Information management and documentation policy

An information management and documentation policy sets out how an organization creates, organizes, preserves, provides access to, retains and disposes of its information. In procurement, that includes the records that show how a purchase was planned, competed, awarded and managed. The aim is information that is reliable, can be found when needed, and supports accountability.

The concept appears in both NATO and Government of Canada direction. NATO's NATO Information Management Policy establishes basic principles for NATO nations and NATO civil and military bodies. In Canada, Treasury Board direction and departmental policies apply the same ideas to government records and procurement files.

NATO Information Management Policy principles

The NATO Information Management Policy sets core principles for managing information effectively, efficiently and securely, as NATO describes in its data quality framework for the Alliance. It applies to NATO nations as well as civil and military bodies.

NATO records direction also separates information by value. Under NATO's archives policy document, information of permanent value must be identified and preserved. Information of temporary value is destroyed at the end of its retention period.

Government of Canada documentation requirements

The Government of Canada's Guideline on Service and Digital requires employees to document activities and decisions of business value. It also requires information and data of business value to be organized so they can be discovered, accessed, shared and reused, subject to legal and policy constraints. Relevant metadata is preserved, and information is retained under departmental records-management standards and procedures.

These requirements sit alongside procurement rules. The Treasury Board Directive on the Management of Procurement requires departments and agencies to establish, implement and maintain procurement-management frameworks made up of processes, systems and controls, including documentation.

Procurement files and the audit trail

Treasury Board direction requires procurement authorities to create and maintain accurate and comprehensive procurement records for oversight, auditing, fairness, openness and transparency. The Treasury Board document on procurement documentation lists the executed contract and, where applicable, the rationale for a non-competitive procurement strategy among the required records.

Individual organizations apply this in their own policies. Public Services and Procurement Canada added electronic-file documentation requirements for procurements to its Supply Manual and has addressed information-management policies, procurement-file classification and naming conventions for its Acquisitions Program. The Canada Revenue Agency's procurement policy requires comprehensive file documentation of procurement activities and decisions, aligned with its Information Management Policy, to keep a transparent audit trail and support audits, reviews, data capture and reporting.

Audits show why this matters. An audit of PSPC's land, aerospace and marine equipment procurement identified information-management weaknesses in the accessibility and availability of procurement files and related information. It recommended standardized checklists and retention of key contract documentation.

What it means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts

The documentation and records-management obligations described in these sources fall mainly on government departments and contracting authorities. For suppliers, the practical effect is that bids, contract records and other required submissions need to be complete, accurate and retained as the solicitation or contract requires. Procurement files are built from what suppliers submit, so a clear, well-organized bid supports the buyer's own audit trail.

Bid teams should read each solicitation for its specific record, submission and retention requirements, rather than assuming one universal supplier-facing clause covers them.