FAQs

A contract is a written agreement between two or more parties that creates a legally binding obligation—financial or otherwise. Common examples include: affiliation agreements, intellectual property, nondisclosure, events, medical director and professional service agreements, leases and purchase orders for goods or services.

According to Regents Rule 03.900 all contracts involving the UNT System or any of its Institutions must:

Be in writing
Be approved and signed by someone with proper delegated signature authority

If someone without this authority signs a contract, it may not be legally binding on the UNT System or Institution. In such cases, the individual who signed it could be held personally responsible.

NOTE: The delegation for CONTRACTS is separate and different from delegations/authorizations for budgetary Chart of Accounts or DeptIds.

The Office of General Counsel has developed Standard Addendums that can be attached to any contract between third parties and the System or an Institution. When both parties sign the Standard Addendum, its terms become part of the contract. This ensures the agreement complies with State of Texas contracting requirements. Please see the Contracting Handbook on OGC’s website for more information. https://www.untsystem.edu/offices/general-counsel/contracts/index.php

If you receive an error submitting a contract in TCM, check your selections. In E-PRO: Navigate to Contracts > Contract Requests > Request a Contract.

If you are still not able to submit a Contract Request, please contact the UNTS Office of Contract Administration department email: UNTScontractadmin@untsystem.edu.

Contracts are reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis. Processing time can range from one day to several weeks, depending on required contract approvals, the number of contracts currently in the queue, availability of University staff to review and process, and availability of authorized signatories to finalize the contract.

You can help lessen delays by ensuring information is provided with the contract submission, such as:

Correct legal name of the parties filled in
Correct contact & email address for external party
Estimate or actual (cumulative) value of the contract filled in
Completed Statements of Work and/or description of services
Blanks on the contract document filled in (if there are questions or assistance needed, request assistance by adding a note to the “Special Instructions” or “Additional Information” field of the Contract Request

Requests for Rush/Priority processing will be accommodated on a case-by-case basis.

Planning ahead is key for when to start the contract process! To help with timing, you can use the “FAQ When Should I Start My Contract” tool for general guidance. This tool is optional and intended for informational purposes only—it does not replace any official deadlines outlined in University policies or procedures.

The best way to acquire the up to date status of a contract is to check the Contract Record in ePro Total Contract Manager (TCM). Searching in TCM is easy!

Navigate to Contracts > Contracts > Search Contracts
Select the search type by clicking the Advanced Search link in the top-right corner.
Enter search criteria.
- If the search yields unexpected results, unselect the “Active for Shopping” selection the Search Details section of the Search results page.

If you still need assistance searching, see our updated Quick Reference Guide - Reports & Searches (updated MAY 2025) | Job Aid - How do I find out the status of my contract?

For email inquiries, please expect an email response from us within 24 - 48 hours. During the end of the fiscal year and the end of the calendar year, you may experience delayed responses.

An amendment is a document used to make changes to an existing contract without replacing it entirely. It can be used to:

Extend the contract (a continuance)
Clarify specific terms
Make minor edits

The original contract remains valid, and the amendment highlights exactly what has been changed and where.

Consider drafting a new agreement when:

Major changes are needed that significantly alter the original terms
The current contract no longer meets the needs of the parties involved
New laws or regulations require a revised contract
There are so many amendments that the original terms become unclear

Use of the contract quick templates for expedited processing is intended for low-risk purchases that need a Statement of Work, do not include a vendor’s terms and conditions or require signature. Not for use for IT related contracts. The templates can be found on the Procurement webpage and the OCA Training & Resources webpage | Services SOW template | Guest Speaker template.

The UNTS Office of General Counsel has posted the Contract Management Handbook on their website to assist the UNT System and institutions with review of contracts and to ensure compliance with applicable state law requirements. Their website is great resource for standard language. If, however, the contract negotiations involve an issue not addressed in the Contract Management Handbook, contact the Office of General Counsel or Office of Contract Administration to assist with the negotiations.

Also, you can point contract second parties to resources like the Vendor Resources webpage. It was prepared to assist the contract second party (vendor) with any questions they may have and is a great starting place for information and to answer questions.

The contracts team will begin officially working the contract when received via a Contract Request in ePro Total Contract Manager (TCM). If payment is going to be made via Purchase Order, the Buyer will submit the Contract Request to the contracts team (unless the requisition auto approves to a PO, the vendor rejects PO Terms & Conditions after PO dispatch, or if the vendor requires signatures after PO dispatch). If these exceptions apply, the Contract Liaison submits the Contract Request in ePro TCM. If payment is going to be made via PCARD, the Contract Liaison cans submit the contract via a Contract Request in TCM.

For guidance on the order of actions to take, please refer to the UNTS BUSINESS CONTRACT CHECKLIST for CLs. This checklist outlines the recommended steps to help ensure contracts are processed efficiently and in compliance with University procedures.

Board of Regents approval is required for: any contract (including amendments, extensions, renewals, or cumulative amendments) that reaches or exceeds $5,000,000 in total value within the current fiscal year or any multi-year contract that exceeds $2,000,000 per year.

If BOR approval is not included with the Contract Request documentation, the Office of Contract Administration (OCA) will notify the Contract Liaison. OCA also sends email reminders about upcoming deadlines for submitting items to the Board.

Contract Liaisons should work with their Cabinet Member to begin the process for acquiring BOR approval.

President’s Cabinets (UNIT)	Links
UNTD	https://www.untdallas.edu/president/presidents-cabinet/index.php
UNTHSC	https://www.unthsc.edu/about-us/office-of-the-president/hsc-leadership/
UNT	https://president.unt.edu/presidents-cabinet

Only individuals who have been formally delegated contract signature authority in writing by the UNT System Board of Regents, the UNT System Chancellor, or a campus President (or their designee) are authorized to sign contracts.

These delegations are documented by memorandum and outlined in Regents Rule 03.900.

Credit applications need to be submitted to the Accounting department (not Accounts Payable). For assistance, seek guidance in filling out campus specific information from your campus Controller’s office: https://finance.untsystem.edu/connect-finance/controller-team.php.