Guidlines

GUIDELINES FOR COLLABORATIVE AGREEMENTS

August, 2008

Objectives of Collaboration

• Reduce costs for services and goods through leveraged agreements
• Improve the business terms and accompanying services with commonly used vendors
• Minimize or eliminate duplicated efforts of our member campuses for researching and implementing new services and programs
• Simplify the processes of doing business, thereby reducing the effort for our members and vendors
• Nurture an environment for campus collaboration beyond that measured in dollars

General Provider/Vendor Guidelines for Collaborative Agreements

ICI desires a few true partnership relationships with resellers, vendors and providers of goods and services. Using this approach, our history is that many of our campuses use our consortium agreements, saving the vendors significant time and effort. Most often, the vendors gain more sales and customers than they could achieve through their own efforts.

The agreement must be simple in language and structure. It is not a legal contract between the vendor and ICI. The contractual relationship is between the vendor and the member campus. Obtain a sample Memorandum of Understanding here
The product, service or relationship should be of immediate interest to at least 10 of our 31 member campuses. Or, at least six of our member campuses should be active customers that provide good references.
The agreement with ICI must provide better prices and services than what any single member can obtain for itself.
A rule of thumb is that our consortium agreement provides goods and services at prices as good or better than a large public university.
Some relationships will be established with a single, preferred vendor; others will be bid out.
There is no requirement that ICI bid its services or goods to multiple vendors or partner with more than one vendor for a good or service. Sole source agreements are not assured.
The collaborative program must be accessible to all members.
ICI actively communicates the vendor/ICI relationship to the member campuses through e-mail, listservs, periodic newsletters, meetings with groups of campuses, and its web page that identifies the vendor with a link and logo. You may view the website that lists our agreements at http://www.icindiana.org/services/programs.asp
Occasionally, ICI will forward the vendor’s marketing brochures to its members, charging the vendor for the direct handling costs.
The vendor is welcome to send its material to individual campuses using the addresses listed on the ICI web page, noting the ICI/vendor relationship.
Occasionally, ICI works with the provider and similar consortia of independent colleges to create agreements that extend across other states with better terms than what a single consortium can obtain.
The financial/contractual relationship is between each member and the vendor. ICI assumes no financial responsibility for its members.
ICI does not collect funds for the vendor or submit payments together on behalf of its members.
Participation in the agreement is voluntary for our members.
We recognize our partners as preferred providers and encourage our members to fully utilize our agreements.
The vendor will provide appropriate annual reports, (as required by ICI) on sales by campus.
ICI may require a small administrative fee to cover any significant costs of implementing and managing the agreement.
Two member complaints in a 12-month will be grounds to dissolve the partnership agreement.