How to compare document scanning quotes in Australia

To compare document scanning quotes fairly, ask each supplier to price the same records, counting method, digital output and review requirements. Then compare the total for that agreed scope, including exclusions and possible extra charges. A lower rate per page does not tell you which proposal will deliver the archive your team needs.

This guide is for Australian businesses reviewing proposals for a paper archive. It provides a comparison worksheet and a request you can adapt when a quote is unclear. It does not set a market price or promise that a particular service is included by every provider.

1. Give each supplier the same project brief

Comparisons start to break down when one supplier prices loose A4 sheets and another assumes mixed folders needing preparation. Send the same brief to everyone, and keep a dated copy of any revisions.

Describe the record types, location, approximate quantity, paper sizes, condition and deadline. Mark what is counted, what is estimated and what is unknown. Include who will answer questions, accept delivery and authorise changes.

If all you know is the number of boxes, say so. Ask what assessment is needed before the supplier can confirm volume and price. Do not turn a box count into a precise page count using an unexplained conversion. The document preparation guide covers the inventory and file-order details to collect first.

Distinguish an initial estimate from a quote based on inspected material. Ask which assumptions would change the price and how the supplier will obtain approval before additional work begins.

2. Check what the quoted unit counts

A physical sheet may carry information on both sides. A file may contain many sheets, and a scanned image may represent one side. Ask the supplier to define the unit used for billing rather than assuming that every reference to a “page” means the same thing.

For a simple illustration, 100 sheets with information on both sides contain 200 sides to capture. That is counting arithmetic, not a billing rule. The quote still needs to explain its treatment of blank backs, covers, dividers, attachments and rescans.

Also check whether the quantity is an estimate or a final measured count, and whether different formats have separate rates. When two proposals use different units, ask for a common basis before comparing their totals. Do not divide a project total by an uncertain page count and treat the result as a reliable rate.

3. Specify the files you expect to receive

“Scan to PDF” leaves several decisions open. Do you need one PDF per existing folder, one per document, or another agreed boundary? Must attachments stay with their parent record? How will the filenames relate to the source files?

Separate three requirements:

• Image capture: a visual copy of the supplied pages.
• Searchable text: OCR so users can search recognised words within a file.
• Structured fields: values such as a project reference or invoice date supplied in an agreed index or export.

A searchable PDF does not, by itself, specify an index spreadsheet or checked field values. Ask which outputs are included, which need a separate scope, and how unclear or missing information is reported. Pexatech's OCR overview and data extraction overview describe these different needs.

For a worked specification example, see searchable PDFs versus extracted spreadsheet data. It follows one fictional invoice through the possible outputs and shows the field and import checks to discuss.

Name the system where the files will be used. Request a small example that your team can open, search and retrieve there before agreeing the full delivery structure. Treat optional AI search as a separate decision with its own costs, handling arrangements and limitations.

4. Use one comparison worksheet

For each proposal, record the supplier's written answer against the rows below. Mark each item included, separately priced, excluded or unclear, and note the relevant page or clause. A blank answer is unresolved scope, not a zero cost.

On a small screen, scroll the table sideways if needed.

The Australian Government's guidance on preparing quotes recommends a written description of the work, itemised and total costs, applicable GST, payment terms, dates and quote expiry. Use those basics to check the proposal, then add the archive-specific details above.

5. Ask what the quality checks actually test

“Quality assured” is difficult to compare without a method. Ask how the supplier checks that the supplied records are accounted for and that the images are legible, correctly ordered and split into the right files. Clarify which checks cover every item and which use a sample.

For OCR or extracted fields, ask what any stated accuracy figure measures, how it was tested and whether it applies to your material. Recognising words, capturing a correct invoice total and successfully processing a file are different results. A file can finish processing while still containing recognition errors.

Agree how the supplier will distinguish a capture problem from an unreadable original, report exceptions and arrange corrections. Confirm who pays for rescanning or rework in each circumstance.

A sample review is useful when it represents the actual archive. Include typical records and known difficulties rather than only clean pages. Record the sample scope, any charge, expected outputs and acceptance questions. A small successful sample is useful evidence for a decision; it is not a guarantee that every later page will be error-free.

6. Compare handling arrangements as well as output

Before sharing confidential records, ask where physical scanning and subsequent processing occur, which other providers receive the data, how access is controlled and who handles an incident. Include collection and return arrangements, temporary working copies, backups and deletion in the discussion.

Ask for evidence relevant to the proposed service. A statement about a hosting provider does not establish the scanning supplier's certification or all of its handling controls.

The OAIC's guide to securing personal information discusses supplier due diligence and contractual safeguards when outsourcing. For entities covered by the Privacy Act, outsourcing does not automatically remove responsibilities for information they still hold. The guide is being updated and is not itself legally binding; confirm the requirements that apply to your organisation and records.

For initial scoping, describe the records without sending unnecessary personal information. Agree an appropriate sample-transfer method first.

7. Agree acceptance and the next step for originals

Ask when your review period starts, who approves the delivery and how you report missing files or other problems. A handover should let you reconcile what was supplied with what came back, including documented exceptions.

Use the delivered scanning batch quality checklist to plan reconciliation, correction tracking and a recorded acceptance decision.

Check any storage or portal costs after delivery, how long download access remains available and whether you can obtain the agreed files and index without an ongoing subscription. If staff need originals during scanning, confirm the access arrangement and its effect on timing and cost.

Keep the decision about originals separate from accepting digital output. Scanning completion alone is not an instruction to destroy paper. Your records owner or adviser should determine the applicable retention, disposal and other requirements before you authorise that step.

For organisations using NSW's GA51 authority, State Records NSW's disposal checklist separately addresses quality control, retention and authorised disposal. It is not a universal disposal permission for Australian businesses.

8. Compare a complete scope before choosing a price

Ask each supplier to separate the agreed project total from optional services, uncertain quantities and ongoing fees. Compare amounts on the same GST basis, and keep the tax amount visible where applicable. Include collection, preparation, required output and delivery only once; avoid adding an item again if it is already in the total.

For example, one fictional proposal might include searchable PDFs but leave naming and indexing to your staff. Another might include the agreed index and a file-level handover register. There is no meaningful price winner until you decide whether you need those outputs and obtain the cost of any missing work. These are illustrative scope differences, not descriptions of particular suppliers.

If volume remains uncertain, ask how the total changes when the assessed quantity differs from the estimate. Agree whether there is a budget cap, a re-quotation point or another written approval process. Do not manufacture a precise comparison by guessing the unresolved charges.

Use the digitisation cost guide for broader budget considerations and the existing estimator for initial scoping. A supplier's assessment and written scope are still needed for your actual records.

A clarification request you can copy

Adapt this request to the records you have. It is a starting point for discussion, not a contract template.

We are comparing proposals for the same archive. Please confirm the items below in your revised quote, marking anything excluded, optional or dependent on assessment. Please identify any difference from our supplied project brief.

• What quantity and billing unit does the price assume, and how are extra volume, blank sides and rescans treated?
• Which preparation tasks, digital formats, filenames, OCR and index fields are included?
• What checks are performed, how are exceptions reported, and what is the correction process?
• What are the collection, processing, access and delivery arrangements, including any other providers involved?
• What is the total on a clearly stated GST basis, and what minimum, optional or ongoing charges remain?
• What could change the price or deadline, and when would you request our written approval?
• What is the delivery-review period, and what separate instructions are needed for the originals?

Keep the responses with the final scope and quote version. Choose a proposal you can evaluate against clear delivery requirements, with the unresolved questions answered before the archive leaves your control.