CONTRACTS AT ISU

 

Is there a contract Policy at isu?

The Contract Approval, Signatory and Reporting Policy governs contract administration at

ISU.  Please be sure to review this policy before beginning your contract review.  Please note the following: 

 

1.  Contact the Purchasing Department if your contract is for goods and services.  Most contracts will go through the purchasing department, including contracts for consultants and technology agreements, such as a software license. The ISU Purchasing Department is very familiar with standard contract terms and will assist you with review of the contract. Purchasing is also authorized to sign agreements, so it will not be necessary to route your contract to various university departments if your contract is administered by Purchasing.

2.  Contact the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) if your contract is grant-related or a federal contract.  As with Purchasing, OSP is very familiar with standard contract terms and will assist you with review of the contract.  You will not need to otherwise route a contract that is administered by OSP.

3.  All other categories of contract should be routed in compliance with the routing process that your Vice President has approved.  Contracts that should be routed include affiliation agreements, clinical site agreements, real estate agreements, and insurance agreements.

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How do I route a contract?

Contracts should be routed according to the process set up by the Vice President of the area.  Standard contracts previously approved must be routed, but may be expedited if there are no modifications.  Currently, the routing process is paper-based, though if there are modifications to the contract, it is helpful to send an electronic copy via email to the departments who must approve the contracts.

1.   For contracts originating in the President’s Office,  Enrollment Management, and Business Affairs, please complete the Standard Contract Routing Form.

2.  For contracts originating in Academic Affairs, please complete the Academic Affairs Contract Routing Form.

3.  For contracts originating in Student Affairs, please complete the Student Affairs Contract Routing Form.

 

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Who should see my contract during the routing process?

Generally, in addition to the appropriate individuals in your division, the Office of Risk Management and the Office of the General Counsel should review and give approval of a contract.  Business Affairs should be included when there are significant financial or reporting requirements or when costs associated with the contract have not been budgeted.

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What do I do when the routing is complete and the contract has been approved?  

Either you or an individual who has been designated by your Vice President will obtain a valid signature on the contract. 

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who can sign the contract?

The Contract Approval, Signatory and Reporting Policy also designates individuals authorized to the sign contracts.  Some of the most common signatures iinclude:

1.  The Provost (or his designee) is authorized to sign affiliation agreements or clinical site agreements.  These types of contracts generally originate in Academic Affairs and should be routed according to Academic Affairs’ procedures.

2.  Any President’s Cabinet Member (or a designee) is authorized to sign a contract for a performer, speaker or entertainer.  Don’t forget that the contract still should be routed to risk management, legal affairs, and in some cases business affairs, depending on the process your Vice President has established.

3.  Don’t forget that if your contract is a purchasing agreement, the Purchasing Director has authority to sign the agreement.

4.  Software license or web-hosting agreements should go through the purchasing department, though individuals in  your division may want to see them.

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Has Authority to Sign Certain Contracts been delegated to someone else?

The Contract Approval Policy allows delegation of authority to sign contracts.   Below is a list of approved signatories as of September, 2011.

 

(To be completed)

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What should I do once the contract has been signed by both parties?

A copy of the executed agreement should be sent either via hard copy or electronically to the Office of the General Counsel, to the attention of Barbara Landini   Barbara.Landini@indstate.edu