The records that protect you on a public contract

Most contract problems are arguments about what happened. Did the crew show up on the 14th? Was the lot salted before 6 a.m.? Who told you to add the extra site? Was that crack in the floor there before you started?

The public buyer has staff, files and time. If it comes down to your memory against their records, you lose. Good records are cheap insurance.

What to keep

Daily logs. One entry per day per contract: date, sites, crew, hours, work done, weather, problems and who you talked to. A phone app or a simple shared spreadsheet is fine. What matters is that it is written the same day.

Dated photos. Before, during and after, especially at the start of the contract and before any change. Photos settle arguments about pre-existing damage and quality faster than anything else. Keep the original files so the date and location data stay intact.

Timesheets and GPS data. For hourly work and snow contracts, these back up every invoice. Many buyers ask for them.

Inspections and sign-offs. Copies of the buyer's inspection reports, deficiency lists and when each item was fixed.

Instructions and changes in writing. Every time someone from the buyer asks for something outside the contract, confirm it by email that day: what they asked, who asked, and how it will be paid. See change orders and extra work.

Complaints and fixes. Every complaint, your response, and the outcome.

Safety records. Orientations, toolbox talks, inspections and incident reports. WorkSafeBC expects records like these as part of a safety program. See a safety program for a small crew.

Correspondence. Keep project emails in one folder per contract, not scattered across personal inboxes.

Contract documents. The tender, every addendum, your bid, the signed contract, insurance certificates and any amendments.

How records protect you

Getting paid. Clean records make invoices easy to approve, and disputes easy to settle. See getting paid on public contracts.

Change orders. Without a written instruction and a record of the extra work, extra work is often free work.

Liens and holdbacks. On construction work in BC, the Builders Lien Act has strict timelines. Your records establish when work was done and when it was completed. Get advice early if payment stalls.

Complaints. When a member of the public complains to the council, your log and photos show what was done and when.

Insurance and injury claims. If someone slips on a lot you maintain, your records of when you plowed and salted are your defence.

Renewal. At the end of the term, your file of completed work, quick fixes and compliments is the evidence that you should be kept on. See keeping a contract at renewal.

Your next bid. Real hours and quantities from this contract make your next price sharper. See building a bid library.

Make it easy for the crew

Records only work if they get done every day. Keep it simple:

• One short form per day, on a phone.
• Photos straight into a shared folder named by contract and date.
• A rule: any instruction from the buyer gets a confirming email before the end of the day.
• A weekly check by the owner or supervisor that logs are complete.

How long to keep them

Keep contract records for at least the full contract term plus several years, longer for construction and anything involving injuries or disputes. Ask your accountant and lawyer what applies to your business. Storage is cheap; missing records are not.

Good records will not win you a tender on their own. But they make every contract you win safer, smoother and more likely to be renewed.