Total Contract Management (TCM) | NYU Tandon School of Engineering

Total Contract Management (TCM)

Total Contract Management (TCM) is NYU’s solution for creating, maintaining and managing supplier contracts. TCM streamlines the various levels of review, approval and signatures required for contracts and serves as a repository for executed contracts.

Important Note: Contracts must be signed and executed prior to services being rendered. It is highly recommended that contract requestors initiate the process at least one month in advance of the contract start date.


Ariel view of campus commons

Benefits

  • All contract related details are stored in one central location
  • Full lifecycle of contract managed in one system (from contract initiation to voucher payments)
  • System routes contracts to appropriate offices for review (Procurement, Risk Management, Legal) and designated signatories
  • System sends alerts when contract end date/contract renewal date is approaching
  • Reduces emails between central teams for review and signature

Key Internal Process Steps

  1. Contract submission approval form/e-mail required as supporting documentation for contract requests.

  2. Contracts request approvers vary by fund:

    • Fund 10, 16 & 21 – Reviewed and approved by Finance

    • Fund 20, 22, 24 & 25 – Reviewed and approved by Office of Sponsored Research

  3. Contract request naming convention: [Fund code contract will be charged to – Supplier Name]

  4. Tandon designated signatory for all contracts is the Fiscal Officer.


Insurance Waiver Eligibility

Insurance waivers are intended for one-time, low exposure projects, and not for recurring vendors/suppliers. Please keep the following guidelines in mind prior to submitting a request to the University Insurance Programs team:

  • Requests need to be submitted prior to the start of the contract.
  • The vendor/supplier should not be engaged before waivers are granted and/or proof of insurance is received.
  • Requests will not be considered if the vendor/supplier has already begun work for NYU.
  • Contracts should not be signed by either party prior to submitting waiver request.

Waiver requests should be submitted via this ServiceLink form along with an editable, unsigned agreement and statement of work (SOW) in Microsoft Word format. Turnaround time for all requests is 10 business days after a complete submission is received.

Insurance Waiver Eligibility Matrix: Before submitting a waiver request, please review the Insurance Waiver Eligibility matrix, which details if common services contracted by Tandon are eligible for a waiver. Please note that eligibility of a waiver does not guarantee a waiver will be granted and is subject to Risk Management’s review.

The Department of University Insurance Programs hosts monthly Zoom walk-in sessions where you can ask questions about the contract review, waiver or Ebix insurance review process. Sessions will take place on the first Monday of every month between 10am – 12pm. Zoom information can be found here.


Frequently Asked Questions

Should TCM always be used for independent contractor agreements?

Yes, Independent Contractor/Consultant agreements are a type of contract and TCM should be used for all contracts going forward.

Do contracts have to be signed by all parties before submission?

No, once a contract request is submitted and the contract is drafted, the contract will be routed to the respective parties for signature via DocuSign.

Do I have to wait for a supplier to be onboarded before I can submit a contract request for the supplier?

Yes, if a contract is for a new supplier, you must onboard the supplier first before you can initiate a contract request.

If you make a mistake after submitting your contract request, can you delete or edit the existing request?

No, contract requests can not be edited unless returned by Contract Approvers and sent back for additional information. If changes are needed, reach out to the Contract Approvers right away to return the request.

Once the contract is fully approved, can the invoice(s) be submitted to Accounts Payable or is a PO still needed for Accounts Payable to match the invoice?

A PO is still needed to initiate payments related to contracts.