Contract Review

Before contracts are executed, the Office of the General Counsel performs a review for legal sufficiency. Some contracts reviewed prior to execution are:

• Contracts for purchase of goods and services.
• Bilateral and personal service contracts.
• Affiliation and sponsored research agreements.
• Agreements with other institutions of higher education.
• Agreements with other governmental entities.
• Leases and purchases of real or personal property owned by the University or others.
• Licenses and purchases of Intellectual Property (patents, copyrights or trademarks) owned by others.
• Some instructional faculty contracts.
• Any contract drafted, in whole or in part, by someone other than the Office of the General Counsel or an agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
• Documents that deviate from a standard format already approved by the Office of the General Counsel.

We also request that all contracts submitted for review have a Contract Review Cover Page [PDF] attached. This cover page provides a summary of additional contract requirements for execution.

After contract review, the Office of the General Counsel will indicate if the contract has been approved as to form and will return it or route it to signatories. If the contract is not approved as to form, it will be revised by counsel so as to make it legally sufficient. Most changes are not negotiable and are required for State entities. A contract which has not been reviewed and approved is not considered binding on the University and the signatory may be personally liable for its contents and obligations.

View a list of contract review hints >>