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Awarding Professional Contracts

1. Contracts with architects and engineers are awarded following the process set in Board Policies 730.2 and 740.1.

  • The Chancellor or Vice President of the Division of Agriculture selects a campus or unit level committee, which must include the Vice President for Finance and Administration.
  • The selected committee advertises for three consecutive days in a newspaper of general circulation. The advertisement must state the scope of the required services, the project location, selection criteria in order of importance, any necessary forms to be submitted, the closing date for responses, and the address of the office to receive the submissions.
    • The committee may also utilize other methods of notifying licensed architects and engineers.
    • The committee must allow at least 10 working days for responses.
    • The committee interviews a minimum of three applicants or a maximum of five applicants. After the interviews a recommended list of at least three firms is submitted through the Chancellor or chief executive officer to the President.  The President submits the recommendations to the Board’s Building and Grounds Committee.
    • Contracts are awarded by the Board to the design professional or professionals determined by the Board to be in the best interests of the University for design of the project.
    • The process for selecting design professionals for Major Capital Projects is similar, but includes a second round of interviews and specific criteria to be considered by the committee. For details see Board Policy 730.2.
  • AIA forms, approved by General Counsel, should be used. The standard AIA forms have been modified to suit the needs and legal requirements of the University.  If you do not have copies of these modified forms, please contact the General Counsel’s office for copies.   The completed DFA Services contract form must be submitted as part of the contract.

2. On-call contracts.

  • Awarded following the process described in paragraph 1 of this subsection.
  • Contracts must be reviewed by General Counsel.
  • Approved forms for contracts with on-call architects and engineers are available from the General Counsel’s office.
  • After the initial contract is executed, services may be obtained through a specific written order describing the services to be provided.