Documentation as a Service (DaaS) - Your external documentation department

Your documentation department Always on, always ready Always compliant

What is DaaS?

Documentation as a Service (DaaS) provides you with a fully equipped technical documentation team through a predictable monthly plan.

We take full responsibility for creating, maintaining, and managing your documentation - including legal compliance, technical writing, content management, and updates - so that your products, machinery and equipment are always supported by professional, consistent, and compliant manuals.

You keep full control of your data and files. We ensure that your documentation remains accurate, up to date, and audit-ready, aligned with standards such as ISO 82079, ISO 12100, and the EU Machinery Regulation.

Who benefits from DaaS

DaaS is designed for organisations that design, manufacture, or integrate complex machinery, equipment or products - companies operating in highly regulated environments where documentation quality, compliance, and consistency are essential.

Typical sectors that benefit most from DaaS include:

Machinery and industrial equipment manufacturers – needing continuous documentation updates across multiple product variants.
Automotive and component suppliers – requiring CE, UKCA, or ISO-compliant documentation for vehicles, subsystems, and tooling.
Food industry companies – operating under strict hygiene and safety regulations, where documentation must meet both technical and legal requirements.
Process industry companies – including those involved in nuclear, recycling, or chemical processes, where safety, traceability, and regulatory compliance are critical.
Maritime and offshore industries – where reliability, safety standards, and multilingual documentation are crucial for global operations.
Government and public-sector projects – requiring transparent documentation and version control for audits and tenders.
General industry and system integrators – delivering turnkey installations that demand consistent manuals, risk assessments, and technical files.
Manufacturers of electronic devices and consumer products – facing new compliance and documentation obligations under the GPSR, RED, and other CE frameworks. (See “DaaS for Electronic Devices & Consumer Products” for more information.)

By outsourcing your documentation function, you free internal capacity, reduce compliance risks, and ensure that your manuals and technical files are always audit-ready, up to date.

The problems we solve

No in-house documentation expertise – Engineers or product managers end up writing manuals, leading to unclear and inconsistent content.
Compliance risks – Manuals fail to meet standards like ISO 82079, ISO 20607, EU Machinery Regulation, or ANSI Z535.6, risking fines or failed audits.
Multiple vendors, no consistency – Writing, illustration, translation, and publishing are scattered across different suppliers.
Inefficient processes – Content is recreated from scratch, templates aren’t reused, and formatting is done manually.
Translation chaos – Inconsistent terminology, repeated translation costs, and layout problems in multilingual manuals.
Data control issues – Source files and translations stored with vendors, not in your systems.
Launch delays – Documentation isn’t ready when products ship, causing bottlenecks.

The continuous outcomes you get

Always-ready documentation – All manuals, compliance files, and support materials are kept up to date and publish-ready.
Professional technical writing – Created by trained writers, not engineers or marketing staff.
Compliance watch – Monitoring of standards (ISO, CE, ANSI, etc.) with proactive update alerts.
Consistent brand & voice – Templates and style guides applied across all deliverables.
Central asset library – All illustrations, translations, and reusable content blocks managed centrally.
Translation efficiency – Terminology and translation memories reduce costs and ensure consistency.
Proactive planning – Documentation aligned with your product launch roadmap.
Reduced internal workload – Your experts focus on design and sales while we handle documentation.

Subscription tiers – capacity & pricing

Plan	Monthly capacity	Hourly rate	Monthly fee
Essential (Advisory & oversight)	~32 hrs	Request a quote	Request a quote
Professional (Full responsibility)	~64 hrs	Request a quote Request a quote	Request a quote
Enterprise (Full responsibility + multi-product)	~128 hrs	Request a quote	Request a quote

Included tasks:

Creating technical documentation and manuals
Maintaining and updating the documentation so it is accurate, up to date, and audit-ready
Managing documentation files, structure, and versions
Ensuring professional, consistent, and compliant documentation
Ensuring legal compliance
Aligning documentation with relevant standards (ISO 82079, ISO 12100, EU Machinery Regulation).

Notes:

Translations, DTP, illustrations, and legal consultancy are billed separately (tier-based discounts possible).
Additional hours billed at your tier’s rate.
No rollover - capacity reserved for you each month.

Additional services – tier-based rates

Depending on your subscription tier, you benefit from reduced rates on a range of additional services that can be flexibly added to your monthly plan.

Tier-based services include:

Technical writing (outside subscription capacity)
Proofreading and quality assurance
Line illustrations (3D-based)
3D file creation
Legal consultancy and compliance advisory
Content strategy consultancy
Content management (MadCap and related systems)

Always billed separately (not included in the subscription):

Translations (per-word pricing, managed with terminology and translation memories)
DTP and layouting for print and digital outputs
Graphic and document design
Hosting and maintenance of online manuals

All services can be combined to create a fully tailored documentation workflow that fits your organisation’s needs and capacity.

DaaS for machinery & industry and regulated sectors

What we can offer, among others, for companies that design, build, resell, or import machinery, equipment, and systems in regulated industries such as automotive, food processing, maritime, and general industry:

Writing & creation

Operator, installation, and maintenance manuals
Service and repair documentation
Spare parts lists with exploded-view illustrations
SOPs and work instructions for assembly, operation, and servicing
Technical datasheets and process descriptions

Legal & compliance

Research and identification of applicable directives and standards (e.g. Machinery Regulation, EMC, LVD, ISO, ANSI)
Preparation and maintenance of CE technical documentation files
Risk assessments (ISO 12100 and sector-specific standards)
Support on drafting and maintaining Declarations of Conformity/Declarations of Incorporation
Providing safety information and labelling requirements
Monitoring regulatory changes and advising on compliance updates

Output & management

Updates for new machine or system variants and ongoing projects
Controlled versioning for audits, tenders, and certifications
Publishing through CCMS for efficient reuse and multilingual management
Multi-format publishing: PDFs, HTML online manuals, QR-based or digital access

Translations & localisation

Multilingual manuals for operators, service staff, and international clients
Technical terminology and translation memory management for consistency
QA and formatting checks for multilingual layouts

DaaS for industrial/professional products & consumer products

What we can offer, among others, to companies that produce (industrial) electronic devices, industrial products or consumer products

For this customer group, INSTRKTIV primarily delivers project-based technical communication services or dedicated subscription tiers designed to offer flexibility, scalability, and measurable ROI.

Legal & compliance

Research and identification of applicable directives and standards (LVD, EMC, RED, GPSD, and others).
Assessment of legal publication requirements – determining what must be printed and what can be delivered digitally to reduce costs and streamline documentation.
Creation of safety instructions and compliance content for packaging, labelling, and manuals.
Continuous monitoring of regulatory changes to ensure compliance across multiple markets.

Writing & creation

Quick Start Guides, safety instructions, HTML (online/digital) manuals, video instructions and full user manuals for complex, connected or consumer products.
Product datasheets, technical specifications, FAQs, and troubleshooting content.
Omnichannel documentation optimised for print, web, chatbot, and QR delivery.
Documentation that enhances user experience and brand perception, fully aligned with corporate design and tone of voice.

Output & management

Structured version control and frequent updates managed via CCMS.
Centralised hub for multilingual documentation across multiple product lines.
Multi-channel publishing workflows (print, online, chatbot, QR).
Integration with brand design systems to enable faster, more consistent releases.

Translations & localisation

Coordination of translations into all required languages.
Translation memory and terminology management for cost savings and consistency.
QA and DTP checks for multilingual fold-outs, packaging, and labelling.

Business case / ROI

The DaaS plan for this group offers the best balance between capacity and cost efficiency.

Up to 40% reduction in documentation costs through digital-first delivery and reuse of content.
Lower printing and logistics costs with QR-based or HTML manuals.
Reduced translation costs through reuse and automation.
Faster product launches thanks to ready-to-publish omnichannel outputs.

Your DaaS subscription effectively pays for itself by cutting recurring print and translation expenses - while reinforcing your brand consistency and customer satisfaction.

Compliance monitor subscription

To complement project-based delivery, we offer a Regulatory Monitoring Service to ensure ongoing compliance across markets.

Our 3-stage lifecycle approach (DaaS)

1. Assess & Structure

We start by mapping compliance requirements, documentation scope and publication formats
(print vs digital). We assess risks, determine mandatory content, and set up a clear structure, templates and workflows.

Outcome: a solid foundation, clear compliance overview, and a scalable documentation structure.

2. Build & Launch

We develop and publish the documentation: user manuals, safety instructions, labels, online manuals and supporting content, aligned with UX, brand and regulatory requirements. Content is centrally managed for reuse and multilingual publishing.

Outcome: professional, compliant and user-friendly documentation — ready for launch.

3. Maintain & Improve (Documentation as a Service)

After launch, we take care of ongoing management: updates following product changes, compliance monitoring, version control, translations and continuous optimisation across all channels.

Outcome: documentation remains up to date, audit-ready and scalable, without internal workload.

DaaS for startups & emerging product companies

What we can offer, among others, for startups and early-stage companies launching their first products

For this customer group, INSTRKTIV provides project-based packages that deliver everything needed for a successful product launch. While DaaS subscriptions aren’t practical at this stage, startups and emerging product companies can still benefit from our Lightweight DaaS tier and optional Regulatory Monitoring Subscription to stay compliant after launch.

Tiered launch packages

Package	Includes	Starting Price
Launch Ready	User manual (PDF), basic branding and layout, basic CE/safety compliance.	€4,000 (one-off)
Investor Grade	Print-ready safety instructions, a full HTML manual, premium design, a compliance file, and initial CCMS setup for scalability.	€6,000 (one-off)
Scale-Ready	Everything in Investor Grade, plus a Quick Start Guide, one explainer video, and a multilingual CCMS set-up.	€8,000 (one-off)

Each package supports a key milestone in your startup journey - from first launch to scale-up - providing professional, compliant, and brand-aligned documentation that builds trust with investors and customers alike.

Legal & compliance

Identification of minimum compliance requirements for EU/global launch (CE basics, safety texts) for the manual, packaging and labelling.
Assessment of legal publication requirements - determining what must be printed and what can be delivered digitally to reduce costs and streamline documentation.
Drafting of essential safety warnings.
Guidance on compliance essentials to prevent costly mistakes before launch.

Output & management

Fast turnaround using InDesign and DTP tools for ready-to-print and digital layouts.
Simple, cost-effective update workflows for small, agile teams.
Seamless scalability into CCMS once product lines expand.

Translations & localisation

Essential translations into key launch languages.
Cost-effective per-word translation with consistent terminology and QA.

Compliance Monitor as a Service

Startups that have completed their initial project can stay compliant through an affordable ongoing service.

Includes:

Monitoring of regulatory updates (standards and regulations).
Update recommendations for manuals and labelling.
Direct access to INSTRKTIV’s compliance experts for rapid support.

“Launch once, stay compliant forever - without a full subscription commitment.”