Contracts/Signature Authority

What do you mean by "contracts?" – Occasionally the Chair and his/her assistant may be called upon to manage contracts (above and beyond faculty contracts) that affect the department. Depending on the nature of your department, there are a wide variety of contracts that might come across your desk, for example: hotel contracts, software licenses, service agreements, contracts for speakers or performers, housing contracts, practicum agreements, research related contracts and many others.

Important: Chairs may not sign contracts. – The only people who can sign contracts for Baylor (and that includes any department within Baylor) are the President, the Vice-presidents, and people who have specific permission in writing from the President to sign contracts. Sometimes it is not completely clear whether or not a document you have been given to sign is a contract. When in doubt, contact the Office of General Counsel (OGC) at 710-3821. More than likely, if the document constitutes an agreement to pay someone or be paid by someone – you should not sign it. It will need to be signed by the Provost.

Contracts for faculty research and scholarship. – Contracts or grants that provide funding or other commitments toward faculty research and scholarship pursuits must be routed through the Office of Sponsored Programs for review. Such agreements undergo a separate and distinct routing and approval process before they are signed by the University official. If you are in receipt of such an agreement, please contact the Office of Sponsored Programs at (254) 710-3757 so that this process may be initiated in a timely manner.

Click on the following links for more information about contracts:

• Do yourself a favor; avoid the most common mistakes regarding contracts
• Budgeting for contracted services
• What's the process for getting a contract reviewed/signed?
• Who needs originals/copies of my contracts?
• Paying for contracted services

A few special cases:

• Airlines – You can avoid having to manage airline contracts if you will make airline arrangements through an approved travel agency. In almost all cases, the cost through the travel agency is the same as handling the contract yourself.

• Buses, Chartering – Baylor has preferred vendor contracts with several bus companies. There is no need to set up a separate contract. Use one of the preferred suppliers listed on this website: Charter Bus Services. Pay using the requisition or voucher process. No bids are required.

• Service Agreements – If you are in the sciences, you can save yourself time and effort by letting the Director of Sciences Facilities handle any service agreements for equipment.

• Software – Contact Technology Procurement before purchasing any software. Baylor University has purchased site licenses and/or volume licenses for many software packages. The software you need may already be available. This website shows a list of current Baylor supported software: Baylor Supported Software A-Z.