Forms

Forms for Business

Professional Services Agreement

Rice’s Professional Services Agreement is used when Rice business units desire specific professional services from a consultant, contractor or company. In the format provided below, the authorized approver may countersign the Agreement on Rice’s behalf, in compliance with Rice University Policy No. 810. The authorized approver is expected to retain the executed contract in the records of that department or office for future reference. You may refer to Questions about my work at Rice for further guidance regarding contracts in general.

If a consultant, contractor or vendor would like the Agreement modified in any manner, please contact our office so that an attorney can review the specific request. When requesting assistance, please identify the specific modifications requested by the contractor, consultant or company and describe those business related modifications with which you or your business unit disagree.

Contracts designed by outside consultants, contractors and companies will be routed by our office to the attorney that spends much of his or her time in that specific area of specialization. For more information about who handles each area of practice, please refer to Areas of Practice.

Competitive Bid Evaluation Form

In accordance with the Rice University Policy 814 and the associated procedures, competition is required PRIOR to the award of any and all business on purchases valued $25,000 or more. This form is used to document the competition.

Sole Source Application

There will be instances when it is appropriate for a Purchaser to submit a Sole Source Justification (SSJ) to waive the competitive bid requirement. SSJs standardize the process so as not to create an unreasonable burden to the department processing the request as well as offer clear and concise reasoning to apply to the situation.

Sole Source VS Single Source

Single Source:

  • Definition: Involves obtaining a particular product or service from a selected supplier among several potential suppliers.
  • Rationale: Chosen for reasons such as expertise, reliability, or specific capabilities that set the supplier apart from others.
  • Flexibility: Allows for some flexibility by maintaining relationships with multiple suppliers for similar items, providing options in case of changes or issues.

Sole Source:

  • Definition: Occurs when a product or service is exclusively available from a single supplier, often due to unique features, patents, or specialized requirements.
  • Rationale: Typically justified by the uniqueness or proprietary nature of the product or service, making it available only from a specific supplier.
  • Risk: Carries a higher level of risk due to dependency on a single source; disruptions from that supplier can impact the entire supply chain.

Duty Free Entry of Scientific Equipment or Apparatus Form

In order to seek a waiver of duty for instruments supporting research, an application is to be completed and submitted in accordance with Department of Commerce and Department of Homeland Security regulations.

For more information regarding this form, visit the Duty-Free Entry of Scientific Equipment or Apparatus Page