| Authority/Reference(s) | |
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| Revision Date | September 1, 2021 |
Throughout the life of DFPS contracts, the Contract Manager is the primary point of contact who ensures compliance with applicable state and federal rules and regulations, DFPS policy, and the terms and conditions of the contract.
Contract Managers should refer to the current State of Texas Procurement and Contract Management Guide for contracting principles and best practices that all state agencies should consider implementing when procuring and managing contracts to ensure state and federal law compliance and that DFPS and its clients receive the best value.
Driven by the complexity of a contract, needed technical expertise, and the organizational structure of DFPS, some contract management duties may be separated across teams or divisions. While a contract manager may not be responsible for all contract management functions, the contract manager, as the primary point of contact, is responsible for collaborating and coordinating all contract management tasks.
As applicable and consistent with the State of Texas Procurement and Contract Management Guide, DFPS Contract Manager’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Participating in the development of the solicitation’s Statement of Work;
- Understanding the components of the solicitation and contract;
- Screening and approving open enrollment applications;
- Conducting readiness and due diligence activities toward the execution of contracts;
- Conducting required checks;
- Ongoing coordination and communication with contractor, DFPS staff, internal and external stakeholders, and HHSC staff;
- Addressing and resolving internal and external complaints;
- Participating in contract dispute resolution processes;
- Assessing contract risk;
- Conducting continuous quality improvement and compliance resolution activities;
- Ongoing review, management and monitoring of contractor budgets;
- Processing contract change management activities;
- Managing and monitoring contractor progress and performance;
- Providing or coordinating technical assistance;
- Verifying delivery of services and goods;
- Reviewing, reconciling and approving invoices;
- Escalating potential or significant issues to supervisor or manager, including suspected fraud, impropriety, and improper use of funds;
- Reporting and addressing identified contractor conflicts of interest or other conflicts of interest involving others who are outside of the contracting function;
- Verifying background check compliance;
- Verifying applicable licenses;
- Verifying contractor training requirements are met;
- Maintaining contract documentation and data elements within SCOR;
- Processing contract closeouts and terminations;
- Reporting vendor performance for upload to Vendor Performance Tracking System (VPTS); and
- Working with Contracts Legal.
It is mandatory for Contract Managers to:
- Complete required trainings;
- Declare any potential conflicts or the appearance of conflict of interests;
- Report suspected fraud, waste, or abuse to the Office of Inspector General (OIG); and
- Be certified through the Certified Texas Contract Manager (CTCM) process administered by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts (Comptroller), and maintain certification.