On Feb 1, 2005, at 5:48 AM, SMITH, Paula wrote:
> If you have a look at the RMS local authority retention guidelines
> they state that unsuccessful tender documents can be disposed of 1
> year from start of contract.
> www.rms-gb.org
> Paula
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Sarah Henning [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Could anybody give me an idea of how long we should be keeping
> unsucessful tenders for?
> Sarah Henning
Would there be any value to retaining these for the period of the
Contract that was awarded, in the event the successful bidder is unable
to perform the assigned duties to your satisfaction? I would think you
might (for business reasons, beyond required retention) want to
consider this for future bids, or for pre-qualifying bidders if the
need arises to split the present Contract due to the work exceeding the
capabilities of the successful bidder.
I understand and agree with the concept of retaining records no longer
than required if they might be damaging, but these are documents that
could prove beneficial and I doubt there would be any concern about FOI
related to them. Might be advisable to consider revising the retention
schedule to state "Retain for 1 year from start of Contract, or longer
if business need dictates sufficient value" This allows you to dispose
of them after a year, but doesn't require you to.
Larry Medina
|