Contract Review Process

Legal Affairs reviews all contracts before they go to the Signatory of Authority for signature. A contract is considered any written document that commits the University to certain obligations. It is usually a financial obligation, but can also be nonfinancial obligation (i.e. use of logos, university resources, indemnification, etc.).

All memoranda of understanding (MOU), contracts and agreements entered into by Regis University or any entity affiliated with Regis University that is under its control, will enhance and support the University’s mission and ethos, and all such agreements will be consistent with the core principles to build a more just and humane world through transformative education at the frontiers of faith, reason and culture.

The review process is as follows:

• Departmental Review Required: Review and redline the contract to make certain that it conforms to your department’s needs and expectations. You are in a better position to know if Regis University can perform the obligations under the contract.
  • Contract negotiations (including pricing, terms, and other obligations) and budget funding must be finalized before submitting for review and signature.
  • Pay particular attention that anything mentioned in a sales pitch is captured in the contract—if it is not, we have no assurances that the vendor will follow through on those promises. Legal cannot catch these omissions since we are not in the sales pitch meetings.
  • The Department MUST see itself as a partner in this process. The Department is responsible for redlining, sending contracts back to the vendor and negotiating terms, saving the contract, tracking the contract progress, acts as the point person on all communication with legal and the vendor, and fulfilling its duties on a timely basis.
  • The Department is responsible for submitting the Certificate of Insurance (“COI”) when applicable.
• Submission Format: Word format is required due to its “track changes” feature. If it is not possible to obtain the contract in Word format, your office must convert the contract from PDF to Word and clean up any errant marks. Similarly, if the contract is only available in hardcopy, scan it into PDF format before converting to word and cleaning any errant marks. If you do not know how to convert from PDF to Word, contact ITS at 303.458.4050 or through the ITS Self-Service Portal.
• Submission Process: Submit your redlined word document through the Legal Affairs web portal. Please include the Name, Title, and Email Address for the vendor’s Signatory of Authority and copy your email to your vice president or the provost so that s/he is aware of the pending contract. 
  • Regis Drafted Contracts, contracts where Regis University is the original drafter such as our Standard RU Contract Template, will be expedited if there are no changes. It is the contract submitters responsibility to use the most up-to-date Regis Drafted Contract. Please submit through the Legal Affairs web portal and indicate that this is a RU Standard template with no changes. If there are changes, we will need to negotiate the terms and the review may not be expedited.
  • Contracts $10,000 and under where Regis University is not the drafter may be expedited if the vendor agrees to the Contract Rider without changes. Send the rider to the vendor, and if the vendor agrees to its terms, share their agreement in your submission. If your contract is $10,000 and below and you do not take this step on your own, you will be directed to do so after submission. Once we receive confirmation of the vendor’s agreement, we will submit for signature. If there are changes, we will need to negotiate the terms and the review may not be expedited.
  • Contracts over $10,000 where Regis University is not the drafter, or cases where a party may desire a full legal review, will not receive a Contract Rider. Please submit through the Legal Affairs web portal and fill out the corresponding fields indicating a need for legal review.
  • Disclaimer: Software and Technology Procurement must go through Information Technology Services (ITS) Idea Form. Legal cannot review any ITS contracts until ITS approves the project and submits the contract. DO NOT SUBMIT ITS CONTRACTS TO LEGAL. For additional information, please contact ITS at 303.458.4050 or through the ITS Self-Service Portal.

• Timeline: Send the contract as early as possible, as it may take up to two weeks for legal to review. In addition, any vendor negotiations may prolong this process. The terms will be negotiated with the other party through you. Versions may go back and forth until the negotiations are complete. At that point in time, a final version will go to the Signatory Authority along with any legal advice from the Office of Legal Affairs. The Signatory Authority will make the decision whether or not to execute the contract, or contact you for further information.