Contract processing
Creating an agreement
The university has a number of standard templates which have been developed to use for common activities. They should be used where possible because they have been pre-approved by General Counsel, include all of the language required under University policy, and the review and signature process for them is much faster. The most commonly-used templates include:
It’s best to use the Missouri Contract System!
The Division of Finance hosts the Missouri Contract System, a PawPrint-protected platform that offers the easiest way to create and submit speaker/lecturer, consulting, and other standard templates. To gain access and training, please contact your division business & finance officer or email us at mucontract@missouri.edu. The Missouri Contract System also provides real-time status of your documents during the review and signature process and a searchable electronic repository of all your fully-signed contracts. If you are unsure which contracting office handles your project, the Missouri Contract System also includes a tool to help get you to the right office by your answering a few simple questions.
Submission, review and approval
The submission, review and signature process of templates submitted through the Missouri Contract System is electronic and automatic. Turnaround times are often one business day or less. Sometimes, however, it may be necessary or expedient to use the other party’s form of agreement. To submit other documents for review, please email to us at mucontract@missouri.edu. Our office will help you negotiate any terms/conditions that may need to be modified. We can also help you develop an appropriate form of agreement if none exists for your proposed project.
Once a proposed agreement has been received by our office, we verify that the contract is in compliance with applicable University policies, that it contains all the necessary information, and that there are no inconsistencies or ambiguities. We coordinate any additional reviews that may be required (Examples include formal legal approval, conflict of interest, IT security, environmental, etc.). We may have additional questions for you. Resolving questions at this stage helps to ensure that the remainder of the review and approval process happens as quickly as possible and that the agreements conform to policy and audit requirements.
Signed agreements will be returned to you via email along with instructions regarding any additional steps that may be needed from you.
The official contract file of fully-signed agreements is maintained by MU Finance as required by the University’s formal delegations of authority. Records are maintained in Perceptive Content (formerly ImageNow), accessible and searchable by you.
How long does the approval process take?
The amount of time necessary to complete the review and approval process varies depending on the type and complexity of the agreement and the workload of the reviewing departments. 95% of agreements received by business services are signed and returned to the originating department within 12 business days.