The as-built dossier is a factory’s legal memory: drawings showing the works as actually built, site diaries, acceptance records, material certificates. While the plant runs smoothly nobody thinks of them; when a major repair, an expansion, a sale or a quality dispute erupts ten years later, that dossier becomes the decisive asset. This article sets out retention periods, each party’s duties, and the dossier’s role in a factory transfer.
Retention: matched to the life of the works
Under construction and archives law, the works completion dossier — as-built drawings, site diaries, acceptance files and material quality records — is prepared, handed over and retained by the employer and contractors for periods corresponding to the works’ grade and type; the core dossier of a project must be kept long-term, in many cases permanently or for the whole life of the works, and certain projects fall under deposit into state archives. The site diary is an original record of daily events on site and cannot be recreated after the works end, so its archival value is far higher than it looks.
In practice the greatest retention risk is not missing rules but fragmentation: the contractor keeps part, the consultant keeps part, the employer holds only an incomplete copy, and after a few staff changes nobody knows where the master dossier lives. Employers should require handover in two sets at settlement — an original set kept at the plant and an indexed electronic backup — and inventory the dossier as its own acceptance item with a separate record, instead of treating it as closing paperwork.
The as-built dossier in a factory transfer
When a factory is sold, the buyer effectively must receive the asset’s full technical and legal file: land and works ownership certificates, the construction permit, design and as-built documents, acceptance and fire-acceptance records, warranty files and technical-system maintenance contracts. No single statute lists a dossier-handover duty in asset sales, but a deal missing the as-built file is priced down and diligence drags, because the buyer cannot verify whether the works were built lawfully and to design. The transfer contract should carry an annexed dossier-handover list with a supplementation undertaking and liability for gaps.
A buyer without as-built records faces layered difficulties: no current-state drawings to design alterations or repair underground systems; trouble obtaining alteration or expansion permits without proof of existing foundations and structures; difficulty re-accepting technical systems; and no evidence of installed materials and equipment when warranty or insurance disputes arise. In due diligence for an operating factory, a complete, indexed as-built dossier signals a well-governed asset and is regularly credited directly in valuation by reviewing lawyers.
Legal value of electronic as-built drawings
Electronic as-built drawings and documents created, digitally signed and stored in compliance with electronic-transaction rules carry legal value equivalent to paper, provided integrity, accessibility and origin authentication are guaranteed throughout retention under the Law on Electronic Transactions 2023. That lets employers digitise the whole as-built dossier for fast retrieval, but a distinction must be kept between an ordinary reference scan and a legally valid electronic record: only files digitised and certified through the proper process can substitute for originals with authorities and third parties.
The practical recommendation is a dual system: paper originals of the core legal documents — acceptance, handover, permits — stored in the plant’s archive; the full dossier digitised with an index, access controls and off-site backup. Every repair or alteration generating updated as-built drawings must be filed immediately, so the current-state drawings never drift from the real works — an as-built dossier loses usefulness at exactly the speed it becomes outdated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long must as-built records and site diaries be kept?
The works completion dossier, including as-built drawings and site diaries, is retained for periods tied to the works’ grade, type and lifespan under construction and archives law; the core dossier must be kept long-term, in many cases permanently or for the life of the works, and some projects are deposited into state archives. The safe practice is to treat the as-built dossier as a permanent record of the employer.
On selling a factory, must the full as-built dossier be handed to the buyer?
The transfer contract should state this duty expressly through an annexed dossier list: as-built, design, acceptance, fire, warranty and legal documents of the works. No single provision compels it, but a missing dossier hampers the buyer’s diligence and later alterations, so deals are priced down or delayed; complete handover directly serves the seller’s interest.
What problems does a buyer face without as-built records?
No current-state drawings for alteration design or underground repairs; inability to prove existing foundations and structures when seeking alteration or expansion permits; difficulty re-accepting technical systems; and loss of material and equipment evidence in warranty or insurance disputes. That is why the as-built dossier is checked as a separate item in legal and technical due diligence for factory purchases.
Do electronic as-built drawings carry the same value as paper?
Yes, if created, digitally signed and stored with integrity, accessibility and origin authentication under the Law on Electronic Transactions 2023; a properly digitised and certified electronic record can substitute for the original. An ordinary scan is for reference only. Keep paper originals of core legal documents alongside an indexed digital archive.
Practical recommendations
Employers should treat the as-built dossier as a project asset, not an acceptance by-product: inventory it by separate record at settlement, digitise it with an index, update it after every alteration, and annex it to the handover list in any transfer. A good as-built dossier quietly protects its owner through repairs, insurance, disputes and valuation across decades of operation.
This article has been quality-reviewed by the FLAW AI Legal Council
