Your Responsibilities as Contract Administrator
Departments should ensure that all University and purchasing requirements are met and that all best value practice procedures are utilized prior to submitting a contract for review and signature. The Contractor should not be authorized to proceed, nor should payment be approved, until the contract is fully executed (signed by all parties).
As the departmental administrator for this contract, your responsibilities include, but may not be limited to, the following:
- Verifying that the Contractor or Vendor complies with all of the terms and conditions of the agreement.
- Verify Contractor performance for purposes of payment.
- Determine acceptable performance levels.
- Develop schedule for Statement of Work.
- Monitor Contractor performance on specified frequency.
- Meet with Contractor on a regular basis to review progress, discuss problems, and consider necessary changes.
- Ensure that all services have been received to your specification prior to authorizing payment.
- Identify material breaches of contract.
- Ensure that all revenue generated pursuant to the terms of the business contract are paid to the University.
- Ensure the collection, review, and maintenance of any required certificates of insurance, worker's compensation insurance, and performance bond.
- Determine whether corrective action is necessary.
- Take action, if necessary
Regarding insurance requirements, the Contractor should not be authorized to proceed until you have received and verified the accuracy and authenticity of current and adequate certificates of insurance, worker's compensation insurance, and a performance bond if required. The originals of these documents should be maintained in your departmental files. Procedures should also be established to track renewal dates in order to ensure that you receive evidence of renewals on a timely basis.
Contract Close-Out
A contract is completed when:
- All goods and services have been received and accepted.
- All reports have been delivered and accepted.
- All administrative actions have been accomplished.
- All institutional equipment and materials have been returned.
- Final payment has been made to the Contractor.
Additional Considerations:
- Verify that all parties to the contract have fulfilled their obligations and no responsibilities remain unperformed.
- Assess the success of the contract.
- Determine if there are lessons learned for future contracting.
- All deliverables (including reports) have been delivered and accepted.
- Final payment has been made.
- Any Contract Oversight issues have been resolved.
- Confirm:
- All inventory and property ownership issues have been resolved (including disposition of equipment and licenses purchased under the contract).
- Final acceptance of goods/services by the Institution’s project manager has been received.
- Plan for contract file maintenance has been developed.
- Contractor has been informed of records retention requirements.
- Deficiencies found during Contract Close-Out are documented and communicated to appropriate parties.