Strategic Procurement Contracts Updates

October 16, 2020
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Message from Harvard Strategic Procurement

Below are upcoming training opportunities from the Strategic Procurement Contracts Team, which will provide several updates on vendor contracting at Harvard. For general questions on vendor contracts, including review requests, please email spcontracts@harvard.edu or head to the Strategic Procurement Contracts Group website

The Strategic Procurement Contracts Group sends e-mails updates a few times a quarter with information about our services to assist you with vendor contracting, including new developments, training opportunities, and online resources.  If you would like to be added to this email list or if you have any questions about this list, please contact robert_ditzion@harvard.edu.

 

Training Opportunities

 

  • TCM Contract Manager Training Workshop (University-Wide)

Sign-up for one of four available TCM Contract Manager Workshops on October 20th, November 18th, January 13th, and April 8th. These live, instructor led workshops are for Contract Managers using TCM as a repository or anyone else who wants to learn more about accessing contracts in TCM and the following topics:

  • How to Search Contracts
  • Contract Manager Dashboard & Profile Settings
  • How to Create/Upload Contract
  • Contract Visibility
  • Contract Family
  • How to Identify Contract Manager Workload
  • TCM Best Practices

Register here for the TCM Contract Manager Workshop in the Harvard Training Portal. Contact Kym Murphy at kymeshia_murphy@harvard.edu, if you have any questions about the workshop.

  • TCM Contract Review Date Notification Workshop

Recorded Zoom Presentation here. The Contract Notifications guide that is referenced in the presentation can be viewed here.

  • General Contract Review Training (University-Wide) 

General training from Strategic Procurement’s Contracts Team on how to contract with vendors. Covers general legal concepts, Harvard-specific policies and concerns, and how to use Harvard contracts templates or work with vendor documents. Attendees who complete this course should be able to handle at least basic contracts on their own and know when and how to seek further assistance. Course is designed to be informative for all staff regardless of experience level with vendor contracting.

Register here for this is a great course to learn about, or brush up on, vendor contracting.  It will be held over Zoom on October 20th, January 12th, and March 16th.

  • Hotel/Event Venue Contracting (University-Wide)

Training on how to contract with hotels and other venues for events. Attendees who complete this course should be able to issue spot vendor templates for hotels and events, work with Harvard templates, as well as know when to seek further assistance. We will cover key contract areas for this industry as well as provide some business/negotiation tips. We will also discuss how to deal with Covid-19 in Hotel/Event contracts – both how to get out of existing contracts due to Covid-19 and how to limit financial risk from cancelling in new contracts.

Register here if you are planning an event off-campus, as this course is a great introduction to the contract issues that you will want to think about.  It will be held over Zoom on December 8, 2020; 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. 

  • Covid-19 Vendor Contract Issues

We are hearing scattered reports of vendors adding extra charges to invoices in connection with Covid-19. In many cases, this is not permitted under our contracts. Please pay attention to your invoices and let us know if you see any unpermitted extra charges.

If you are trying to cancel an upcoming hotel/event contract due to Covid-19, read our updated our guidance available here. In general, in these uncertain times, you may have legal questions about your contracts with vendors. Our group can help. If you need assistance, please e-mail spcontracts@harvard.edu.

 

Model Document Update

 

  • Update to Personal Data Protection: Contract Rider

The Office of the General Counsel has updated this document (also known as the “Harvard PII Rider”) with one change recognizing that SSAE 16 has been replaced by SSAE 18. Please use the new version available here.