Contracts
Two types of contracts we normally deal with:
- Purchase of Service (POS) contracts (Services above $10K). See below.
- Public Works (PW) contracts (Public construction above $25K). Public Works contracts go through the PW bid process.
POS Contract: Where Do I Start?
There are two types of contract routing: Normal (signed by Finance), and fully routed (signed by Mayor/Clerk and need Common Council approval). Fully routed contracts will need a contract number assigned to them by Engineering Admin. Normal POS contracts do not have a contract number. Fully routed contracts will need an authorizing resolution.
Project Managers should draft the Purchase of Service contracts but Chase can give assistance with drafting. Make sure you start with the correct template, linked below. Once the contract is drafted and ready to send to vendor, please ask Chase to review first. This will save time and headache if minor corrections are needed. We cannot make edits AFTER a vendor signs, no matter how minor. If you need to draft a contract amendment, you can ask Chase for assistance getting started.
Once signed by vendor, all contracts should be sent to Chase/Steve. This includes contracts (and amendments) approved by Common Council, contracts resulting from formal bidding (RFP, RFB), sole-source contracts, etc. We will review, enter into Munis and route them along for full execution. Don’t send contracts directly to Finance or EnAdmin.
Keep track of all your contracts’ expiration dates! Set an Outlook reminder a month or two before your contracts expire. Do a renewal/extension amendment before your contract expires!
POS Contract Training
The Office of the City Attorney has a page with lots of helpful contract information. This is a great starting point for those new to contracts.
https://www.cityofmadison.com/attorney/training/contracts.cfm
If you are new to writing contracts or need a refresher, watch our Contracts Training video.
Contract Templates
Do not send these Word DOC templates to vendors. You should work with the vendor to get all information necessary to fill out the contract and then send them a PDF document for signature.
Contract templates can be found here: https://www.cityofmadison.com/employeenet/toolkit/contract-forms