The Contract is the boilerplate form required by the state, standard to all business done with state agencies.
The Agreement is a document containing a set of assurances that the MBLC and the municipality agree to. These assurances outline the expectations for how the grant funds are spent and managed, as well as construction project outcomes. The Agreement is an appendix to the standard contract.
Who signs the standard contract form?
This is a local decision that could be determined by custom, availability, or bylaw. This person is the municipal representative or official who has been authorized to enter into a contract and designated to have the authority to accept state funds and hold the contract on behalf of the municipality. It could be:
At the end of the day, it's up to each individual municipality to decide who's authorized to hold the contract.
Here's a place to start: check Section 3, Part B under Assurances & Certifications in your construction grant application and then double-check with your city or town.
All MBLC contracts are completed and signed using DocuSign. If you have questions about this secure online system, please contact Tanesha Deane, the MBLC Contract Specialist, at tanesha.deane@mass.gov.
At minimum, the Agreement must be signed by two people:
Once the contract is signed, sealed, and delivered, it goes to the State Comptroller's Office. If you have questions about your contract or any other contract-related issues, you can save time by going straight to the person who knows:
Tanesha Deane
MBLC Contract Specialist
tanesha.deane@mass.gov
1-800-952-7403 x 241