Contract Oversight
The State Legislature recently passed a new requirement for Contract Oversight for certain purchases (see Idaho Code 67-9219). The purpose of this requirement is to ensure that the University receives full value for the dollars spent on large projects. A Buyer in the Purchasing department will work in concert with the ISU department Project Manager to document the management of the contract to completion.
The Buyer will introduce and explain the Contract Oversight Checklist at the time Specifications are written or a Scope of Work is developed for a solicitation. If a solicitation is not required, the Buyer will contact the department to introduce and explain the Contract Oversight Checklist when the requisition is received. The Contract Oversight Checklist will become part of the purchase order file.
The criteria that the Buyer will use to determine the level of Contract Oversight is listed below. The Contract Oversight Checklist used to record the University’s compliance with this new law is located under Forms. Contract Oversight Checklist
Criteria
To fulfill the requirements of Idaho Code 67-9219, Buyers will determine the level of Contract Oversight giving emphasis when these criteria are present:
- High dollar value and high risk
- Formal solicitation $250,000 or greater
- $100,000 or greater using an exemption or State contract
- Less than $100,000 if high risk or RFP
- Multiple invoices or milestones in the project timeline
- Most software
The Contract Oversight Checklist will be used to facilitate and document the actions taken to ensure vendor performance and University engagement.