Agreements, Contracts, and Specifications

Please review the below information, which contains helpful tips to ensure all requests are processed as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Faculty, staff, and administrators do not have authorization to procure commodities or services, or to enter into contractual relationships with vendors, or to make any commitments on behalf of the college/university. Only individuals with signature authority may sign agreements on behalf of the college/university.

All purchases that involve documents requiring signature, including order forms, Terms and Conditions, End User License Agreements, or Sales Agreements, must be reviewed by CUNY's Office of General Counsel following an internal review by the Office of Purchasing. Be sure to attach all such documentation to the CUNYfirst Requisition.

Review by the Office of General Counsel can take up to several weeks. Allow plenty of processing time. In the comments section of the requisition, indicate that the requisition involves documents that must be reviewed and signed in order to ensure that items are sent for review in a timely fashion.

If the nature of the project requires it (e.g., construction, facilities, services, advertising, printing), specifications must be drafted. Such specifications must also be reviewed by the Office of General Counsel. For assistance drafting specifications, consult the Office of Purchasing and Contracting.

For some projects, a mandatory site visit must be held to allow potential vendors to view the work site and obtain the necessary information with which to provide the most accurate pricing.

Additional approvals are required depending on the nature of the project:
- Projects involving construction require FPCM (Facilities Planning, Construction, and Management) approval.
- Projects involving IT require CIS (Computing and Information Services) approval.
- Projects involving environmental, health, or safety issues require EH&S (Environmental, Health, Safety, and Risk Management) approval.
- Projects involving advertising or public relations require OUR (Office of University Relations) approval.