Contract Closeout

The contract closeout process provides an opportunity for all parties to confirm they have fulfilled their obligations. The success of the contract should be measured, and any lessons learned should be documented.

A contract is complete when:

All goods or services have been received and accepted
All reports have been delivered and accepted
All administrative actions have been accomplished
All school/program-furnished equipment and materials have been returned
Final payment has been made to the contractor

The Institute for Public Procurement (NIGP) recommends addressing several key issues as part of closing out a contract.

Administrative

Ensure the contract file is complete conforms to regulations
- Filed in an orderly and intuitive fashion
- Filed documents have original signatures
- Includes any change orders and modification documents
If the contract specified a period of performance, verify that period ended
- Ensure there are no pending time extensions pending
Ensure the unencumbrance of funds has been accomplished, if required
Ensure all final determinations been completed
Ensure all optional provisions have expired

Deliverables

Confirm the certified acceptable receipt of all deliverables

Payments and Invoices

Resolve all disallowed payments, performance, deliverables, or suspended costs
Use financial activity report to verify all payments have been made
Ensure all refunds, rebates, and/or credits have been noted in the file

Property

Ensure property has been returned from the contractor
- Includes all government‐owned property
Government‐furnished property or supplies and equipment paid for with federal funds must be dispersed according to UGG requirements. In short, items stay with the program they were intended to serve, or are offered to another similar program in the district that is also federally funded.

Contract Administration Analysis

After a contract has been closed out, conduct an analysis of the contract process. The contract documentation should be reviewed to determine if any changes to the process would be beneficial to future contracts. The goal is to identify and implement changes that would improve the process.

Contract Development

Aspects to focus on include:

Adequacy of contract goals
Changes that could make the contract better meet the school or program’s needs
- Additional clauses
- Different language

Contract Administration

Areas to focus on include:

Adequacy of contract administration team training
Any unanticipated problems that occurred
Anything that could be done differently or better