DoD 5015.02 Records Management for Federal Contractors
DoD 5015.02 is the U.S. Department of Defense design-criteria standard for electronic records management software, certified through the DoD Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC) and referenced by NARA. Reynolds Business Systems delivers DoD 5015.02-compliant records management for federal contractors and government through Laserfiche — covering the capture, marking, retention, and disposition of electronic records.
Defense contractors and government agencies are often told they need “DoD 5015.02” records management — without a clear explanation of what that means or how to meet it. This guide defines the standard, explains who it applies to, and shows how it's delivered in practice.
What is DoD 5015.02?
DoD 5015.02-STD is the Department of Defense's “Design Criteria Standard for Electronic Records Management Software Applications.” It sets the minimum functional requirements for software to recognize, mark, keep, and dispose of electronic records. The DoD Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC) runs a program that certifies products against the standard, and the National Archives (NARA) references it; it has become the accepted records-management baseline for many state and county governments as well.
Who needs DoD 5015.02 compliance?
- DoD components and defense contractors managing federal records.
- Federal agencies aligning electronic records management to NARA + JITC criteria.
- State and county governments that have adopted 5015.02 as their baseline.
- Any organization needing records software that supports FOIA and Privacy Act requirements.
DoD 5015.02 is a records-management software standard — it governs how electronic records are captured, marked, retained, and disposed of. It is NOT a physical-storage or rack standard. Reynolds delivers 5015.02-compliant records management through Laserfiche, not as a storage-hardware claim.
DoD 5015.02 and CMMC for defense contractors
For defense contractors, records management sits alongside the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program. 5015.02 governs how records are managed and disposed of; CMMC governs how the controlled information in those records is protected. Reynolds aligns document workflows to both — DoD 5015.02 records management plus CMMC-aligned, NIST-informed handling of controlled records.
How Reynolds delivers 5015.02-compliant records management
Reynolds implements DoD 5015.02-compliant electronic records management through Laserfiche — configuring records categories, retention and disposition schedules, marking, and audit trails to the standard, and connecting them to the scanning and chain-of-custody processes that get paper and legacy records into the system in the first place. For cleared environments, that includes documented chain-of-custody handling.
Frequently asked questions
Is DoD 5015.02 the same as CMMC?
No. DoD 5015.02 is a records-management standard (how records are managed and disposed of); CMMC is a cybersecurity-maturity certification (how controlled information is protected). Defense contractors often need both.
How does Reynolds deliver DoD 5015.02 records management?
Through Laserfiche records management, configured to the 5015.02 criteria. Explore Reynolds' defense-contractor solutions and
government records management.
Sources Cited
2 REFS- U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
- U.S. Department of Defense
