Contracting

Welcome to Middlebury’s Contracting Process

Business Services and the General Counsel have collaborated to build the resources on this Contracting site to provide information about the contracting process at Middlebury and assist faculty and staff in negotiating and formalizing written contracts.

Whenever Middlebury takes on an obligation to another party, a written agreement is the best way to prevent misunderstandings. Formats of agreements might include preprinted contract forms (with or without modification), terms and conditions, purchase orders, letters containing the terms of an agreement, leases, and waivers.

Whatever the format, the agreement should comply with the Middlebury Contracting Policy in order to protect the College’s interests and ensure that the College does not assume inappropriate risks (like agreeing to pay another party in full regardless of performance). For certain transactions, the College has its own standard contracts, which provide the College with the greatest protection.

College employees, including officers, faculty and staff, may bind the College only if they have been delegated specific authorization to do so. In order to determine which individuals have authority to bind the College, please refer to the College’s Procurement Policy and consult with your supervisor. 

Students do not have authority to bind the College.  Questions about contracting and procurement policies may be addressed to Business Services.