Taina Makinen wrote:

"Are these supporting documents significantly different from the main
document, or are they more like working papers? In some instances,
working papers might need to be retained because they are a record of
the decisions made during the creation of the final document (e.g.
drafts of a contract). But in other instances, working papers don't need
to be kept once the final has been produced."

Taina,

These are supporting documents used in the creation of the "key
document". Example would be a financial report with all the documents
used for reference during the creation (many of them annotated and often
including additional analyses). Even if these supporting documents could
be found elsewhere it would cost too much to reassemble the file in case
of a question during an audit or inquiry. So, those can be considered as
an inseparable part of the record. The issue arises when the "key
document" has to be kept for longer period for other than legal or
fiscal purposes, and the rest of the file has relatively large volume. 

Thanks to everyone for your comments. They show once more that there is
not one right answer, and the decision has to be made on the basis of a
careful evaluation of risks and cost involved in each case. From the
answers and our research we will be able to at least identify the best
practices, and then to make our analysis and final decision.  

Best regards,

Simeon

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