Review Guidelines

The Procurement Services Contract Review team must review all purchase agreements, no matter the value when there is a written contract, agreement or purchase order involved. The guidelines for contract review include:

  1. Select a contract template from the Standard University Agreements if applicable.
  2. Complete and submit a Contract Review Form.
  3. Participate in the negotiation process, if necessary:
    1. The submitted contract and supporting information are reviewed for standard legal terms and conditions.
    2. Negotiations may be required between the department, the contractor, Contract Review Services and the Office of General Counsel.
    3. All necessary modifications are made to the contract.
    4. The department will receive an email notification when their contract is fully signed. The signed agreement can be found in the contract system under the Documents tab as a part of that contract record.
  4. Administer and monitor the contract throughout its terms. Reference the Contract Monitoring Checklist for assistance.

Independent Contractor Guidelines

An independent contractor is a person, business or corporation that provides goods or services to the university under terms specified in a written contract or agreement.  Unlike an employee, an independent contractor does not work regularly for an employer but works when required.  It is important to look at the scope of the work and determine if it is comprised of tasks best accomplished by an employee. The OGC developed a checklist that will aid with this determination.

NC State University cannot pay employees as independent contractors.

  1. Complete the Checklist for Determination of Independent Contractor Status, and evaluate the employment status results.
  2. Upload the completed checklist with your contract submission with all independent contractor agreements where the contractor is an individual.
  3. Independent contractor or employee?  More guidance is available on the IRS website.
  4. Payments to individuals for services? Review the Changes to Independent Contractor Payments article.
SERVICE AGREEMENT TYPEDEFINITIONNEXT STEP
PersonalPersonal or professional services such as lawyer, doctor, architect and engineer1. Complete a Contract Review Form.
2. Provide a Waiver of Competitive Bidding Memo for services above $5,000 at the time of submission.
AcademicProfessional instruction, curriculum development or academic oriented research1. Complete a Contract Review Form.
2. Provide a Waiver of Competitive Bidding Memo for services above $5,000 at the time of submission.
Administrative/ConsultantProfessional who provides expert advice in a particular area such as management, accountancy and finance1. Complete the Contract Review Form.
2. Provide the scope of work and specifications for the competitive bid process or provide a Waiver of Competitive Bidding Memo at the time of submission.
3. Initiate requisition if the cost is above $5,000.

Contract Administration Guidelines

  1. Each department is responsible for ensuring that the contractor meets all contractual obligations.
  2. While administering a contractual project, the department must process the invoices for payment and monitor the funds spent against the contract.
  3. If changes to the contract are required after it is fully executed, use the contract amendment form to enumerate the specifics such as the cost, term or scope of work.
    1. Complete the Contract Amendment Form.
    2. Submit a Contract Review Form and select “Amendment” as the record type.
    3. Upload the completed amendment form as your main document (attachment type = Contract Amendment).

Contact Us

Questions? Email purcontracts@ncsu.edu.