Record keeping is important for construction projects to document what occurred over the course of the project. This establishes a record that can be referred back to later for disputes or reviewing events. Good records also need to be kept for legal and contractual requirements. The type and extent of records depends on the project, but they should be dated, signed, and stored systematically. Record keeping helps control work, provide future data, and hand over important information to the client.

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2. RECORD KEEPING
• Appropriate records should be compiled and maintained throughout
the duration of construction projects. This creates a
contemporaneous history of what happened at what point during the
course of the project that can be referred to if necessary.
• This not only establishes a ‘memory’ or ‘paper trail’ for the project
through which activities and decisions can be reviewed, it allows for
the reconstruction, review and analysis of events and timelines
should a dispute arise. Disputes are often determined by the available
records, rather than by the facts, and so it is commercially very
important to the parties involved that good records are kept.
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3. • There are a number of reasons for record keeping:
• Legal requirements.
• Contractual requirements.
• To control work.
• To provide data for future work.
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4. • The extent of the record keeping required will depend on the type of
project. A balance must be maintained between keeping adequate
records in preparation for a dispute arising, and attempting to record
everything, which is can be difficult, time consuming and costly.
• Some record-keeping requirements, such as recording the minutes of
meetings for example, may be carried out at the discretion of the
individual organisation, with different frequency rates, levels of detail,
and time for which records must be kept, appropriate for different
situations. Other records may be a legal or contractual requirement,
following prescribed rules.
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5. • For example, under the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS),
contractors must keep a record of the gross amount of each payment
invoiced by subcontractors, excluding VAT and any deductions made
from subcontractor payments. These details must be kept for at least
3 years after the end of the tax year they relate to.
• Ultimately, when the completed building is handed over to the client,
a set of record information should be passed to them so they are able
to operate the building.
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6. • It is important that the standard of records kept is high, or they may not
provide the expected information when they are actually required. In
particular, records should be dated (including incoming records) and where
appropriate, signed, and a document management system should be in
place to allow efficient storage and retrieval.
• Information is now generally managed using specialist software, and apps
that make the preparation of records easier and more reliable are also
available. This can, for example allow records to be made on site using a
mobile phone, which are then automatically uploaded to a project
document management system.
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7. • Increasingly, project information is prepared in the form of a building
information model (BIM), and this may include project records as well
as design and specification information. An as-built or as-constructed
building information model might be prepared on completion of
construction works, consisting of documentation, non- graphical
information and graphical information defining the delivered project.
• During operation, this might be described as an Asset Information
Model (AIM), that is, a model that provides all the data and
information related to, or required for the operation of the completed
built asset.
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8. List of records
• A range of records that might be kept on construction projects is presented below.
• Tenders and contracts:
• Original contract tender documents.
• Tender negotiations and revisions.
• Sub-contractor tenders, contracts, purchase orders and correspondence.
• Contract administration:
• Instructions.
• Variations and estimates.
• Contractual certificates.
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9. • Contract notices.
• Requests for information.
• Resources:
• Daily time records.
• Daily equipment use.
• Daily production logs.
• Material delivery and use.
• Labour use.
• Inventories of tools, plant and equipment.
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