If your agency is considering outsourcing its records management, it will need to understand that:

• Contracting records management services will not change your agency’s responsibly to have full and accurate records of the outsourced function.
• Records need to support your operational business and meet your accountability requirements to the government and the public, both for the short and long term. Will outsourcing mean that you do not have the corporate knowledge required to use your records after the contract has expired?
• Your agency will need to maintain staff with the skills and knowledge to monitor the contract and set policies and procedures for the records management function.
• The responsibilities of the contractor and the in-house staff need to be clearly defined. This division of responsibilities needs to be communicated to all staff in your agency (the clients of the service).
• The contract will need to indicate how the service will be monitored, using both qualitative and quantitative measures.
• Policies, procedures and training need to be developed specifically for your agency staff.
• Records management obligations should be set out in a range of legislation, regulations and policies. These should be specified in any potential outsourcing agreement. Relevant legislative requirements are discussed in more detail under records and the law.