Retention of Contract Documents

Retention of Contract Documents
This section deals with the minimum retention period for
documents relating to the tender, award and performance of the
contract.
As contracts are considered to be administrative records, they are
to be retained in accordance with the GNWT’s Administrative
Records Classification Schedule (ARCS)
Other operational records are to be retained in accordance with the
relevant Operational Records Classification Schedule (ORCS).
The following information is provided for guidance only. Contact
your Records Coordinator or PW&S Records Manager.
How long must Contract Documents be Retained
The GNWT’s ARCS primary 4280 – Contracts lists the following
retention periods.
Original Contract Documents
Master copies of individual contracts are to be kept on-site until
the contract is completed, superceded, terminated, etc. It is then to
be forwarded to the GNWT Records Center where they will be
retained for 7 years.
Master copies of successful Tender bids, Proposals, Requests for
Tenders, etc. are to be retained as noted above.
Master copies of unsuccessful Tender bids, Proposals, etc., should
be forwarded to the GNWT Records Centre as soon as the
successful proposal is awarded and a contract entered into. These
records will be retained for 7 years prior to disposition.

Copies of Contract Documents
Copies of individual contracts should be retained on-site until the
contract is concluded or cancelled and then forwarded to the
Records Center for immediate destruction.
Copies of tender bids, proposals, etc. are to be destroyed after
contract award.
Impact of Legal Litigation on Record Retention
In the NWT, under the Limitation of Actions Act, the limitation
period for the initiation of legal action arising out of a contractual
dispute is seven years from the date of final completion or
performance of the contract.
For this reason, disposition of records under a retention schedule is
halted in the event of legal action until such time as the legal action
has been resolved.
In the event of legal action, do not destroy or otherwise dispose
of any documents and files relating to the tender, award, and
performance of the contract.