# How to keep a contract repository: dates, access | Corex360 > A contract archive stores the signed contract, annexes, and dates with logged access. Wet and e-signatures, file naming, notice dates, and access. Source: https://www.corex360.com/en/blog/how-to-keep-a-contract-archive Last updated: 2026-09-29 --- ![A person pulling a box from archive shelves of labelled boxes, a pen and key on a reading desk in front] Documents # How to keep a contract archive (contract repository): signed documents, dates, and access A contract archive is a system that keeps the final signed version of each contract, its annexes, and its start, end, and notice dates in a way that shows who opened it. In a good archive a contract is both easy to find and renewed on time. [Request a demo](https://www.corex360.com/en/contact?konu=drive#form) [Corex360](https://www.corex360.com/en) [Blog](https://www.corex360.com/en/blog) How to keep a contract archive (contract repository): signed documents, dates, and access Contents - 01 What does a good contract archive keep? - 02 Is a scan of a contract signed in ink enough? - 03 How should contract files be named? - 04 How do you avoid missing end and notice dates? - 05 Who should have access to the contract archive? - 06 Where do a contract and its file sit in Corex360? Ş **[Şevket Erer](https://www.corex360.com/en/blog#blog-hakkinda)** Co-founder, AI Specialist · Corex360 25 September 2026 5 min read [Modules](https://www.corex360.com/en/modules) [Solutions](https://www.corex360.com/en/solutions) A contract archive is the arrangement for keeping the final version of every contract a company signs, its annexes, and its key dates, in a way that shows who opened it. An archive has two jobs: finding the contract you are looking for, and showing in time the ones nearing their end. A contract that sits in a folder but whose end date is on nobody's calendar is only half archived. ** 01. ## What does a good contract archive keep? ** Short answer A good archive keeps the final signed text, its annexes and amendments, the parties, the start, end, and notice dates, and the person responsible for the contract; drafts stay out of the archive or are marked as drafts. Example scenario: picture a firm in İzmir that provides laundry services to hotels. It signs a service contract with each hotel, an additional protocol with some of them, and separate contracts with its suppliers. When a hotel asks about the price clause, if the firm holds several drafts of the same contract circulating by email, finding out which one was signed takes time. That is why the archive starts with the final signed text. Drafts, negotiation emails, and unsigned copies stay outside the archive or are clearly marked as drafts. Annexes and later protocols are kept next to the main contract, in the same record; an annex sent to a separate folder gets lost over time. Every contract record should hold: - The parties and the type of contract. - The signing date, and the start and end dates. - The notice period: the latest date by which a decision not to renew must be notified. - The amount and payment terms. - The person responsible for the contract. - The signed file and its annexes. ** 02. ## Is a scan of a contract signed in ink enough? ** Short answer A scan makes a contract easy to find but does not always stand in for the original signed in ink; a document signed with a secure electronic signature, on the other hand, has the same legal effect as a handwritten signature under the law. Turkey's Electronic Signature Law No. 5070 states that a secure electronic signature has the same legal effect as a handwritten signature. The same law also sets an exception: legal transactions that the law subjects to an official form or a special procedure, and guarantee contracts other than bank letters of guarantee and surety bonds issued by insurers based in Turkey, cannot be carried out with a secure electronic signature. The current text of the law is in the [Legislation Information System](https://www.mevzuat.gov.tr/mevzuat?MevzuatNo=5070&MevzuatTur=1&MevzuatTertip=5). For a contract signed in ink, the scan is a copy; the original may be requested in a dispute. That is why many companies keep the original in a physical archive and the scan in a digital one, and link the two: the digital record notes which folder holds the original. Decide with your legal adviser which contracts need their originals kept; this section is general information. With a contract signed with a secure electronic signature, it is the other way round. The original is the digital file itself; a copy that is printed and scanned again loses its signature verification. That file should be kept in its original form, together with its signature data. ** 03. ## How should contract files be named? ** Short answer A file name is made up of the other party, the contract type, and the signing date, and everyone uses the same format; tags such as 'final', 'final_final', or 'new' do not replace a version. The file name is where an archive most often breaks down. When 'contract_final.pdf', 'contract_final_signed.pdf', and 'contract_new.pdf' sit side by side in the same folder, you cannot tell which is valid without opening them. Choosing a single format solves this: the other party's name, the contract type, the signing date. At the İzmir firm, that could be a file name that starts with the hotel's name, 'service contract', and the signing day. The naming rule should be written down and given to every newcomer. The folder structure follows the same logic, by other party or by contract type. If both are set up, the same file is copied to two places, and the copies drift apart over time. ** 04. ## How do you avoid missing end and notice dates? ** Short answer The calendar should hold the latest day on which notice can be given, as well as the end date; in a contract that renews itself, missing that day usually means the contract extends under its own clause without anyone wanting it to. Many service and lease contracts contain a clause saying the contract renews itself unless one party gives notice a set time in advance. If only the end date is in the archive, the reminder arrives after the notice period has passed. The date that really belongs on the calendar is the last day on which notice can be given. For the İzmir laundry, this rule would apply both to service contracts with hotels and to supplier contracts. If the contract with the detergent supplier quietly renews, the firm misses the chance to consider a better offer. If the reminder is tied to one person's calendar, it goes with them when they take leave; if it is tied to a task, it stays with whoever owns it. The same arrangement carries the other dates inside a contract too: the price review period, the term of a bank guarantee, a regular maintenance or reporting duty. If these dates stay buried in the text, they are noticed only when the other party brings them up. Taking these dates out of each contract and writing them on the record as it enters the archive moves the archive from the cupboard to the calendar. ** 05. ## Who should have access to the contract archive? ** Short answer Whoever needs a contract for their job should have access to it: sales sees its own customers' contracts, purchasing sees supplier contracts, accounts checks payment terms, and who opened which file stays on record. A contract is a trade secret, holding prices, discounts, penalty clauses, and payment terms. A contract folder open to everyone on a shared drive is a risk when an employee leaves and when something is shared by mistake. Access should be narrowed by other party or department, and links sent outside should expire. The archive is one part of contract management. The [contract management](https://www.corex360.com/en/glossary/contract-management) entry defines the structure that covers a contract from drafting to renewal. You can read about keeping files tied to the record they belong to in [document management system](https://www.corex360.com/en/blog/what-is-document-management). ** 06. ## Where do a contract and its file sit in Corex360? ** Short answer In Corex360 the contract card holds the type, amount, start and end dates, and the person who created it; the signed file stays tied to the record in Corex Drive. The contract card holds the type, amount, start and end dates, and the person who created it; the statuses are Draft, In progress, Active, Pending, and Completed. Contract templates are grouped into categories. The quote and the contract sit in the Quotes and Contracts tabs of the same customer card. Files sit inside the record they belong to, and the customer card has Files and Drive tabs. In Drive, files are encrypted and permission-bound, sharing happens through time-limited links that can be revoked, and every view and download is logged. Shared spaces open common folders by department or topic, and the company defines its own labels. The [Corex Drive](https://www.corex360.com/en/modules/corex-drive) page shows its sections. A contract's start and end dates sit on the contract card, so which contract is nearing its end can be read from the card. You set the renewal terms and make the signing decision; on contract decisions [X AI](https://www.corex360.com/en/x-ai) stops and asks. ## Sources - [Legislation Information System, Electronic Signature Law No. 5070 (current text)](https://www.mevzuat.gov.tr/mevzuat?MevzuatNo=5070&MevzuatTur=1&MevzuatTertip=5) Last checked 24 September 2026 ## How was this page prepared? - Written by: [Şevket Erer](https://www.corex360.com/en/blog#blog-hakkinda), Co-founder, AI Specialist - Sources: legislation, official body, and vendor information is taken from the primary sources in the Sources list on this page; each source shows the date it was last checked. - Product information: sentences about Corex360 rest on the company's product fact records; unconfirmed features are not written. - Use of AI: the Corex360 team writes the text; AI tools are used for drafting and translation. [Publishing principles](https://www.corex360.com/en/about#yayin-ilkeleri) - Dates: first published 25 September 2026 . [Corrections policy](https://www.corex360.com/en/about#duzeltmeler) ## Frequently asked ** 01 What is a contract archive? ** A contract archive is the arrangement for keeping the final versions of the contracts a company signs, their annexes, and their key dates, in a way that shows who opened them. ** 02 How long should contracts be kept? ** The period depends on the contract type and the relevant legislation; commercial documents, tax records, and employment contracts have different periods. Draw up the retention table with your accountant and legal adviser. ** 03 How is an e-signed contract archived? ** A document with a secure electronic signature should be kept as the original file, together with its signature data. A copy that is printed and scanned again loses its signature verification. ** 04 Should contract drafts be kept in the archive? ** Drafts should be kept apart so they cannot be confused with the signed text, or be marked as drafts. The negotiation history may help in a dispute, but the valid text is only the signed one. ** 05 How do you track a contract that renews itself? ** Put the last day on which notice can be given on the calendar, alongside the end date. Tie the reminder to a task assigned to the contract's owner rather than to one person's calendar. ** 06 Can contract templates be used in Corex360? ** Yes. Corex360 has contract templates and template categories, and the contract card holds the type, amount, and start and end dates. ✳ **See this problem solved in your own work** We listen to your business with a few short questions and prepare a live online demo with your channels. [Request a demo](https://www.corex360.com/en/contact?konu=drive#form)[WhatsApp](https://wa.me/905321323288)[Corex Drive](https://www.corex360.com/en/modules/corex-drive) Related articles ## Keep reading. [Back to the blog](https://www.corex360.com/en/blog) [Documents What is a document management system? 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