Contract Review, Approval, and Execution

The Office of General Counsel assists Wichita State University departments with many types of university contracts. We also draft contracts and assist departments and administrators with contract negotiations as needed.

Contract Menu

• University Standard Terms and Conditions
• Individuals Authorized to Sign Contracts
• Types of Contracts
• Request Review of a Third-Party Contract
• WSU Legal Establishment and Governance

Contact Us

Office of General Counsel
1845 Fairmount
Wichita, KS 67260-0205

Office location: 201 Morrison Hall

University Standard Terms and Conditions

• View Required and Prohibited Contractual Terms
• View Standard Non-Disclosure Agreement (pdf)
  Please note that use of the standard WSU Non-Disclosure Agreement will accelerate agreement to any terms regarding use and disclosure of proprietary and confidential information.
• View Terms and Conditions

Individuals Authorized to Sign Contracts

WSU Policy 1.04 / Execution of Contracts identifies the individuals authorized to contractually bind the university by executing a contract. The list of persons authorized to sign contracts on behalf of the university is short. Faculty and staff members should not enter into contracts to which the university will be a party without first seeking legal review of the contract and having a contract signed by an authorized signer.

Persons who sign contracts obliging the university to perform some duty that do not have the authority to do so expose themselves to personal liability in the event there are problems with the contract in the future. If you have any questions about whether you can sign a contract or whether a contract needs General Counsel’s review, contact the Office of General Counsel.

Types of Contracts

While many types of contracts exist, not all contracts are explicitly called “contracts.” Below is a brief list of the types of contracts that are typically used at the university. If you receive a document with one of the following titles, we recommend that you contact the Office of General Counsel to ensure that it is properly reviewed, and that it is ultimately signed by an individual with authority to bind the university.

• Addendum
• Affiliation Agreement
• Amendment
• Business Associate Agreement
• Clinical Agreement
• Confidentiality Agreement
• Copyright License Agreement
• Easement
• Gift Agreement
• Independent Contractor Agreement
• Lease
• Letter Agreement or Letter of Agreement

• Letter of Intent
• License
• Master Agreement or Master Services Agreement
• Memorandum of Understanding
• Modification
• Non-Disclosure Agreement or NDA
• Personal Service Agreement
• Professional Services Agreement
• Publishing Agreement
• Purchase Order
• Software License Agreement
• Statement of Work

Request review of a contract

University departments should always encourage third parties to agree to the University Standard Terms and Conditions to expedite the contract review process. To request that the Office of General Counsel review a third-party contract to be signed by the university, please proceed as follows:

1. If the contract is an agreement on behalf of the Division of Industry and Defense Programs (i.e. NIAR, NIRDT, Ennovar, T3), send the contract to the Industry and Defense Programs Office of Research, at contracts@idp.wichita.edu.
2. If the contract is an agreement for and/or involves sponsored research for any department that is not housed within the Division of Industry and Defense Programs, send the contract to the Office of Research, at proposals@wichita.edu.
3. For all other contracts,
   1. Contact the party requesting that we sign the contract, and request that they send us the document in an editable format, such as in Word.
   2. Review the document for any prohibited terms.
   3. E-mail the contract to gc.contracts@wichita.edu.