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Negotiating Contracts: Overview & Tips

Negotiating Contracts

Overview | Tips for Avoiding Delays | List of Contracts | Contact a Negotiator

Overview

Contracts are processed as "proposals" in the Pre-Award division of the Office of Research Services. Generally, contracts are prepared by the sponsor as a result of a successful proposal, forwarded to the university for review, negotiation, and signature, and then returned to the sponsor for signature. Only the Vice Chancellor for Research and Financial Officer and the specifically designated alternates can sign a contract in the name of the Trustees. Faculty members may not sign contracts in the name of the university.

Tips for Avoiding Delays

• Submit a PAF to ORS as soon as you begin negotiating with a sponsor. We cannot act on your behalf until we receive a completed PAF.
   
• For material transfer agreements, review Materials Transfer Agreements: Introduction & Procedures for guidance.

• For clinical trials agreements, send the Open Letter to Sponsors for Clinical Trials to your sponsor. This letter alerts sponsors to contractual constraints on the University and suggests standard contract revisions for the most common differences between industry and university agreements.
   
• For subcontract and consultant agreements, if the vendor was not named in the original PAF, you must contact your sponsor for written approval and contact and obtain approval from the Office of Business and Financial Services.