Contracts - Legal Affairs

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Last Updated: Sep 10, 2026, 03:13 PM

Contract Responsibilities

The requesting department is responsible for the administration of all contracts it requests. The department’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

  1. Tracking the start and end dates of contracts;
  2. Ensuring compliance with the terms and conditions in the contract;
  3. Monitoring payments and deadlines; and
  4. Maintaining all records relating to a contract. 

Welcome to the Office of General Counsel Contracts Page for Southern Illinois University Carbondale

This webpage is brought to you by the Office of General Counsel (OGC). Here you will find information about how contracts are processed at SIU, including information about contract development and review, contract signing authority, and contract administration. If you enter into contracts on behalf of SIU or assist your department in the contracting process, you are responsible for following SIU’s procedures for contracts.

What is a Contract?

A contract is an agreed-upon set of terms and conditions governing the relationship between two or more parties. A contract may be called by many different names, including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Agreements
  • Memoranda of understanding/agreement
  • Letters of intent
  • Estimates
  • Proposals
  • Orders
  • Order Form
  • Affiliation agreements
  • Assignments
  • Licensing agreements
  • Leases
  • Rental Agreements
  • Amendments
  • Addendums
  • Confidentiality Agreements
  • Non-Disclosure Agreements
  • Services Agreements
  • Quotes

A contract may be legally binding even if no monetary payment is involved and even if signatures (physical or electronic) are not required. "Click-through" software agreements frequently found online are a common example of such contracts.

Broadly speaking, there are two categories of contracts at SIU. Those categories are as follows: procurement contracts and non-procurement contracts.

A procurement contract commits funds from the University (regardless of source) and/or involves a vendor or service provider providing goods and/or services to the University or a party leasing or licensing real or personal property to the University. All procurement contracts should be submitted to and processed through Procurement Services. Do not submit procurement contracts to the Office of General Counsel. Rather, Procurement Services will determine whether the Office of General Counsel's review is required in a particular instance.

A non-procurement contract is revenue-generating or zero-dollar and does not involve a service provider or vendor providing goods or services or a party leasing or licensing property to the University. Examples of non-procurement contracts include (but are not limited to) educational affiliation agreements, internship and externship agreements, matriculation agreements, articulation agreements, leases and licenses of University property, and services agreements in which SIU is providing the service.