Department Responsibilities

1. Do not allow a contractor to commence work until the agreement is executed.
2. Review the contract. If it is a standard agreement, review the language in the scope to ensure that the expectation is clear. If it is a research agreement, ensure you use the Sponsored Project Contractual Agreement and its attachments. If it is not, ensure you use the contracts administration agreement and its attachments. If it is a non-standard, ensure that you and your PI or requestor agrees with the terms. This is very important. Only you know what terms you want to agree with. Outside of your office, there is only a review to ensure that we can agree to the terms, and they are clear and will not cause unintentional/unnecessary concern.
3. Prepare and attach the contract coversheet (associated to sponsored projects or contracts administration, see below).
4. Prepare and attach the Recommendation for Award form (associated to sponsored projects or contracts administration, see below).
5. If it is a non-standard agreement, note that it will take at least a couple more weeks of processing time, because it must be presented for legal review. Also, if and when they have concerns with the verbiage, it can cause difficulty getting it executed, and in some cases, can get the agreement denied.  Therefore, asking the contractor to agree to our Standard Contract Addendum is worth the time. Inform the contractor that if they can agree to those terms, without modification, then we can agree to their terms (provided that you do agree with their terms), without modification.  
6. If it is late, attach a late justification and clearly state the reason for the lateness. There is a form for this as well.
7. There are also various riders for particular situations. Contact Contracts Administration or OCG if you have any questions on riders.
8. If the agreement is on OUR standard document, have the contractor sign first. If the agreement is on THEIR document with an attached Standard Contract Addendum, have the contractor sign off on at least the addendum first. If it is on THEIR document and non-standard, then the Division can be the first signatory, but a copy of the fully executed agreement should be sent to the Division in the end.
9. Check sam.gov by clicking Search Records and entering the person or company’s legal name. It should come up as “No records found for current search.” Click the checkbox for Inactive as well, and click Apply Filters. If no records are still found, PDF print and attach a copy to the contracting document. If records are found, we cannot contract with the individual or company.
10. Check to ensure that the vendor is open for ordering in PeopleSoft. If they are not open for ordering, we cannot contract with the individual or company. If they are not yet setup as a vendor in PeopleSoft, then we need to obtain their setup information and have vendor ID verify before we proceed.
11. Pull all of the documentation together in one PDF document. The first initials on the contracts administration coversheet should be the person who will monitor the work and coordinate with the contractor. The rest can be verified and initialed at the ABA/DBA level, but ensure that you agree that it is the case before you sign. The ABA/DBA should ensure that all documentation, including the RFA and coversheet, are fully completed and signed, should verify that the expense is allowable, allocable to the funding source, reasonable, and consistently treated, and should sign as initiator on the front coversheet.
12. Submit the full documentation in one PDF document in DOR’s SharePoint for review.

Division Responsibilities

1. Cursory review the non-standard agreement before a legal review of the verbiage.
2. Submit for legal review any non-standard agreements, cc the ABA/DBA.  
3. Review any standard agreements (or non-standard turned standard by way of the Standard Contract Addendum) to ensure clarity and acceptability. Elevate any concerns to the AVP.
4. For Contracts Administration standard agreements (or those made standard by a Standard Addendum), go to the Business Operations drive in the folder Finance\Contracts & Memberships, and open the Contract Number Log Excel workbook. Within that workbook, open the worksheet associated to the department ID being used and log the next contract number in line in the format K-FY-HXXXX-###, where FY is the two digit fiscal year, HXXXX is the department ID, and ### is the next sequential number available for that department in that fiscal year. Also, note in the log your initials in the Assigned by column, and the Contractor name. Then log that contract number on all pages of an agreement at or near the top, including coversheet, agreement, and backup documentation.
5. Once reviewed, sign and return the document or submit a request for modification with notes/questions/concerns to the ABA/DBA.

Department Responsibilities

1. Ensure that the documentation is fully executed by ensuring that:

• Both the contractor and the Division signed off on the agreement itself.
• The Division signed off on the coversheet.
• The Division (or Contracts Administration) provided a contract number, and it is posted on all pages at the top (you may add).
• Legal approved the agreement as to form, if a non-standard contracts administration agreement was presented WITHOUT a Standard Contract Addendum.
• All changes are initialed by:
  • A legal advisor (if it changes the terms, not just the scope listed on a standard agreement)
  • Division
  • Contractor

2. Obtain additional approvals if necessary. After the above list is completed, the contract is considered executed.
3. Send a copy of the executed agreement to the Division.
4. Complete a CN730 requisition on the executed agreement for Contracts Administration contracts that are at or over $10,000. Complete a RC730 on the executed agreement for ALL Sponsored Project Contractual Agreements. In either case, attach the executed contract to the requisition.