Generally:

The "Contracting Process" includes the steps necessary to request, draft, negotiate, finalize, and deposit a fully-executed contract into WSU's contract repository. The Contracting Process is a collaborative one that requires a high level of cooperation between a variety of internal and external stakeholders. The process starts with the responsible department carefully evaluating its business needs, and successfully concludes only after all interested divisions (e.g., Purchasing, Business Services, Fiscal Affairs, IT, Human Resources, Faculty Affairs, Risk Management, and the Office of the General Counsel (OGC)) contribute and advise based on their areas of expertise. The Office of Contract Management (OCM) facilitates this process and helps to ensure that stakeholders understand their roles and responsibilities, and that the contract progresses through the process in a timely manner.

Timing:

The length of the Contracting Process will vary from contract to contract, depending on a number of factors. The process will be shortened where the Contract Request Form is initially submitted with all required information, and even faster where a template can be used that has been pre-approved by the OGC. Responsible departments should plan to request their contract a minimum of four (4) weeks before the estimated effective date or the contract renewal deadline. The Contracting Process may only be expedited in the rarest of circumstances, and any fast-track requests must be submitted before or at the time that the initial Contract Request Form is submitted to the OCM. 

Steps:

The illustration below provides a simplified description of the Contracting Process. A more detailed description is included in OCM Policy 1.1: Contract Management and Contract Review.