The approach adopted in relation to document retention should reflect legal requirements and the Authority's own internal policies. However the length of the Contract is also a key factor which may mean that the minimum period for retention required by law or as a result of internal policy is not an appropriate approach in the context of a long term PFI/PPP contract. WIDP recommend that all documents that are considered worthy of retention should then be retained for the length of the Contract. To minimise the cost of retention the Contract manager should ensure that all relevant documents are converted into electronic format.
All documents generated in the procurement period should be reviewed as soon as possible after financial close and decisions taken as to which should be retained and which can safely be disposed of. Where electronic copies have been provided on a disk or a memory stick these should be transferred to a more secure server for long term storage.