Supplier Contract Process

Purpose

The purpose of this document is to clarify the roles and responsibilities of RIT departments involved in the supplier contract review process including the department procuring the goods or services, the Procurement Services Office (PSO), Office of Legal Affairs (OLA) and Risk Management and Insurance. All contracts involving the acquisition of goods and services by RIT departments from 3rd party suppliers are in scope.

Responsibilities of Each Department

To enhance and streamline the supplier contract review process, ensure compliance with University purchasing policies and procedures, as well as to protect the University from risk, generally, the actual review and approval process is jointly managed by PSO and OLA. Refer to the information below regarding the specific responsibilities of each department/office:

  • Department procuring goods or services - Forward contracts to PSO (in MS Word format) as early as possible in the procurement process; obtain signatures on final contracts; forward a fully executed copy of the contract to PSO when the order is placed (i.e., when requisition is created)
  • PSO - Review and amend business/procurement terms including contract deliverables, business specifications, contract term, and payment terms. If applicable, negotiate specific terms with the supplier. Engage with other Departments as needed:
    • Risk Management - Review and propose amended insurance terms when the proposed requirements don't meet the RIT standard.
    • ITS – Information Security Officer reviews for institutional Data Management compliance.
  • OLA - Review and amend legal terms including indemnification, governing law, jurisdiction, etc. If applicable, negotiate specific terms with the supplier.
  • Risk Management - Review and propose amended insurance terms when the proposed requirements don't meet the RIT standard.

Review Process

PSO will notify OLA as soon as a draft supplier contract is received and saved in the central depository maintained by PSO (used to track in-process contracts, archive fully executed contracts and track contract renewals). PSO will oversee the review process utilizing the appropriate internal "tracking summary" sheet for each contract designed to provide a detailed audit trail of changes, etc., as well as data that can be mined for future use.

Procedure

PSO and OLA will work concurrently to create, review and/or revise their respective terms and conditions. Once all proposed changes have been made to the contract, PSO will return the marked version to the department which is responsible to return the revised contract to the supplier. If the supplier accepts the revised contract terms and conditions, the department will obtain the appropriate signatures (refer to the Signatory Authority Policy) and then return a copy of the fully executed contract to PSO at the time the purchasing requisition is created. If the department requires assistance negotiating the revised terms and conditions, OLA and PSO will work together with the department and the supplier until a satisfactory conclusion is reached.

Departments may direct questions regarding supplier contract management to the PSO or OLA.