Third-Party Collaborations
As a general philosophy, Education Abroad highly recommends that faculty leaders work with third parties, such as approved program provider organizations. These educational provider organizations provide on-site logistical support (e.g. lodging, transportation, booking, guest speakers), local knowledge, and support and guidance in the event of an emergency or unforeseen circumstance abroad. During an emergency abroad, for example, a program provider may assist a faculty leader with their knowledge of local resources, language support, and ability to respond to the emergency so that the faculty leader can more effectively attend to program participants. All program providers are required to submit to Education Abroad their comprehensive crisis response plan in the event of an emergency abroad (such as emergencies related medical, natural disaster, and crime), and to provide details regarding their on-site orientation, their process for vetting vendors (such as transportation companies or guides), and their communication plan.
For programs that utilize a third party organization, Education Abroad will need this organization’s relevant details, including contact information, as Supplemental Materials at the program proposal stage.
Third-Party Organization Contracts
Most, if not all, third-party collaborations involve a contract that requires signature authority on behalf of the university. If this is the case for your program, the contract must undergo review with Education Abroad, the Purchasing Office and Office of General Counsel to ensure compliance with university policy and state and federal law. Faculty leaders, do not possess signature authority for these contracts, which typically require the signature of the Provost.
Once Education Abroad, the Purchasing Office and Office of General Counsel review the initial contract, they will include the KSU-146a Contractual Provision Attachment, a State of Kansas contract addendum. Education Abroad will work with the third-party organization to settle any issues for all involved parties. For study tours contracting the use of a transportation company, Education Abroad will request a copy of the transportation vendor's Certificate of Liability insurance. For study tours travelling to certain locations, additional contractual addenda may be needed, such as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) supplemental addendum for programs travelling to countries in the European Union. Once the contract is settled, Education Abroad will procure the appropriate university representative’s signature and return the final contract to the faculty leader and the third-party organization. If contract terms are not acceptable to any involved parties, the faculty leader may want to seek a different third-party collaborator.
Third-party contract review may occur separately from the proposal review process, depending on the nature of the contract. Be aware that the review process may take several weeks to several months to complete, given the level of communication among and the limited resources of the third-party organization, Education Abroad, the Purchasing Office and the Office of General Counsel. Education Abroad strongly recommends faculty use previously approved vendors for this reason and others. Third-party organizations that we have collaborated with in the past have already gone through the rigorous university vetting process and are more likely to be approved again.
For assistance in identifying previously approved third-party organizations or vendors to collaborate with, please contact Education Abroad.
