503: Routing of Legal Contracts

Revised: February 2016

All contracts must be forwarded to university administration for review and signature as specified below. Contracts, agreements, MOUs, facility use permits, etc. (hereinafter referred to as contracts) may not be signed at the department or college level, except for those which have been specifically delegated in writing by the President as described below in Section D.

Contracts should be routed as follows for review and signature:

A. Contracts related to sponsored projects must be sent to the Office of Sponsored Projects at MS 0325.

B. Contracts for the purchase of goods and services from an outside vendor, via purchase requisition, purchasing card or corporate independent contractor agreement, must be sent to BCN Purchasing at MS 0242.

C. Independent contractor agreements for individuals and guest speaker agreements must use the forms provided on the Controller's Office website and be routed to the Controller's Office at MS 0124 for approval and signature.

D. Many departments have standard repetitive contractual agreements that may lend themselves to further delegation. If the contract can be reduced to a single standard form, approved by the Business and Finance Office or Legal Counsel, delegation of signature authority to the department or college may be approved upon request through the Business and Finance Office to the President. Such delegation would specify that no changes may be made to the standard form. If changes are made to the standard form, the contract must be submitted to the Business and Finance Office at MS 1124.

E. Contracts not included in either A, B, C or D must be sent through the dean's/director's office to the Business and Finance Office at MS 1124. Such contracts should not be sent directly to any other office. The Business and Finance Office will review, edit, sign (if appropriate) and route the contract.

Procedures and details for the processing of contracts may be found on the Business and Finance website.