Contracts & Transactions

  Contracts Requiring Review

All university contracts and agreements must be reviewed by the Office of the General Counsel unless:

• The contract is a preapproved university template, in which case, the contract should be submitted directly to the Treasurer’s office in accordance with the Northeastern University Finance Division direct contract submission process.
• The contract is related to university research, in which case the contract should be submitted for review through the Northeastern University Research Enterprise Services contract review process.
• The goods or services are purchased using a purchase order, an employee procurement card (and the university is not required to sign any additional terms or conditions), or existing university master agreement. For more information on any of these options, refer to the Procurement Services website or contact Procurement Services at procurement@northeastern.edu.

Submitting a Contract for Review

A contract requiring review by the Office of the General Counsel may only be submitted for review by a college or department contract “gatekeeper.”  In order to determine who the contract gatekeepers are for your college or department, contact your college’s or department’s administration and finance staff or email OGCContracts@northeastern.edu.

A contract will be reviewed by the Office of the General Counsel once a contract gatekeeper submits the following by email to OGCContracts@northeastern.edu:

1. Completed contract submission checklist.
2. A copy of the contract to be reviewed.

If the university has previously contracted with the same vendor, any prior contract(s) should also be submitted to the Office of the General Counsel.

Contract Review and Signature

The reviewing attorney or paralegal will reach out to the contract submitter with any questions or comments relative to a proposed contract.

Once the Office of the General Counsel completes its review of a contract, the Office of the General Counsel will forward the contract to the appropriate university signatory for electronic signature.  Once the contract is signed electronically, it will be returned to the submitter and gatekeeper.

Timing

The Office of the General Counsel contracts staff reviews more than 2,500 individual contracts each year.  We do our best to complete our review of each contract as soon as possible.  Nevertheless, we request that submitters allow for at least two (2) weeks for the review of each contract.  You may inquire as to the status of a contract by emailing contractquestions@northeastern.edu or OGCContracts@northeastern.edu.

Meetings and Trainings. 

Members of the Office of the General Counsel contracts team are always happy to meet with individuals or groups to provide training regarding the contract review process or to address any concerns relative to university contracts.  If you or your division is interested in scheduling such a meeting or training, please contact OGCContracts@northeastern.edu.