Description Standards for Contracts

Overview

A contract record's Short description is the equivalent of a name for the contract that should be concise, follow a consistent format, and contain enough information that the contract is uniquely identifiable and the nature of the record is immediately apparent to any user. Below are the guidelines for filling out the Short description and Description fields on a contract record. 

How to Enter a Short Description

The following are guidelines that should be considered when entering a description in the Short Description field of a contract record:

Format: Product Name (for Application/Group/Users)

Example: LastPass Licenses for UCI Campus

• A format should be chosen that eliminates the need to ever have to rename the contract record throughout its life cycle. Do not include version numbers or release dates in contract short descriptions unless you are tracking that specific version of the contract through its entire life cycle.

• The name should describe the contract in a way that it is recognizable by the majority of users (including clients) who will see it.

• The name should have the more significant information at the beginning, which will make it easier for systems with autocomplete to find the name when a user searches for it.

• For software, use the common industry name of the product (for commercial products) or the name by which the software is usually referenced (for software developed internally) as the basis of the name.

• Make every attempt to avoid abbreviations, jargon, and slang in contract short descriptions. Keep in mind that everyone from end users on the business side to the technical staff called on to provide support will need to understand the name.
• Use appropriate capitalization in the short description. Pay particular attention to acronyms, application software names, and other words that have unusual letter casing. (See Capitalization Conventions for more information.)
• Put any names, or more uniquely identifying information in the Description field.
• Contract name should include include the name of the specific product that is covered by the contract.
• When changing vendors or a vendor changes names:
  • In the new contract record, include the old contract number at the end of the short description and label it "New"
    • Example:  LastPass Licenses for UCI Campus New - CN0019888
  • In the old contract record, include the new contract number at the end of the short description and label it "Old"
    • Example: FirstPass Licenses for UCI Campus Old - CN0019889
  • Include information in the description about the vendor change for clarity.

How to Enter a Description

• Any other information that should not be included in the Short description (i.e. technical documentation, names, fiscal year information, etc.) should be included in the Description.
• Renewal information (annual or 3-year) should be included in the Description.
• Vendor/Product name changes should be documented here.

Revision History