The Contract Administrator role is required to create a new contract or to amend an existing contract.

A New Contract or an Amendment request on a CRF that has been approved at the department level or by specialty approvers will route to the Contract Request Assignment queue for designated Contract Administrators from each Purchasing office.

Approving a Contract Request Form (CRF)

1. Notification is received that a Contract Request is pending approval.
2. Navigate to Contracts > Approvals > Contract Requests to Approve or from the Action Items (flag icon) at the top, select Contract Request Approvals to view the requests in your assigned queue.
3. Open the Folder.
4. Select the Form Number or Name to open the request.
5. Select Assign & Further Actions from Form Request Actions to take ownership of the CRF.
6. Review the contract request.
   1. Contract Category: If the request is for an expenditure contract (Contract Category – Payable or Hybrid), the user is required to provide a value within the Requisition Number field under the Financial & Purchasing Information section. The submitted requisition should be pending the standard Purchasing iBuy queue after any departmental approval requirements are met.
   2. Summary/Description of Goods/Services: Confirm that the beginning of the entry does not start with a dash (-). If seen, please remove the dash.
   3. College Code: Confirm the appropriate College Code option has been selected for the Organization Code entered on the Financial & Purchasing Information page. Refer to the Chart-Org-College Code Cross Reference document in the Contracts+ Training Resources list under Contract Visibility.
7. If you have clarifying questions, select the Start New Thread button on the Discussion page to begin a discussion thread on a contract request.
   1. Enter a title for the contract request message in the Subject field.
      NOTE: If there is more than one discussion on a contract request, the Subject line for each message is displayed under the Topics heading.
   2. Enter the text of the contract request message in the Message field.
   3. Select the Add Attachments button to add files or links to the contract request message.
      NOTE: Individual attachments up to 50MB each are allowed to be uploaded. For more information, go to Adobe Sign transaction limits.
   4. By default, the Sent Notification To field will be prepopulated with the requestor's name. You may search and add more users to the message.
   5. Select Post Message to display a message on the Discussion page.
   6. If needed, you can also select Edit to change the text of a contract request message or reply to this thread to respond to a message.
8. Form Request Actions are:
   1. Approve/Complete – use once the request has been reviewed and is ready to be turned into a contract.
   2. Forward To… – pop-up box allowing you to search for another user in the system and assign the request to them to complete the CRF process.
   3. Put Request on Hold – with an option to add a note.
   4. Reject – this disables the request, and the user would have to start over.
   5. Return to Requestor – used to send the contract request back to the user to make changes and resubmit.
   6. Return to Shared Folder – used to return the contract request back to the original assignment queue, allowing someone else to take ownership of the request.
9. New Contract: Once you are ready to approve the request and generate a new contract, select Approve/Complete from Form Request Actions and then select Create Contract from Request Actions.
10. Amendment: Once you are ready to approve the amendment request, select Approve/Complete from Form Request Actions and refer to the Contracts+ Contract Administrator Processing Amendments for PCM & Real Estate job aid.

Creating a Contract from a Contract Request Form (CRF)

1. Open a second window of iBuy Contracts+ by right clicking the University of Illinois System logo on the top left corner of the screen and selecting Open link in new window. Then, search for the Form Number of the CRF you will be creating a contract for.
   NOTE: This way you will have easy access to details of the request that may need transferred to the Contract as you create it.
2. From within the approved CRF, select Request Actions from the top right-hand side of the form and select Create Contract.
3. On each field in the Create Contract pop-up, you can start to type the acronym PCM for the list of types or select Search (magnifying glass icon) for possible options.
   1. Contract Name – This information can be copied from the CRF; however, if the user did not use the proper format required by the Contract Administrator, you may take this opportunity to update the name.
      NOTE: Please use the following format when creating the Contract Name: [Contract Category] – [Requesting Unit] – [Other Party Name]
      1. Example: Payable – College of Vet Med – Clean Uniform Company
   2. Contract Type – You can start to type the acronym PCM for the list of types or select Search (magnifying glass icon) for possible options. Contract Types include predetermined fields specific to the type of contract you are creating. Once selected and saved, a Contract Type cannot be changed.
   3. Use Contract Template – This defaults to Yes. DO NOT CHANGE.
   4. Contract Template – The default Visibility Settings Contract Template for the Contract Type selected will automatically appear. DO NOT CHANGE.
      1. The default Visibility Setting Contract Templates apply the Board of Trustee recommendations for the Applies To and the User and Contact sections of a contract.
   5. Work Group – This is based on the College Code which can be found on the CRF under Unit Questions. When found, you can simply type the two-letter College Code in the Work Group field. Alternatively, you can search for it by selecting the magnifying glass. It will pull up University of Illinois which you can expand to find the area of the University your PCM office covers. If you expand that section, you will find a listing with the College Codes.
      NOTE: It is important to validate that the appropriate College Code selection has been made for the Organization Code entered on the Financial & Purchasing Information page as it is tied to the visibility of the contract. Refer to the Chart-Org-College Code Cross Reference document in the Contracts+ Training Resources list under Contract Visibility.
   6. Main Document Template (MDT)– If applicable, these are used to configure contract text using Jaggaer Contract Authoring for Word app. Refer to the Contracts+ Contract Administrator/Internal Reviewer Using the Jaggaer Word App during Contract Review job aid or contact support. Main Document Template (MDT) saves time by eliminating the need to enter contract information repeatedly. The option to switch some content using clauses and alternative language will be available
4. Select Next.
5. This will ask what attachments from the CRF you would like copied to the Contract. After you make selections, select Create Contract.
6. A Contract Number (CN-00000XXX) has been assigned. Refer to the top left corner.
7. Most fields on the Header page of the contract record carry over from the CRF; however, there can be fields specific to the Contract Type that are not on the CRF. You will need to ensure all required fields, marked as *, are complete and have accurate values. Some of these fields are provided below.
8. Use eSignature for this contract? Select Yes if you plan to use AdobeSign for signatures.
9. Populate the Value field in the Contract Header section with the number in the Amount field in the Financial & Purchasing Information section and ensure they match.
   NOTE: Although not marked as required, you must complete the Value field in the Contract Header section.
10. Dates and Renewal section
    1. Start Dates – Intended to reflect the beginning of the contract term.
       1. Update Start Date Upon Execution – Select the box if you want the contract term to begin at contract execution.
    2. End Date – Intended to reflect the end date of the contract term.
       
       1. Expires On – Select a specific calendar end date. Verify the End Date time is 11:59 PM.
       2. Term – Select a specific end date time frame based on months, days, or years from the Start Date.
    3. Renewal Term and Renewals Remaining – Complete information if renewals are applicable to your Contract Request. Leave blank if these are not applicable.
    4. Leave the Review Date, Review Term, Renewals Remaining, and Renewal Term fields empty if they do not apply to the contract.
11. Fiscal Year Spend Approvals – Select the correct range.
12. Second Party Legal Structure – Select an option from the drop-down menu.
13. Purchasing Contact Information – These fields populate on the Main Document Template but are not required.
14. Once all necessary fields are completed on the Header page of the contract, select Next.
15. On the Comptroller Delegate Info page, there is one required question to respond to.
    1. Which Comptroller Delegate will be signing this contract on behalf of the University? - Select the name of the Comptroller Delegate who will be signing this contract
16. Select Next.
17. The State Filing - UCRO Use Only page is to be filled out by the University Contract Records Office after contract execution. Select Next.
18. As you move through the screens, you can tell if you have completed a screen when it shows a green check mark. If it’s not complete, the check mark will be gray. Or, when you get to the final screen, Submit for Approval, it will provide an error message(s). Please complete all required sections to submit this contract and will show you what screens have information missing.
19. On the left side of the screen, are some optional features you can use:
    1. Apply Obligations such as a reminder to collect an insurance certificate, a testing requirement, tiered payment requirement, etc. See job aid Adding an Obligation to a Contract for Contract Administrators.
    2. Process Internal or External Review Rounds.
       NOTE: Refer to the Internal Review Rounds – Contract Administrator job aid.
    3. eProcurement Setup (if applicable). The University does not currently use this feature.
    4. Use Communication Center – This is used to manage correspondence about a contract and keep in one central location.
20. Within the Attachments page, review Main Document Template (MDT) OR select Open Main Document on the left side of the screen. You may check out the document and make edits, then finalize.
    1. As details from the placeholders are populated off the contract and into the body of the MDT, text can shift in the document and possibly cause hanging sentences or words.
       1. Select Enable Editing and open the Jaggaer Word App Show Task Pane icon and select Check Out at the bottom of the Task Pane.
          NOTE: You will need to install the Jaggaer Word App if you do not have it. Please refer to the job aid Using the Jaggaer Word App during Contract Review.
       2. Select the Show/Hide button and adjust the line returns in the sentence/section to fix.
       3. Once the change is made, select the Show/Hide button.
       4. Once all changes are made, at the bottom of the Jaggaer Word app Task Pane, select Check In to check the document back into Contracts+. A prompt will show up prior to checking in. For versioning purposes, provide details on what adjustments were made when prompted and select OK.
       5. Close the file. You do not need to select Save at the prompt.
    2. Contract for Procurement of Supplies and Services (POSS) Template. If any additional Exhibit(s) are selected for use when building the contract, the Table of Contents section needs to be updated to reflect the additional exhibit(s).
       1. Select Enable Editing and open the Jaggaer Word App Show Task Pane icon and select Check Out at the bottom of the Task Pane.
       2. Select on the Contents box in the Contract and the Update Table will appear.
       3. Select Update Entire Table.
       4. Check In the document. For versioning, provide details on what adjustments were made when prompted and select OK.
       5. Close the file. You do not need to select Save at the prompt.
21. Attach any additional supporting documentation.
    1. When you add attachments to the contract record, you can indicate whether you would like the attachments to be included in the print order. If they are included in the print order, that means that the attachments will be rolled up into a single .pdf document. This document is what is sent to Adobe to get the signature. If you included the Main Doc 6 MB, Addendum A 3 MB, and Addendum B 4MB documents in the print order, the integration would likely fail because the combined file size would be over the 10 MB size limitation for Adobe.
22. If the contract will be signed via eSignature, select the eSignature page.
    1. Use the Add Recipient button to enter the details of the second party signer or to select the eligible Comptroller Delegate who will be signing on behalf of the University.
23. Validate Approval Steps by selecting the Submit for Approval page.
    1. Confirm all actions are complete.
    2. Expand the View Approval Steps.
       
       1. If it shows a Missing Approver Unit Head or Missing Approver Dean/Director, notify the individual who submitted the Contract Request. Their Unit Security Contact (USC) must submit a request in the Security Application for the profile of the Contract Approver and settings for the identified approval queue to be applied to the appropriate person for the Chart-Organization.
       2. If it shows a Missing Approver Chancellor or any other approval queue, notify AITS iBuy Production Support.
24. Select Submit for Approval to send the Contract through the approval process.
    NOTE: Depending on the contract status (example: Draft), there are additional Contract Actions you can take. From the top right corner of the contract creation form, select Contract Actions. There are options to archive the contract, copy the contract, start an external communication, and so on.