Decommissioning cost: the six factors that actually move the number
No price is shown on this page. A number quoted without knowing the access route, the data requirements and the recoverable value would be wrong, and would help you compare proposals that are not comparable.
The six factors that move the number
- Access. Elevator, dock hours, corridors, staging space, site rules.
- Data requirements. On-site destruction with serial-level evidence is a different job from bulk collection.
- Recoverable value. It offsets cost, sometimes entirely. It also lengthens the schedule.
- Reporting depth. A reconciliation report at serial level takes real work and should be priced as such.
- Schedule pressure. Night and weekend work, or a fixed end date, changes the crew and the rate.
- Volume and homogeneity. Two hundred identical units cost less per unit than fifty different ones.
How to compare proposals that look different
- Bring every proposal back to the six factors above.
- Check whether recovery value is netted off or paid separately — this alone can invert a ranking.
- Check what reporting is included, and at what level of detail.
- Check who bears the risk if the site walk reveals something unexpected.
- Check the assumptions each provider made where information was missing.
That last one is the most revealing. A provider who states assumptions has scoped the work; one who does not has priced a hope.
Frequently asked questions
Can decommissioning pay for itself?
Sometimes, when the hardware is recent, homogeneous and complete. It is a possible outcome, not a plan to rely on.
Is a site walk chargeable?
Often, and legitimately: it is engineering work. Many providers credit it against the project if awarded.
Get a scoped estimate
The only number worth having is the one that follows a site walk. Describe the project so one can be arranged.
Data Center Exit is an independent project-intake and matching platform. It does not perform decommissioning, equipment removal, data destruction or transport.