Conference Contracts

CSEA takes contractual agreements very seriously due to the financial and other liability involved. The organization aims to minimize risk and liability as well as ensure clarity, transparency and accountability from both parties. Because of the Board of Directors and Executive Director’s fiduciary responsibilities for the organization, each conference’s board liaison as well as the Executive Director are charged with carefully reviewing each contract and requesting any changes needed in order to protect the organization and ensure the events run well from all considerations.

Contract Guidelines

• Signed contracts or MOU’s are required in writing (email is not accepted) for the following situations:
  • Paid speakers
  • External vendors or venues providing services related to transportation, entertainment, education or any activities that are organized by the conference committee for conference attendees that are over $500. 
  • In-kind sponsorships (companies donating products or services to the conference) or partnerships valued at $5,000 and above for which any services or materials are produced for the conference.

• ​All conference contracts must be reviewed and authorized by the Executive Director, as well as reviewed by the Board Liaison if possible. The Executive Director will sign all contracts (or the Board Liaison in the Executive Director's absence). Individual conference chair(s) can develop the communication process that works best for their team to ensure appropriate review. Ideally, the committee member in charge of each initiative will be the primary liaison with the vendor in order to maintain an ongoing relationship and streamline all communications.
• When possible, a minimum of two weeks will be allowed for contract review. Please send a draft version of the agreement to the Executive Director for review before asking the vendor/speaker to sign it.
• Contracts must be signed by both parties (CSEA and the vendor/speaker).

Contract Components

• The contract must be in CSEA’s name (not the name of a member school or employer, or an individual), with the organization’s address listed as the main address: P.O. Box 359249, Gainesville, FL, 32635. A member of the committe can listed be as a secondary on-site contact, if appropriate.
• The contract must list all applicable costs that the organization is committing to. This includes: full cost (if known, or a firm estimate if full cost is not known), site rental, minimum commitments for food and beverages and any other costs that are not flexible or negotiable.
• The contract must list the date, time and location (full location name and address) for the engagement.
• The contract must include cancellation policies, including specifications for either party’s cancellations or which deposits, if any, are refundable.
• The contract must include timeframes for when payments are due and invoicing procedures.
• For speakers, the contract must include the following additional components. If they are not able to confirm this at the time of the contract signing, an additional document must be put together with this information as soon as it's available. See each conference's timeline for deadlines for when this information is needed. 
  • Session title
  • Session description, for marketing purposes
  • A/V requests, including:
    • LCD projector, screen
    • Laptop (will they bring their own, or do we need to rent one?)
    • Type of laptop (mac or PC)
    • Is a cable required for connection?
    • Is a remote clicker required?
    • Number of clip charts, if needed
    • Type of microphone requested
    • Will they be doing Q&A? (this helps determine if microphones and stands are needed)
  • Travel details, including the date and time they are arriving and departing, and if a hotel room is needed.
  • Room set-up requests, if any: Rounds or Theater. Note that we may not be able to accommodate all requests

Payment Policies

• Payment can be made in the following formats:
  • Check: Please allow a minimum of one week for processing.
  • Wire transfer: Only if absolutely necessary, such as with International transactions.
  • Debit card: Only when an invoice is provided for an exact amount that can be authorized. We are not able to provide a blank credit/debit card authorization form without an amount on it. This is to protect us in the event that our card is charged for an erroneous amount without our permission.