file output

- May also include: Option for TIFF or PDF

file output, basic prep, basic QA, basic

image clean-up, basic indexing

- Often assumes records are in good quality

and require little to no prep and/or special

handling (aka in “scan-ready condition”);

more extensive prep or handling may

impact rates

- May impose a minimum image volume

requirement, and may also offer discounted

pricing for higher volumes

Paper Scanning—

Large/Oversized Paper

$30–$50/hr

for Scanning

Specialist

$40–$100/hr

for Scanning

Supervisor

$0.90–$1.80

per image

- Typically includes: Paper in excess of 8.5 x

14”, up to 300 dpi, TIFF file output

- May also include: Options for higher image

resolutions >300 dpi, color scanning, basic

prep, basic QA, basic clean-up

- Often assumes records are in good quality

and require little to no prep and/or special

handling (aka in “scan-ready condition”);

more extensive prep or handling may

impact rates

- May have a maximum paper size, or may

offer tiered pricing for increasingly larger

paper sizes

Data Entry/Indexing

$26–$40/hr

for Data Entry

Specialist

$0.005–

$0.019 per

keystroke

- Typically includes: 99% accuracy, single

pass

- Typically priced on a per keystroke basis or

per 1000 characters, occasionally priced by

Data Entry hourly labor only

- Often assumes indexed fields can be easily

located within a document and are legible

- May offer different methods (such as OCR)

for capturing data entry fields to reduce

manual keystrokes required

Quality

Assurance/Control

$35–$55/hr

for QA/QC

Specialist

$80–$140/hr

for QA/QC

Supervisor

$0.01–$0.04

per image

Typically includes advanced clean-up

services such as page rotations, blank page

deletions, and additional quality control

measures to ensure 100% accuracy

Category

Sample

Hourly Pricing

Sample

Task-Based

Pricing

Comments

Scanning Output

$30–$50/hr

for Scanning

Specialist

$40–$100/hr

for Scanning

Supervisor

$0.00–

$30.00 each

- TIFF and PDF are the most common file

formats and are provided at no additional

cost; some vendors may offer

enhancements such as hyperlinking or

bookmarking

- Some vendors provide images via CDs,

DVDs, other media, or FTP file transfers at

no additional fee, while others charge a fee

Optical Character

Recognition (OCR)

$30–$50/hr

for Scanning

Specialist

$40–$100/hr

for Scanning

Supervisor

$0.004–

$3.00 per

image

OCR levels may vary resulting in a wide

price range; some vendors offer basic OCR

while others offer OCR coupled with

additional image clean-up services

Microform Conversion

$30–$50/hr

for Scanning

Specialist

$40–$100/hr

for Scanning

Supervisor

$0.01–$0.26

per image

- Microform pricing varies based on type

(e.g., microfilm or microfiche) and other

factors such as film width (e.g., 16, 35, 105

mm) or format (e.g., positive or negative

microfilm; COM, jacketed or step-and-

repeat microfiche)

- Typically includes: up to 300 dpi, TIFF file

output

- May also include: Option for TIFF or PDF

file output, basic QA, basic image clean-up,

basic indexing

In addition to the hourly labor titles previously mentioned, some vendors may also provide other

custom digitization services utilizing additional hourly labor pricing such as those listed below:

Additional Hourly Labor Titles

Sample Pricing

Program Director

$100–$130

Program Manager

$85–$120

Production Supervisor

$40–$55

Production Specialist

$30–$40

Document Preparation Specialist

$25–$35

Systems Engineer

$75–$125

Network Engineer

$65–$100

Programmer

$60–$80

Driver/Courier

$35–$50

Sample Digitization Use Case Analysis

To illustrate how an agency may assess whether initiating a digitization project would be cost-effective,

sample scenarios are shown below with high level cost-benefit analyses comparing digitizing and

physically storing records:

CENARIO 1: HIGHLY ACCESSED RECORDS STORED FOR 5 YEARS

• 1,000 standard file boxes (average of 2,000 pages per box)

• 75% of boxes are retrieved from storage, 2 times per year

5 Year Storage at FRC

Digitization with Destruction of Hardcopy

Qty

Rate

Cost

Qty

Rate

Cost

Storage

1,000 boxes

$0.24

per month

$14,400

Reference

7,500 boxes

$4.40

per box

$33,000

Refile

7,500 boxes

$4.75

per box

$35,625

Scanning &

Indexing

2,000,000

pages

$0.07

per single

side of page

$140,000

Shipping

(Level III)

7,500 boxes

$13.00

per box

$97,500

Disposition

1,000 boxes

$5.50

per box

$5,500

5 YEAR STORAGE TOTAL

Storage Cost Per Box

$180,525

$180.53

DIGITIZATION TOTAL

Digitization Cost Per Box

$145,500

$145.50

Reference, Refile, Shipping Qty: Volume calculated at 7,500 boxes = 1,000 boxes x 75% retrieved x 2 times per

year x 5 years

Scanning/Indexing Qty: Volume calculated at 2,000,000 pages = 1,000 boxes x 2,000 pages per box

CENARIO 2: INFREQUENTLY ACCESSED RECORDS STORED FOR 5 YEARS

• 1,000 standard file boxes (Average of 2,000 pages per box)

• 5% of boxes are retrieved from storage, 1 time per year

5 Year Storage at FRC

Digitization with Destruction of Hardcopy

Qty

Rate

Cost

Qty

Rate

Cost

Storage

1,000 boxes

$0.24

per month

$14,400

Reference

250 boxes

$4.40

per box

$1,100

Refile

250 boxes

$4.75

per box

$1,188

Scanning &

Indexing

2,000,000

pages

$0.07

per single

side of page

$140,000

Shipping

(Level III)

250 boxes

$13.00

per box

$3,250

Disposition

1,000 boxes

$5.50

per box

$5,500

5 YEAR STORAGE TOTAL

Storage Cost Per Box

$19,938

$19.94

DIGITIZATION TOTAL

Digitization Cost Per Box

$145,500

$145.50

Reference, Refile, Shipping Qty: Volume calculated at 250 boxes = 1,000 boxes x 5% retrieved x 1 time per year x

5 years

Scanning/Indexing Qty: Volume calculated at 2,000,000 pages = 1,000 boxes x 2,000 pages per box

Understanding that these sample scenarios have been simplified for illustration purposes, agencies are

encouraged to complete their own assessments tailored to the specific storage and scanning rates

available and expected records activity levels. It is also worth noting that other cost-benefit

considerations such as lost productivity costs from handling physical materials and setup of necessary

document management systems are not included in these samples.