Contract Records
State Filing Process
The Secretary of the Board of Trustees is responsible for maintaining the central repository for the entire University of Illinois System. The Secretary has delegated central repository responsibilities for these contracts to the University Contract Records Office (UCRO), except for legal settlements, real estate sales and acquisitions, and certain employment agreements that are filed directly with the Secretary’s office.
The University of Illinois System is required to file certain contracts with the state within a designated period of time after execution. The University Contract Records Office (UCRO) performs this task on behalf of the U of I System, reviewing every contract and filing with the appropriate offices in accordance with the State Finance Act (30 ILCS 105), Illinois Procurement Code (30 ILCS 500), and Business and Finance Policies and Procedures.
Types of Contracts Filed
UCRO files payable contracts at or above $20,000 and all amendments to payable contracts with cumulative values at or above $20,000 with the Illinois Office of the Comptroller. UCRO files real estate leases and licenses, both payable and receivable, with the Illinois Secretary of State regardless of amount.
Frequency
Comptroller filing occurs quarterly and Secretary of State filing occurs weekly to ensure that contracts are sent to the appropriate office in a timely fashion and in compliance with the relevant statutes.
Contracts+
Contracts+ is the University of Illinois System's contract drafting and management system. It serves as the official repository for all University of Illinois System contracts held on behalf of the Board of Trustees. Units using Contracts+ are able to develop and route their contracts electronically, instead of in paper form. For more information regarding Contracts+, consult the Contracts+ Resource Page.
Ethics and Confidentiality
All University of Illinois System employees must follow ethical practice and maintain confidentiality when dealing with contracts. Units using Contracts+ will have access to electronic copies of system contracts and other contract information that historically has not been available. Please keep in mind, this access does not grant anyone within the unit the authority to email or distribute contract documents or information contained within those documents.
Freedom of Information Act
If a user receives a request from an outside entity for information contained within a contract, it is important to understand that often the University of Illinois System may need to redact certain information prior to disclosure (i.e. intellectual property or any information causing competitive harm).
In general, requests by third parties for contracts should be immediately forwarded to the Office for University Relations to be processed as a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request at foia@uillinois.edu.
Records and Information Management Services (RIMS)
Records and Information Management Services (RIMS) is the office that provides more information on records and information resources throughout the University of Illinois System, across all departments. The Business and Financial Records Retention Schedule contains information on contract retention. For more information contact RIMS at rimsgroup@uillinois.edu.