All written agreements between the University and a third party (external) entity must be reviewed and signed by the Director of Procurement before any commitments are made. These would include, for instance, any contracts/agreements for goods or services purchased by the University such as rental agreements for equipment, service contracts, office space, contracts for services to be performed, partnership agreements, credit cards (other than the Procurement Card), bank accounts, etc.
Faculty/Staff/Department personnel should also review the contract to confirm that they can abide by and adhere to the requests within the document.The Director of Procurement will review, and sign based on the legal aspect. The Department should notify the Director of Procurement if they identify any concerns within the document.
Under no circumstances are faculty or staff members to sign any agreements with an external entity since they do not have the legal authority to commit SUNY Potsdam to the terms that might be included in the documents.
Some agreements may be sufficiently complex and require additional review by SUNY Counsel’s Office (determined by the Division of Administration & Finance). Depending upon the level of financial obligation, it may also be required to obtain approval by SUNY System Administration and/or the State Attorney General and Office of the State Comptroller before the agreement is finalized. These additional steps of review and approval will obviously add to the time required for final approval and authorization. Lead times for SUNY Counsel review may be lengthy.
Please allow sufficient time in the planning process for review and approval. Given current staffing realities and the increasing number of agreements that are received, please allow a minimum of seven business days for the initial review of the agreement.
If you have any questions, please call us at (315) 267-2140.
