Conduct Your Research

Service Agreement for Research

Contracting Services

A General Services Agreement (GSA) must be set up and sent to the Office of Research, Scholarship and Community Engagement (ORSCE) before an independent contractor starts working. The ORSCE will not be processing any documentation for work completed before a contract is in place.

Note: All services agreements are available in MYMRU under the Employee Tab and Legal Services.

For researchers contracting services externally from Mount Royal as part of your research, here are some notes to remember

  1. Ensure you are familiar with MRU's Purchasing Policy in terms of competitive bidding and sole/preferred source bidding. Both of these processes apply to contracted services, as well as the purchasing of equipment.
  2. When filling out service agreements, have a minimum of three copies executed in blue ink. Make sure to incorporated the corporation or individual's full legal name where indicated.
  3. If special terms are required, the ORSCE Manager, Melissa Deane, will be able to work with you to develop terms. If terms move beyond the ORSCE's authority, we will work with you and Legal Services to determine the best way for your agreement to move forward.
  4. If the contract is with a corporation, a copy of the business incorporation document and professional liability insurance are needed.
    Note: If a contractor does not have the requested liability insurance, a waiver of this term may be requested through Risk Services. If approved, Legal Services will adjust the standard contract accordingly to waive the liability insurance clause.
  5. If the guest speaker or service provider (paid or unpaid) is a foreign national, the completed contracting information must go through Legal Services confirming they may legally provide services in Canada.
  6. All new vendors (suppliers of goods and services), including those seeking cost reimbursement from the University, must fill out a vendor form to enlist as a MRU vendor.
  7. A void cheque copy and/or direct deposit information endorsed by the bank must be provided by all contractors and service providers. MRU prefers direct deposit for Canadian and US vendors.
Agreements:

General Service Agreements can be used for low value and low risk contractual agreements. Examples include services for drafting a report, tech services and other basic services.
Notes to Remember:
  1.  
  2. For those without insurance requirements:
    • Exemption requests are reviewed by Risk Services
    • Please contact Legal Services after receiving approval from Risk Services. They will provide you with a contract specific to what you need
    • To ensure guaranteed work from the company (E.g., error made or insurance is not covered), you need to specify that they will obtain the professional liability insurance
  3. Still fill out a General Service Agreement despite additional risk factors such as:
    • Significant work with minors
    • High risk activities are being conducted (E.g., modification of physical space)
    • Sensitive personal information is being exchanged
    • Bring forward any situation needing more attention
Note:The General Service Agreement is available in Legal Service (Service Agreements) under the Employee Tab in MYMRU. Please have minimum of three copies of the agreement executed in blue ink.

Guest Speaker Agreements are used for administrative updates and purposes. Some of its biggest purposes are:
  1. If the speaker is being paid, this agreement allows for payment to be made.
  2. If the speaker is not being paid, this agreement can assist speakers who are not Canadian citizens and/or need to cross the Canadian border. Agreement is not needed if:
    • If speaker and/or payment will not be crossing the Canadian border
    • If the individual is not a traditional speaker (E.g., conference participation, presenting an academic paper for no payment) and there are no concerns if individual can be denied at the border
Notes to Remember:
  1. For individuals crossing the Canadian border, border officers have broad discretion over decision of entry. Legal Services are not able to provide you with advice entering Canada.
  2. Letters of Support are recommended to identify the basis of their services.
    Note: Make sure to provide Legal Services with 2-3 weeks notice before a planned trip. Include the following:
    • Trip Information
    • Nationality and residency of speaker
    • Other relevant information regarding the speaker and/or the trip
    • Attachment of completed (not executed) speaker agreement
  3. Exceptions
    • Speakers can only be eligible for a maximum of five days
    • Performers must be an integral part
    • Other complex exceptions (E.g., potential application for a work permit) must go through Legal Services first

A Presenter Service Agreement is needed if a contractor is visiting Mount Royal to provide a presentation and other education-oriented initiatives.

Sole and Preferred Source

Service Contract or Purchase Requisitions for sole or preferred source goods or services over $5,000 must be accompanied by a Sole/Preferred Source form detailing the specifics of the purchases that prevent utilizing the competitive bidding process.

If a Sole/Preferred Source Form is required, it should be sent to the ORSCE along with the General Service Agreement.

"Mount Royal University policy requires three (3) competitive quotes for the purchase of goods and services valued $5,000 or greater. A Sole Source Form is used to justify the use of a single source rather than obtaining three quotes due to unique or extenuating circumstances."

Paying for Contract Services

Invoices for services on a contract should be forwarded to our Research Finance Analyst, Suman Panta, at spanta@mtroyal.ca, who will then arrange direct payment of the invoice. The invoice should indicate that the services have been satisfactorily completed, that you would like the invoice to be paid, as well as the FOAP from which it should be paid from.

Researchers should not pay contractors directly under any circumstances.

Hiring a Research Assistant (RA)

If you intend to hire a Research Assistant, please visit Hiring and Supervising Research Assistants for more information.

If you have any questions or require more information, please contact our Research Finance Analyst, Suman Panta, at 403.440.8639 or spanta@mtroyal.ca.