Business, Compliance

Achieving NARA Compliance: Key Guidelines

March 30, 2024 Comments Off on Achieving NARA Compliance: Key Guidelines

To realize the Federal Government’s vision of a fully electronic future, every federal agency, company, and organization that does
business with the federal government must meet the compliance requirements of NARA and Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) by June 30, 2024.

In December 2022, NARA and OMB issued M-23-07, a memorandum to help guide the transition to electronic records with the
end goal of modernizing information and documents management programs toward a “paperless” environment so as to “enable
and increase the ability of the public to engage with the Government in new and more efficient and effective ways.”

To help achieve NARA compliance, FiT has developed a simple at-a-glance document summarizing their key guidelines here:

  • Importance of Records Management: Strong records management is crucial for transparency and accountability in government operations.
  • Transition to Electronic Records: Federal agencies are prioritizing the transition to electronic (paperless) record to enhance public engagement and improve efficiency.
  • Memorandum M-19-21: This memorandum established requirements for agencies to move to electronic records, with some allowances due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Permanent Records (By June 30, 2024):
  • All permanent records must be managed electronically.
  • Records accessioned/transferred before June 30, 2024, are exempt from this requirement.
  • Transfer of Permanent Records (After June 30, 2024):
  • Agencies must transfer permanent records to NARA electronically with metadata.
  • Exceptions are possible for specific analog records under certain conditions.
  • Temporary Records (By June 30, 2024):
  • All temporary records should be managed electronically, except for specific exceptions.
  • Inactive, eligible records must be stored in commercial storage facilities.
  • Closure of Agency-Operated Facilities (By June 30, 2024):
  • Agencies must close agency-operated records storage facilities.
  • Temporary analog records becoming eligible after June 30, 2024, must be transferred to commercial storage facilities.
  • Acceptance of Records (After June 30, 2024):
  • NARA will no longer accept new transfers of permanent or temporary analog records.
  • Agencies must digitize permanent analog records before transfer.
  • NARA’s Issuance of Regulations and Guidance:
  • NARA will issue updated regulations and guidance by June 30, 2024, for fully electronic recordkeeping.
  • Capstone approach will expand to include all electronic messaging by June 30, 2023.
  • Guidance on managing Federal records in collaborative working environments was issued December 31, 2023.
  • Electronic Records Management (ERM) standards and requirements for agencies procuring ERM solutions were established by December 31, 2023, under the Federal Electronic Records Modernization Initiative (FERMI).

To determine the optimal path to compliance, agencies and organizations will benefit from exploring partnerships that provide benefits such as support for self-assessment, strategic consultation, document lifecycle management, retention and disposition, and digitization.

  • FiT Information Governance provides solutions tailored to the government sector. We’re experienced in developing roadmaps for agencies, companies, and organizations to guide them on their digitization and data accessibility journey to meet the government’s requirements. While everyone will take a unique path, now is the time to find the right solution. Let us help guide you down the right path. Contact us on I[email protected] to get started.