Contracts

The Office of the General Counsel reviews and approves all Rowan University contracts after the procurement process. The information provided here is based on guidelines from the New Jersey Attorney General's office and on University policy.

Things to Consider

Below are a list of things to consider when drafting a contract with Rowan University. The items on this list may encourage or require contract modification, consultation, or additional documentation.

1. Is the contract document complete? Are all documents properly referenced and attached to the  contract?
2. Does the contract have a beginning date, end date and effective date clearly stated? If not, determine dates and include them. 
3. Does the contract clearly state time, place and method of payment? If it does not, include a clause with these details.
4. Does the contract include any confidentiality or non-disclosure provisions? If so, ensure that it is subject to NJ Open Public Records Act.
5. Does the contract grant automatic renewal, or renewal unless the University takes action to terminate? If so, remove automatic renewal clause. 
6. Does the contract grant permission for the other party to use Rowan's name in advertising or promotion? If so, modify the contract to require approval of content. 

Contract Review and Approval Process with the Office of General Counsel

There are three different ways in which University contracts can be processed.  The Office of Contracting and Procurement is responsible for the process of acquiring goods and services needed by the University to meet its core mission. Sponsored projects/research, as well as patents and technology transfer agreements are handled by the Office of Sponsored Programs. All other contracts and transactions should be sent to the Office of General Counsel after approval by the appropriate department chair. The OGC handles the following contracts and transactions: affiliations and collaborations, professional services (e.g., auditors or outside counsel), nondisclosure and confidentiality agreements, publication agreements, leases, performance agreements, liability waivers and releases, amendments to existing contracts handled by OGC, or other unique or specialized transactions. 

After you have determined that you should be in contact with the Office of General Counsel, proceed with the following review and approval process.

1. Negotiate all terms of the contract/agreement.
2. Using our template, draft the contract/agreement.
3. Email your draft contract/agreement to us for review at legalreview@rowan.edu
4. One of our attorneys will then review and advise you of any changes needed.
5. Once in final form, our office will secure signatures from the proper Rowan official(s).
6. After it is signed, our office will email the contract/agreement to you and send the hard copy via inter-office mail.
7. It is then your responsibility to forward to the other party for signature
8. Request that a copy of the fully executed contract/agreement be forwarded to the OGC for processing.
9. For Rowan-Virtua SOM, it is then your responsibility to circulate the contracts to Compliance for uploading to Meditract.