Frequently Asked Questions

The President of the University delegates signature authority. For example, the University COO, the General Counsel, the University CFO / Treasurer, the AVP of Tax, and the University CPO all have signature authority. Refer to the Approval/Signature Authorization Matrix for more information.

Master agreements often include value-added services that benefit the University as a whole. The competitive bidding process affords multiple vendors an opportunity to present a proposal. The contracts that result from such processes are legal binding documents that the University and the vendor must adhere to. Purchasing outside of master agreements without justifiable cause subverts the bidding process.

Refer to the list of master agreements for a list of suppliers with active master agreements.

For guidance on supplier registration, visit the Tax Department’s supplier/payee setup page.

For goods and service greater than $10K. Contracts can be submitted after the requisition has been initiated in GMS. However, a contract cannot be approved until the requisition is approved.

All fees that are to be charged should be included in the contract amount (base service fee, cost for additional services if applicable, reimbursable expenses, allowances, etc.)

A single supplier can be used for multiple years, but it is not advisable to continually renew the same contract year after year. Additionally, each renewal will require a sole source justification to explain why a competitive bid is not warranted. A sole source only applies for the duration and statement of work of the current contract. Please refer to the procurement guide for more information.

Certain contracts may be renewed or extended. Please refer to the Procurement Guide for more information.

You are encouraged to use University templates. University templates ensure a more expedient process as the terms do not need reviewed. Supplier terms may require a more stringent review, which can add to the review and approval time needed.

A Master Service Agreement can be established by Procurement Services which will negotiate the terms and rates, but doesn’t have a fixed amount. Purchases against a Master Service Agreement can be made through the financial requisition process. These requisitions can then be tied to the MSA. Please refer to the master agreements page for more information.