U.T. System Requirements
The UT System Board of Regents and UT System Administration have established various contracting and policies and procedures that govern how UT institutions develop, establish, and execute contracts. Many of these policies stem from state legislation and codes. The primary UT System contracting requirements are described below.
UT System Policies
The primary UT System policies related to contract review and execution are:
- Processing of Contracts -UT System Policy UTS145 located at
https://www.utsystem.edu/sites/policy-library/policies/uts-145-processing-contracts - Real Estate Contracts - UT System Policy UTS126 at
https://www.utsystem.edu/sites/policy-library/policies/uts-126-real-estate-contracts - Construction Contracting Requirements at
https://www.utsystem.edu/offices/general-counsel/construction-law - UT System Contract Review Procedures at
https://www.utsystem.edu/offices/general-counsel/contract-review-procedures - Contract Delegation (Who can Sign?) – UT System Regents’ Rules and Regulations at
https://www.utsystem.edu/offices/board-regents/regents-rules-and-regulations
Additional UT System policies related to contracting can be found at
http://www.utsystem.edu/offices/general-counsel/ut-system-policies-related-contracting-and-procurement
Requirements for Approval by the UT System Office of General Counsel
Certain contracts require review and approval by the UT System Office of General Counsel (“OGC”) prior to execution. If the contract falls into one of the categories noted below, the Business Contracts Office will review the agreement locally and then forward to the Office of General Counsel for review and approval as to legal form. These categories include:
- Non-standard Business Contracts exceeding $1 million. Reference UT System Policy UTS145 listed above on this site.
- Special Procedure Contracts: These contracts may require OGC approval regardless of monetary value and include contracts related to third-party solicitation on campus, certain use of UTSA’s marks, contracts with foreign governments, financing arrangements, debt collection, and real property. For a full list of “special procedure contracts”, go to http://www.utsystem.edu/offices/general-counsel/special-procedure-contracts.
Requirements for Approval by the UT System Board of Regents
Certain contracts require the review and approval by the University of Texas System Board of Regents prior to execution.
As a general rule, all contracts with a value exceeding $1M must be approved by the Board. In addition, certain contracts must be approved by the Board regardless of the dollar value of the contract, such as contracts with foreign governments. See Board Rule 10501 at http://www.utsystem.edu/offices/board-regents/regents-rules-and-regulations.
Board approval for construction projects is set at $10M. (Board Rule 80402 and 80403).
