Supplier Contract Process

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.

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), attach fully executed contract to appropriate Oracle requisition. 
• 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. Store multi-year contracts within the contracts database, iContracts and engage with other departments as needed.
• 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.
• Marketing & Branding - Review and propose amended marketing/branding terms. 

PSO and OLA will work concurrently to create, review and/or revise their respective terms and conditions. Once a contract is submitted to PSO, the following steps will be taken:

• PSO will review/advise on contract business terms and conditions. 
• OLA will create/review/advise on legal terms and conditions. 
• Once terms have been reviewed by OLA/PSO, PSO will send the contract to the department for their review.
• Department reviews contracts for any internal decisions prior to sending the contract to the supplier.
  • IMPORTANT - Any internal comments need to be removed prior to sending the contract to the supplier. 
  • If needed, OLA and PSO will help negotiate terms with the supplier
• Once terms are accepted, the department will obtain signatures (see Signatory Authority Policy) and return a signed copy to PSO.
• PSO will store multi-year contracts in iContracts for review.
• Departments must attach the signed contract to the Oracle requisition. 

For questions, departments can contact PSO or OLA.