Getting Help
Contracting involves a large portion of the campus community, so who you should contact for help varies depending on the contract or issue. Please see below for a list of on-campus contact to assist with your contracting process.
Forming/Managing a Contract
Five College Compliance & Risk Management
Contact the Five College Office of Compliance & Risk Management. The Director of Risk Management, can advise on template forms, contract structure, risk issues, insurance and indemnity agreements, professional services, contract management, and getting and giving certificates of insurance.
Ruth Rauluk
Director of Risk Management
413-538-3092
rrauluk@fivecolleges.edu
The Purchasing Office
The Purchasing Office can be contacted for contracts dealing with the purchase of goods and services, such as car sharing and rentals, office supplies and copiers, purchase orders, procurement issues, consulting agreements, etc.
The Dean or Director of the Department
The Dean or Director of the department initiating the agreement may be contacted to understand or clarify what the subject of the contract is, what points may be negotiable, cost limitations, etc.
Information Technology Services should be consulted on IT purchases or contracts, including software, hardware, consulting on information technology issues, computing, wireless infrastructure, networking services, etc.
Mark Umstot
Assistant to the Vice President for Information Technology Services
413-585-2618
mumstot@smith.edu
Contracts for Entertainment
Office of Student Engagement
All student-hired events or entertainment must go through the event registration process on the Smith Social Network. All questions regarding student contracts should be directed to the Office of Student Engagement.
Tamra Bates
Director of Office of Student Engagement (OSE)
tbates@smith.edu
413.538.2478
Patrick Connelly
Assistant Director of the OSE for Student Programs
413.585.2633
pconnell@smith.edu
Events Management Office
Events Management must be consulted on all contracts initiated by faculty and staff that involve the use of college facilities and related college resources for events.
Peg Pitzer
Director of Events Management
413.585.2163
ppitzer@smith.edu
Dining Services
Dining Services should be contacted when the contract or contracting issues involves food, beverages, or catering on campus.
Patrick Diggins
Purchasing/Business Operations
413.585.2311
pdiggins@smith.edu
Accounting Issues
Office of the Controller
For billing questions, payment to non-resident aliens, reimbursement, and accounting-related contracting issues, you should contact the Controller's Office. For your reference, their website also contains a list of related policies that may be able to answer contract-related questions.
Matthew Motyka
Controller
413.585.2204
mmotyka@smith.edu
Construction Contracts (Including Maintenance and Repairs)
Facilities Management
Construction agreements or agreements for facilities maintenance and repairs must all be entered into and managed by Facilities Management. If you have a project that you are thinking of calling a contractor for, call Facilities Management FIRST!
Smith College Facilities Management
413.585.2400
126 West Street
Northampton, MA 01063
Hiring a Casual Employee or Independent Contractor
If you are looking into hiring either an independent contractor or a casual employee, please see the Controller's policy, Employee vs. Independent Contractor (Word Doc).
Casual Employee
If you are looking to hire a casual employee, please contact Human Resources.
Serena Harris
HR Specialist, Recruitment
sharris@smith.edu
413.585.2289
Independent Contractor
If you are looking to hire an independent contractor, please contact the Controller's Office.
Michael Ford
Assistant Controller
mford95@smith.edu
Questions About Guest Lecturers & Speakers
Questions about guest lecturers and speaker cannot be answered by just one person. Please see the following steps for the complete procedure:
- Call your department chair or head for funding / approval
- Call Events Management if you need to reserve space for the event
- Call Dining Services if you need to reserve a dining room for a department event connected with the speaker
- Consult the Controller's Office.
- For domestic speakers: see the Speaker/Guest Lecturer Template Letter.