SpendQueryBeta

FAR and DFARS › DFARS Part 204: Administrative and Information Matters › Subpart 204.8

DFARS 204.805 Disposal of contract files.

The codified text (eCFR, as of 2026-10-02). Under the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul ↗, agencies follow class deviations with new text for many parts while the formal rules go through the Federal Register: check the solicitation and your contract's clauses, which rule.

In plain English

This section tells contracting offices how long to keep contract files and where to send them. It matters to contractors because it explains how long records tied to their contracts, including pricing review files, are kept by the government. It also sets rules for destroying working files and handling deviations from retention periods.

Applies to: Government contracting offices maintaining contract files

What it requires

  • Hold completed contract files in the responsible office for 12 months after completion.
  • After the initial 12 months, send records to the local records holding or staging area until eligible for destruction.
  • If no local space is available, transfer files to the General Services Administration Federal Records Center that services the area.
  • Retain pricing review files subject to certified cost or pricing data for six years, or nine years if the final payment date cannot be determined.

Key terms: General Records Schedule 3 · General Records Schedule 6 · Defense Acquisition Regulatory Council · Government Accountability Office · National Archives and Records Administration

Written by AI from this section's text. A guide, not legal advice: the text below rules.

The text

(1) The sources of the period for which contract files must be retained are General Records Schedule 3 (Procurement, Supply, and Grant Records) and General Records Schedule 6 (Accountable Officers' Accounts Records). Copies of the General Records Schedule may be obtained from the National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC 20408.

(2) Deviations from the periods cannot be granted by the Defense Acquisition Regulatory Council. Forward requests for deviations to both the Government Accountability Office and the National Archives and Records Administration.

(3) Hold completed contract files in the office responsible for maintaining them for a period of 12 months after completion. After the initial 12 month period, send the records to the local records holding or staging area until they are eligible for destruction. If no space is available locally, transfer the files to the General Services Administration Federal Records Center that services the area.

(4) Duplicate or working contract files should contain no originals of materials that properly belong in the official files. Destroy working files as soon as practicable once they are no longer needed.

(5) Retain pricing review files, containing documents related to reviews of the contractor's price proposals, subject to certified cost or pricing data (see FAR 15.403-4), for six years. If it is impossible to determine the final payment date in order to measure the six year period, retain the files for nine years.

Sections it refers to

  • 15.403-4 Requiring certified cost or pricing data (10 U.S.C. chapter 271 and 41 U.S.C. chapter 35).

← 204.804-70 Contract clause. · 204.902 General. →

Rule changes for DFARS Part 204

Source: eCFR, 48 CFR chapters 1 and 2 (GPO GovInfo bulk data) ↗. Plain words for the terms: glossary.

DFARS 204.805 Disposal of contract files · SpendQuery