Number: SOP-PURCH-28
Subject: Receiving Access to a Contract Copy
Summary: Request access to view an established purchasing contract.
Source: University Procurement Services
Date of Issue: 02/03/2021
Date of Revision: 02/03/2022
Disclaimer
Rationale
Indiana University is subject to Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act (“APRA”), I.C. 5-14-3 et seq. Contracts are available by an open records request to members of the public. If an IU staff or faculty member has a valid business reason to view a contract this SOP defines how to receive permission to view the contract in BUY.IU.
Procedure
- Department representative wants to view a copy of a contract signed on behalf of their department.
- Contact the departmental fiscal officer. Advise the fiscal officer of your business need to view the contract.
- It is the fiscal officer’s responsibility to determine if a valid business need exists.
- If, in the fiscal officer’s view a valid business need exists, the fiscal officer should:
- Open the agreement in BUY.IU, go to “Comments”
- Click “Start New Thread”
- Complete the Comment Box:
- Subject: Add Stakeholder to Contract
- Message: Please add (name of person needing access) as a Stakeholder to this contract. Their business need for viewing the contract: _______________
- Send notification to: the Purchasing Category Manager (PCM) who signed the Contract.
- Department Representative requests access to a contract that was signed on behalf of another IU department.
- Department representative contacts the fiscal officer of the department that “owns” the agreement, presents their business reason and request access. It is the fiscal officer’s responsibility to determine if a valid business need exists.
- If, in the fiscal officer’s view a valid business need exists the fiscal officer should
- Open the agreement in BUY.IU, Go to “Comments”
- Click “Start New Thread”
- Complete the Comment Box:
- Subject: Add Stakeholder to Contract
- Message: Please add _(name of person needing access) as a Stakeholder to this contract. Their business need for viewing the contract: _______________
- Send notification to: the Purchasing Category Manager (PCM) who signed the Contract.
- If, in the fiscal offer’s view a valid business need does not exist, they should notify the department representative. The fiscal officer can advise the department representative that if they disagree with the determination they should submit an open records request through Legal Counsel, https://iuovpgc-fireform.eas.iu.edu/online/form/index/apra.
- If, in the fiscal officer’s view a valid business need exists the fiscal officer should
- Department representative contacts the fiscal officer of the department that “owns” the agreement, presents their business reason and request access. It is the fiscal officer’s responsibility to determine if a valid business need exists.