Contracts

A contract is a legally binding agreement between two or more parties that outlines mutual rights, obligations, and responsibilities. Contracts can have different names (e.g., memorandum of understanding (MOU), memorandum of agreement (MOA), agreement, letter of intent, affiliation agreements, letter of agreement, etc.)

It is important use the full legal name of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in all Georgia Tech contracts. Using N.C. A&T’s full legal name ensures legal validity and proper recognition of its contracts.

The Office of Legal Affairs in the Division of Legal Affairs, Risk, and Compliance and campus partners, including Procurement Services in the Division of Business and Finance, play pivotal roles in N.C. A&T’s contract management, offering expert guidance and negotiation of a wide variety of agreements, drafting contracts, including standard templates for campus-wide use, and assisting other N.C. A&T departments with contract negotiations as needed.

Standard templates have been developed through collaboration with key campus stakeholders to streamline the contracting process and ensure that terms are consistent with N.C. A&T’s requirements as a state agency. As a result, there are templates in following major categories:

Academic and Educational Collaboration agreements relate to academic collaborations, instructional services, dual/joint degrees and other educational initiatives that support N.C. A&T’s academic, research, and economic development mission.

Arts and Media agreements relate to arts and media, including performing arts engagements, campus filming and commercial photography activities, media use, and image releases and waivers.

Equipment Loan, Donations, and Waiver agreements facilitate equipment loan acquisitions and donations, as well as waiver, release, and assumption of risk forms.

International Collaboration agreements supports N.C. A&T’s global initiatives with international agreements that foster global collaborations, such as study-abroad programs, bilateral student exchanges, global research and internships, etc.

Space Usage agreements involve temporary use of N.C. A&T’s facilities and spaces for auxiliary services and events.

Non-Disclosure and Confidentiality agreements focus on protecting confidential information, providing Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) templates for various academic and administrative activities, including academic collaborations, gifts, and procurement transactions.

NOTE: This is not a comprehensive list. Templates are created for specific purposes and should be used only as intended. For assistance or questions about templates, please contact the Contracts Manager in Procurement Services or the Office of Legal Affairs.

SPECIAL NOTE: All statewide and agency term contracts for supplies, materials, printing, equipment, and contractual services that exceed one million dollars ($1,000,000) must be reviewed by the Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs, Risk, and Compliance/General Counsel or designee to ensure that the proposed contracts are in proper legal form, contain all clauses required by law, are legally enforceable, and accomplish the intended purpose of each proposed contract. See NC Gen. Stat. § 114-8.3). Procurement Services, and the General Counsel or designee, will complete the NC Attorney General’s contract checklists before finalizing any contract in excess of one million dollars.

Contracts Managed by Other N.C. A&T Departments

Specific university departments are responsible for managing and/or reviewing certain agreements.

Procurement Services manages contracts for the purchase of goods and services, including, but not limited to, software license agreements, hotel agreements, lodging and/or transportation services agreements, etc. For more information, visit https://hub.ncat.edu/administration/business-and-finance/procurement-services/index.php.

Information Technology Services reviews agreements involving IT software, hardware, network, and cloud services. For more information, visit https://hub.ncat.edu/administration/its/index.php.

The Office of Sponsored Programs in N.C. A&T’s Division of Research assists researchers with pre- and post-award services, including developing and processing of proposals for sponsored projects, submitting proposals to funding agencies, and administrative management of awards through the life of the project. For assistance or questions about research contracts and grants, visit https://hub.ncat.edu/administration/research/sponsored-programs/index.php.

The Office of Contracts and Grants in the Division of Research is responsible for financial accounting for all sponsored agreements awarded to N.C. A&T. Responsibilities include supporting the administration and financial management of contracts and grants, administering cash flow related to contracts and grants, submitting required financial reports, and maintaining an auditable effort reporting system. For assistance or questions about financial accounting for sponsored agreements, visit https://hub.ncat.edu/administration/research/contract-grants/index.php.

The Office of Financial Compliance in the Division of Research supports effort reporting certification by documenting salaries and wages charged to sponsored awards, accounts receivable management to record and report amounts invoiced to sponsors, payroll processing for salary documents charging costs to sponsored program funds, report development and technical support for completing required reports and implementing new software, and documentation of actual costs to satisfy award cost sharing or matching requirements. For assistance or questions about financial compliance, visit https://hub.ncat.edu/administration/research/ofc/index.php.

The Office of Intellectual Property Development and Commercialization manages agreements related to commercialization and licensing of intellectual property (IP) developed at N.C. A&T. For assistance or questions, visit https://hub.ncat.edu/administration/research/ip-development-and-commercialization/index.php.

The Office of Research Services and Project Management supports faculty and staff researchers in developing competitive proposals and resubmissions for external funding. For assistance or questions, visit https://hub.ncat.edu/administration/research/services/index.php.

The Office of University Relations should review agreements involving producing merchandise using the university’s name, official University marks, or intellectual property. This applies to university departments, student groups and outside vendors. For more information, visit https://www.ncat.edu/give/advancement/university-relations/index.php.