Contracts

San Francisco Unified School District and County Office of Education

Administrative Regulation 3312

This Administrative Regulation applies to the San Francisco Unified School District and the County Office of Education.

A school site or District department that wishes to secure goods or services from vendors or contractors (“Contract Sponsor”) must complete a written contract signed by both parties.

I.         When Services May Begin

District employees are not authorized to begin services or accept goods before a contract above the delegable authority ($119,100 in 2026 as set forth in Public Contract Code § 20111) has been initiated, as provided in District Board Policy 3312. Contracts above the delegable authority must be approved by the Board of Education (“Board”) before services can begin. Contracts under the delegable authority can begin before Board ratification, provided that a purchase order is issued first and the Board ratifies the contract within 60 days.  (See Education Code § 17605.)   
 

A.        Retroactive Contracts. If services begin pursuant to a contract above the delegable authority that was not approved by the Board in contravention of Board Policy 3312, or, in the alternative, before a purchase order has been issued for a contract below the delegable authority, the contract is considered retroactive.  District Sponsors will need to seek an exception to Board Policy 3312 and obtain approval for all retroactive contracts by following the process described in Section VII, Process to Seek Approval of a Retroactive Contract.

II.       Authority to Accept Goods and Services

A.          Contracts over the delegable amount in Public Contract Code § 20111: Pursuant to Board Policy 3312, District employees are not authorized to accept services/goods before a contract has been reviewed and approved by the Board. Contractors/vendors who provide services or goods without an approved contract risk non-payment and shall be so advised.

B.          Contracts under the delegable amount in Public Contract Code § 20111. District employees are not authorized to accept services before a contract has been duly executed and the Procurement Department has issued a purchase order. Contractors/vendors who provide services or goods without a duly executed contract and purchase order risk non-payment and shall be so advised. 

III.     Process to Complete a Contract in Frontline.  All District contracts must be processed for approval or ratification using the District’s financial system, Frontline.  Please note: Master Contract and

Piggyback Contracts follow separate processes, as set forth below.  See § IX: Master Contracts, and § 10, Piggyback Contracts, below.

A.       Contract Completion: Contracts must be completed using District templates. Templates are available on the Procurement Department intranet site.

  1.      The Contract Sponsor must open, fill out, and save all templates and forms in Microsoft Word (not in Google Docs or Pages). Complete ALL fields with the requested information. Obtain a

W-9 from the contractor/vendor and enter the information into the contract packet.

2.      Changes to the District templates may only be authorized by the Procurement Department in consultation with the Legal Department. 

3.       District employees must complete District contract templates. District employees may not send contracts to the contractor with the intent that they complete the template.

B.         Steps to Process the Contract in Frontline

1.           Step 1—Sign & Complete the Contract: Each contract must have a District signature. The Contract Sponsor (manager, site leader, department staff) completes the contract in collaboration

with the contractor/vendor and obtains their Department Head’s signature before seeking budget or other approvals. Additionally, modified contracts under the delegable authority must have the

Legal Department’s signature approving the modified contract as to form.

The Contract Sponsor must obtain all required contract signatures before submission to Frontline.  Contracts that are not properly executed with the appropriate District signatory and the contractor’s signatory will be automatically rejected. 

2.         Step 2—Load the contract packet into Frontline:  Contract Sponsor enters the requisition request into Frontline and attaches the fully executed contract with the W-9 (the “contract packet”).

3.         Step 3—Frontline Electronically routes Approvals: The requisition and contract packet are electronically routed for approvals through Frontline (Department Manager, Budget Office, and

Procurement Department, and the following, as necessary: Fund Manager, State and Federal, Legal Department, and Board Office).

4.         Step 4—Procurement Department loads contract packet onto Board Agenda: Procurement Department reviews and approves contract packet and either places it on the Board agenda for

bundled approval (over $119,100) or bundled ratification (under $119,100).

5.         Step 5—Board Approves or Ratifies: Upon approval by the Procurement Department, contracts under $119,100 receive a purchase order, and services begin or goods are accepted. Contracts

over $119,100 must wait for Board approval before a purchase order is issued and services begin or goods are accepted.

 IV.      Authority to Sign Contracts.  As outlined in Section III, above, only designated District employees have the authority to sign contracts.

A.          District contract templates are drafted and approved by the Legal Department.  Modifying or negotiating contract terms individually with the contractor/vendor is strongly discouraged.  The District does not accept contracts on the contractor’s form or template.  Any requests by the contract/vendor to modify the District’s contract template must be approved by the Procurement and Legal Departments, and modified contracts under the delegable authority must be signed by the Legal Department approving the contract as to form. 

B.          If the contract is for technology software and/or requires personally identifiable information (PII), then the contract requires Department of Technology approval.

C.          All other approvals (i.e., Budget Office and Procurement Department) will occur electronically through Frontline.

D.          No other vendor agreements or term sheets (e.g., invoices or quotes) should be signed by District employees. The duly signed and District-authorized contract template should be the only agreement between the parties.

 V.       Responsibility to Review Contract Terms

A.          Executed contracts will be electronically routed in Frontline for review and approval to the following managers and departments:

1.             Budget Office

2.             Legal Department (Over $119,100)

3.             Procurement Department)

B.          Agreements that use state or federal restricted funding must be approved by the State and Federal Programs Office.

C.          Modified agreements will be routed by the Procurement Department to the Legal Department.

D.          Agreements that procure technology or software will be routed by the Contract Sponsor to the Department of Technology.  If the platform/software does not meet District technology and security standards, the contract will require the Superintendent’s Office approval before proceeding.

VI.       Scope of Work. The Scope of Work in the contract should be as specific and detailed as possible. The Scope of Work must outline exactly what services the contractor or vendor is expected to provide and what the contractor must do to earn the contractual fees. The Scope of Work should be sufficiently detailed to allow the District to hold the contractor accountable for performing the services.  A quote or purchase order for services may not be substituted in place of a detailed Scope of Work.

VII.     Process to Seek Approval of Retroactive Contract.  If services have begun either before a contract over the delegable authority has been approved by the Board or before a purchase order for a contract under the delegable authority has been issued, the contract is “retroactive.” Pursuant to Board Policy 3312, District staff are not authorized to accept services before a contract has been reviewed and approved as required by Board policy and this administrative regulation.

A.        In the event District staff have accepted services before completing the contract process and receiving a purchase order, staff shall upload the contract through Frontline and make any necessary corrections to the contract as requested by the Procurement Department before seeking approval for a retroactive contract in accordance with the following process:

1. Contract Sponsor shall create a consent item for the Board agenda seeking an exception to Board Policy 3312 and approval of the retroactive contract.
2. The Subject of the consent item shall state: “Submission of a Retroactive Contract by [department or school name] with [contractor/vendor name].”
3. The Recommended Action of the item shall state: Approval for [department or school name] to submit a Retroactive Contract with [name of contractor/vendor];
4. The Background Section of the consent item shall include the following text:
    
   1. [Department or school name] is seeking an exception to Board Policy 3312, Contracts, and requests board approval to submit a retroactive contract with [contractor/vendor name].
   2. The purpose of the contract is to [insert description here].
   3. Services were received by the [department or school name] beginning on [insert date services began].
   4. This contract was not submitted in a timely fashion, and services began without an approved contract because [insert explanation for retroactive contract here].
   5. In submitting this request, I certify that I have discussed this situation with my immediate supervisor and that we have developed a plan to prevent its recurrence.
       
5. Contract Sponsor shall submit the consent item and:
   1. Select the approval tree for their Division (Retroactive Contract); and
   2. Attach the contract package for which the Contract Sponsor is seeking approval.
       
6. If the Board approves the request, the Contract Sponsor shall then:
   1. Attach a copy of the approved consent item to the Frontline request.

VIII.   Amendments. A contract may be amended for many reasons, including to extend the contract end date where the contract expressly allows for an additional term; to adjust the contract value as allowed by law; to change payment terms (the not-to-exceed amount or hourly rate); or to otherwise alter the contract’s terms.  An expired contract (i.e., all additional terms have been exhausted) cannot be renewed. 

A.          Process to Complete Amendments:

1.             Contract amendment template is completed.

2.             Amendment is fully executed with the Department Head’s signature.  If the contract is under the delegable authority and has been modified, it must also be signed by the Legal Department, which approves it as to form.

3.             The requisition is amended by attaching the amendment to the front of the original contract and uploading it to Frontline.

B.          The Contract Sponsor should use the same process as for the original contract. After completing step 3 above, the amendment will route through Frontline for approval, unless an exception applies.  (See Public Contract Code § 20118.4.)

IX.       Master Agreements.  A Master Agreement (a zero-dollar contract) is a contract negotiated by the District under which any department or school can request services without entering into a separate contract.   Instead, once the Master Agreement is established, schools and departments may use a short-form Individual Services Agreement (“ISA”) to obtain services under the Master Agreement.  There are three types of Master Agreements:  Master Service Agreement, Nonpublic School/Nonpublic Agency Master Contract (“NPS/NPA Master Contract”), and Master Agreement Software Subscription Services (“MSA”).  NPS/NPA Master Contract ISAs may be issued for a specific student or for a specific school site.

1. Process for Master Agreements

The Contract Sponsor completes the Master Agreement template and sends it to the Procurement Department for approval.  Once the Procurement Department approves the Master Agreement, the Contract Sponsor loads it into Board Docs for approval.   Contract Sponsors who wish to obtain a new MSA should complete the new software application Apps Process before contacting the Procurement Department for assistance.

              1.         Signatures on Master Agreements.   With the exception of MSAs , Master Agreements shall require only one signature from the Contract Sponsor.  If the Contract Sponsor is a school site, the signature shall be that of the Deputy Superintendent of Educational Services or their designee. 

                       2.        Signatures on MSAs.  The MSA shall require three (3) District signatures: the Contract Sponsor, the Technology Review signature of the Department of Technology (“DoT”), and the Assistant Superintendent of the Department of Technology.

3.         After Board Approval of the Master Agreement, the Contract Sponsor submits the ISA associated with the Master Agreement to Frontline.

a.         ISAs over the delegable authority will proceed through Frontline and will be loaded into Board Docs for approval by the Procurement Department.

b.         ISAs under the delegable authority will be bundled by the Procurement Department and loaded into Board Docs for ratification.

X.        Piggyback Contracts.  A piggyback contract is a contract under which the District may, without advertising for bids through a competitive solicitation, for example, an RFP or RFQ,  “piggyback” off an RFP or RFQ and the resulting contract of another public agency for materials, equipment, automotive vehicles, tractors, and other personal property.  (PCC § 20118.)  The Public Contract Code does not authorize the district to piggyback on other public agencies’ service contracts. A piggyback contract must contain the same material terms and conditions of the underlying contract being used to piggyback (i.e., if the underlying contract is for a term of three years, the “piggyback” contract must be limited to a term of three years).  A piggyback contract from another state must meet the California Public Contract Code requirements and cannot exceed the allowable term under Education Code § 17596, which limits a contract for materials and supplies to three years, and for apparatus or equipment to five years.  All Piggyback contracts must follow the same process outlined in Section X, Master Contracts.

REVISED: July 2026

January 2025

August 2023

October 2023

January 2024

 

Please note that compare references, or “cf”, refer to CSBA model policies and do not necessarily indicate that the San Francisco Unified School District has adopted the referenced policy.