Cooperators have full and sole responsibility for the legal sufficiency of all contracts and assume financial liability for any costs or claims resulting from suits, challenges, or other disputes based on contracts entered into by the Cooperator. Neither FAS nor any other agency of the United States Government or any official or employee of FAS or the United States Government has any obligation or responsibility with respect to Cooperator contracts with third parties.

Cooperators are responsible for ensuring to the extent possible that the terms, conditions, and costs of contracts constitute the most economical and effective use of project funds.

All fees for professional and consulting services paid in any part with project funds must be covered by written contracts.

A Cooperator shall:

Ensure that all expenditures for goods and services in excess of $25.00, which are reimbursed with project funds, are documented by a purchase order, invoice, or contract;

Ensure that no employee or officer participates in the selection or award of a contract in which such employee or officer, or the employee's or officer's family or partners has a financial interest;

Conduct all contracting in an open manner. Individuals who develop or draft specifications, requirements, statements of work, invitations for bids, or requests for proposals for procurement of any goods or services shall be excluded from competition for such procurement;

Base each solicitation for professional or consulting services on a clear and accurate description of the requirements for the services to be procured;

Perform some form of price or cost analysis, such as a comparison of price quotations to market prices or other price indicia, to determine the reasonableness of the offered prices; and

Document the decision-making process.