Contract Requestors

The Contract Requestor is the individual within the requesting department with the ultimate responsibility to ensure MSU receives the services and/or revenue set forth in the contract and that MSU pays the amount set forth in the contract for any services. To properly fulfill this function, it is imperative that the Contract Requestor fully understand the scope of the contract as well as the requirements set forth in the agreement. Some of the aspects Contract Requestors may want to review are: 

• Verification that all services are being performed as set forth in the contract.
• Verification that all revenues are being received as set forth in the contract.
• Verification that all applicable bonds and insurance documents have been received and are determined to be adequate, if applicable. Typically, this would only apply to Construction contracts and high dollar contracts.
• On an annual basis, the Contract Owner may be asked to provide the Office of Contract Administration with a summary of all revenues received as well as accurate accounting records which document the process used to verify revenues are in compliance with the contract.
• Verification that the services have been received within the specified period.
• Were services received equal or better than the quality required in the agreement?
• Are charges consistent with the agreement?
• Are revenues received consistent with the agreement?
• Depending upon the dollar amount of the contract and the term of the contract it may be advisable to hire an accounting firm to audit the appropriate financial documents to ensure the revenues are appropriate and accurate. In some case it may be advisable to include this in the requirements of the agreement and have the contractor pay for this expense. 

The Contract Requestor is typically the individual with the most knowledge about the needs to be met by the contract and how the contract will meet those needs. They will have a full understanding of the products or services to be received as well as the timelines, level of quality, payment requirements, and other unique aspects of the agreement. If anyone has questions related to the product/service/terms/conditions/etc., the Contract Requestor would be the individual who could answer such questions. It is anticipated the Contract Requestor role could be filled by, but not limited to, any of the following: Departmental Business Manager, Primary Investigator, Lab Manager, Faculty Chaperone on a field trip or study abroad, etc.