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Part of How to choose a working factory visits provider for 2027
Factory visits provider records: what owners must keep for 2027
Factory visit provider records guide for 2027 helps teams retain scope, selection notes, approvals, provider changes, final deliverables, and completion reviews.
A provider file should let a future program owner understand what was purchased, why the provider was selected, what changed, and what was accepted. It should not store controlled site information that the provider did not need.
What to take away
- Keep the scope, comparison, approvals, changes, and final deliverables together.
- Date message versions and name their approval source.
- Retain only the information needed for the provider assignment.
Why 2027 matters
2027 is a review-cycle date for provider records, not a legal deadline. No federal rule requires a filing in that year.
Each program sets its own cycle, typically every three to five years, and 2027 is the next review point for files opened in this cycle. Check your own cycle date instead of assuming the year.
How long to keep it
Seven years after the last activity on an assignment is a workable default for a provider file. Go shorter only where the organization's schedule allows, or where a contract, license, or warranty term ends sooner. Extend it where the work touches safety, permits, or an open dispute.
Write the period and the next review date on the file when it closes, not when it opens. Federal retention rules sit in 36 CFR Part 1226, Implementing Disposition. A private visitor program follows its own schedule, but it still needs a number and a review date.
Keep a compact provider record
| Record | Why keep it |
|---|---|
| Written scope | Defines the work and boundaries |
| Selection note | Shows how the provider matched the need |
| Approved proposal | Preserves cost, assumptions, and deliverables |
| Change note | Explains authorized work beyond scope |
| Completion review | Captures objective results for next time |
The National Archives' electronic-records guidance describes organizing records with a file plan and retaining metadata such as dates and creators in its federal context. A visitor program can use the basic discipline: name the document, date it, identify its owner, and make the current version easy to find.
Provider record essentials
- Written scope defines work and boundaries
- Selection note shows provider match
- Approved proposal preserves cost and deliverables
- Change note explains authorized extra work
- Completion review captures objective results
Keep roles clear in the file
The provider file can identify the facility contact who approved visitor-facing information. Name the role and the approval date with it.
Review the file before a repeat assignment
Before asking the same provider to return, review the prior scope, final materials, approved changes, and completion note. Identify what should remain the same and what needs a new scope. This gives the provider a clean starting point and avoids treating an old agreement as an automatic authorization for new work.
Record the result of that review. A dated note shows whether the file remains current or whether the team needs a fresh selection process.
Retain the basis for selection
Keep the scope, comparison notes, provider response, approval, and final agreement together. The National Archives guidance on records schedules describes how records schedules support retention decisions.
Make deliverable ownership clear
Record who receives editable files, source materials, image rights notes, and final copies. The U.S. Copyright Office fair-use FAQ explains that fair use is a fact-specific doctrine, not a general license for online material. Keep permissions and license terms with the media file so future reuse is not based on a guess.
Plan the closeout and handoff
The National Archives web-records guidance describes life-cycle management for web records. At closeout, write one handoff page. It names the current contact, the accepted deliverables, and anything still open. Everything else stays in the five records above.
Label material for the next owner
Use a simple naming pattern for the scope, proposal, approval, provider deliverables, and closeout note. Include the version date and status in the file name. A future program owner should not have to open five drafts to determine which one was accepted or whether a newer scope replaced an earlier one.
Worked example: 2026-03-14_plant-a_scope_v2_approved.md. The date sorts first, plant-a stands in for the site name, the item type says what the file is, and the version and status close the name. A closeout note follows the same pattern: 2026-05-02_plant-a_closeout_v1_final.md. Update the status when a version is replaced, so a superseded file never reads as current.
This makes the provider record a decision tool, not just a storage folder. It also helps a new program owner ask focused questions before revisiting a past arrangement.
Common questions
What belongs in a provider completion review?
Use objective notes about the scope, schedule, deliverables, approved changes, and handoff quality.
Should a team retain unsuccessful proposals?
Follow the organization's policy. At minimum, preserve the selection basis and information needed to explain the decision.
How should final files be labeled?
Include the provider, deliverable, date, and version, then clearly mark the accepted final copy.
