Process to Complete Vendor Disclosure Statements – Updated on 3/1/21:
Vendor Disclosure Statement forms (“VDS forms”) are completed and signed electronically through DocuSign. Campus partners will start the process by clicking on the link that follows this section. The individual who starts the process will receive a completed copy by email from DocuSign when the VDS form has been completed. Completed VDS forms should be kept on file and attached to any subsequent agreements over the next year.
The individual who starts the process will need to know the name and email address of the vendor representative that will complete the form. Vendor representatives can reassign (forward) the form to another individual by following the reassignment instructions shown in the Vendor Message section of the DocuSign email notification, which are as follows:
Vendor Message: If you are not the appropriate signer, you can forward this to the correct individual. First, open the document. Then in the upper right-hand corner, select Assign to Someone Else. Add the appropriate signer’s email and name in the provided fields. Then select Assign to Someone Else.
Vendor Disclosure StatementWhy Are Vendor Disclosure Statements Required?
Effective on or after June 1, 2016 for all “agreements” initiated and subsequently entered into in the name of The Board of Trustees of The University of Alabama System, Vendor Disclosure Statements will be required to be submitted advising The University of Alabama System of any potential conflicts of interest (per Board Rules 106 and 106.2) as it relates to all contracts, such as proposals, bids, and contracts, including professional service/consulting contracts unless otherwise exempted.
The University of Alabama System will require all “agreements” executed in the name of The Board of Trustees of The University of Alabama System that exceed $5,000 to have a Disclosure Form on file with a few limited exceptions. The Vendor Disclosure Statement is required on all professional service agreements regardless of the dollar amount or revenue generated. The form will be obtained and considered active for a period of no less than 1 year or the length of the contract. The University reserves the right to require a Vendor Disclosure Statement at its sole discretion.
Exceptions include:
- Research participant agreements, including payments to patients or participants in prescription drug, device, or other research studies conducted by our universities. Privacy considerations, including HIPAA, logistics considerations, and the low value of these payments would exclude them.
- Refunds issued in the ordinary course of business, such as patient refunds or student refunds on scholarship payments or financial aid. These may be coded as vendor transactions, but are not a concern of this project.
- Purchases from vendors on a previously approved state bid or group purchasing organization list.
- Agreements with government agencies, such as state or federal agencies.
- Subcontracts associated with grants.
- Arrangements with other healthcare providers in the ordinary course of providing the standard of care for an individual patient, such as an organ procurement, blood procurement, or transfers of patients.