In addition to reviewing the terms and conditions of the acquisition, Business Contracts works with other University of Texas at Austin departments to facilitate the appropriate approvals. Below is a list of the departments Business Contracts works with most frequently along with some common issues for which they provide assistance. If your acquisition includes one of the issues listed below, then the acquisition requires separate approval from the respective department.
Information Security Office: Confidential Data & Cloud
- Software that involves the storage or transmission of Controlled/Confidential University Data.
- Software that utilizes hosting solutions based outside of the continental United States.
- Software hosted remotely (in the "cloud") or software where the vendor has access to University data may require review depending on the nature and sensitivity of the software.
- Software used for test administration, homework, or grading.
Office of Trademark Licensing: Using University Trademarks
Approval from this office is required if the vendor and university department want to allow the vendor to use the department or university name, trademark, or logo.
Purchasing Office: Cost of Software >$15,000
Purchases for more than $15,000 require purchasing justification, which is approved by the Purchasing Office. Refer to the UT Austin Procurement Guidelines chart for an overview of purchasing justification requirements.
University Development Office: Donated Software
If the software is being provided as a donation, the university department will have to obtain pre-approval from the University Development Office in accordance with the nonmonetary gift policy. To initiate University Development Office’s approval, the university department must submit the nonmonetary gift acceptance form and any supporting documentation to email address listed on the nonmonetary gift policy website.
Division of Campus and Community Engagement: Disability Accessibility
- Software that will be used by individuals known to, or likely to, have accessibility issues due to disabilities.
- Software acquisitions where the vendor refuses to warrant that the software meets the disability accessibility standards established by Texas state law.
Legal Affairs: Foreign Vendor
- When a vendor is located outside of the United States, programmatic approval from Legal Affairs is required.
- When a vendor is a foreign government.
University Communication Standards Committee (UCSC): Mobile Application Development
When a department would like to hire a vendor to develop or create a custom application, the application must be review and approved by the UCSC.
Insurance and Risk Management Questions