The Office of the General Counsel (“OGC”) assists University staff and contracting departments in expediting the review and approval of their University contracts. This site contains information regarding the legal requirements for University contracts, explains the required review by the initiating department as to business terms, clarifies the University contract signature authority delegation by the President and outlines the final legal review and approval process for contracts.

Contract negotiation and preparation are generally handled primarily by contract professionals in University’s Business Services (UBS), Capital Projects and Facilities Procurement (CPFP), Sponsored Program Services (SPS) and Office of Clinical Placement Coordination (OCPC). However, if you must prepare a contract for your department and have any questions, please email the OGC at UConncontracts@uconn.edu.

As a constituent unit of the State of Connecticut’s system of public higher education, the University of Connecticut must abide by all applicable State and federal laws and regulations for its contracts. Therefore, individuals and entities wishing to do business with the University must accept all legally-required contract terms and agree to execute all state-mandated contract affidavits.

Only University administrators who have been duly authorized to execute contracts by the Board of Trustees and President can sign on behalf of the University. Additional information regarding signature authority can be found at the above tab titled “UConn Signature Authority”. In many cases, the Office of the Attorney General approves certain contracts as to form. The source of the Attorney General’s authority to review and approve contracts is found in Section 3-125 of the General Statutes, which provides, in pertinent part, that the Attorney General shall have “general supervision over all legal matters in which the State is an interested party,…” (In addition, Section 4b-26 charges the Attorney General with responsibility for “determining the legal sufficiency of all [realty] contracts and leases, both as to substance and to form.”)

DEPARTMENTAL CONTRACT TRAINING

The OGC welcomes the opportunity to provide contract training to individuals or departments. To request contract training individually, or for your group, please send an email to our office at UConncontracts@uconn.edu.