52:34-10.7 Responsibilities of State Contract Manager for a contract.

7. The State Contract Manager shall be the State employee who shall be responsible for the overall management and administration of a State contract entered into on behalf of the State by the Division of Purchase and Property in the Department of the Treasury. The State agency using the contract shall designate the State Contract Manager for that contract and inform the Director of the Division of Purchase and Property of its designation, except that the director may designate the State Contract Manager when the director deems necessary.

The State Contract Manager for each contract shall be identified at the time of execution of the contract. At that time, the contractor shall be provided with the State Contract Manager's name, department, division, agency, address, telephone number, fax phone number, and E-mail address.

For a contract where only one State agency uses the contract, the State Contract Manager shall be responsible for engaging the contractor, assuring that purchase orders are issued to the contractor, directing the contractor to perform the work of the contract, approving the deliverables and approving payment vouchers. The State Contract Manager shall be the person that the contractor contacts after the contract is executed for answers to any questions and concerns about any aspect of the contract. The State Contract Manager shall be responsible for coordinating the use and resolving minor disputes between the contractor and the State agency.

If the contract has multiple users, the director may designate the State Contract Manager for that contract. The State Contract Manager shall be the central coordinator of the use of the contract for all using agencies, while other State employees engage and pay the contractor. All persons and agencies that use the contract shall notify and coordinate the use of the contract with the State Contract Manager.

The State Contract Manager shall have the following additional duties:

if the State Contract Manager determines that the contractor has failed to perform the required work and is unable to resolve that failure to perform directly with the contractor, the State Contract Manager shall file a formal complaint with the contract compliance unit in the Division of Purchase and Property and request that office to assist in the resolution of the contract performance problem with the contractor;

the State Contract Manager shall be responsible for arranging for contract extensions and preparing any re-procurement of the contract with the Purchase Bureau;

the State Contract Manager shall be responsible for obtaining permission from the director to reduce the scope of work, amend the contract or add work or special projects to the contract after contract award;

the State Contract Manager shall be responsible for completion of a project performance assessment form for submission to the division, with a copy to the Office of Management and Budget; and

the State Contract Manager shall be responsible for submitting the contractor final deliverables to the Associate Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Any contract user that is unable to resolve disputes with a contractor shall refer those disputes to the State Contract Manager for resolution. Any questions related to performance of the work of the contract by contract users shall be directed to the State Contract Manager. The contractor may contact the State Contract Manager if the contractor cannot resolve a dispute with contract users.

L.2005,c.336,s.7.