One of our offices’ roles is to review all contracts before they go to the Vice President for Administration and Finance for signature. A contract is basically any written document that is signed by the University and commits it to certain obligations. It is usually a financial obligation but can also be non-financial obligation (i.e. use of logos, university resources, indemnification, etc.). The review process is as follows.

• Review the contract prior to sending it to Office of General Counsel to make certain that it conforms to your departments’ needs and expectations. You are in a better position to know if VU can perform the obligations under the contract. For example, I may not know if VU can meet the financial obligations set forth in or provide any of the technological requirements of the contract. Also, our office will not usually negotiate the price of something. When the contract is submitted our office assumes that VU/your department have already negotiated the price and can fund it.
• Email the contract needing review to Sharon.Kenning@valpo.edu in Microsoft Word format. This format is preferred due to its “track changes” feature which is excellent for contract review and negotiations. If it is not possible to obtain the contract in Word format then PDF format is acceptable. If the contract is only available in hardcopy, scan it into PDF format and email it to our office. Our office can perform this task if you do not have the scanning capabilities. Please copy your email to your vice president or the provost so that he/she is aware of the pending contract.
• Please try to send the contract as early as possible as it may take 2-3 weeks before it can be reviewed. The terms will be negotiated with the other party through you. Versions may go back and forth until the negotiations are complete. At that point in time, a final version will go to the Vice President for Administration and Finance, along with legal advice from me. The Vice President for Administration and Finance will make the decision whether or not to execute the contract. He may contact you for further information.
• When submitting a contract please include follow-up instructions for handling of the approved and signed document.  The department may be notified for pick-up, it may be returned through campus mail, or forwarded to the Procurement Department to accompany your purchase order.
• When submitting a contract that involves a purchase the department may proceed with creating a requisition. Please note on the requisition that a contract must accompany the purchase order and reference the requistion number in your communication to General Counsel when submitting the contract for review.  Once it is approved and signed the document can be forwarded directly to Procurement.  Please review the Office of Procurement's procedures for proper processing at https://www.intra.valpo.edu/procurement/policies/index.php