Audit and Inspection of Plants, Places of Business and Records (a) The State and its agents, including, but not limited to, the Connecticut Auditors of Public Accounts, Attorney General and State’s Attorney and their respective agents, may, at reasonable hours, inspect and examine all of the parts of the Contractor’s and Contractor Parties’ plants and places of business which, in any way, are related to, or involved in, the performance of this Contract.
(b) The Contractor shall maintain, and shall require each of the Contractor Parties to maintain, accurate and complete Records. The Contractor shall make all of its and the Contractor Parties’ Records available at all reasonable hours for audit and inspection by the State and its agents.
(c) The State shall make all requests for any audit or inspection in writing and shall provide the Contractor with at least twenty-four (24) hours’ notice prior to the requested audit and inspection date. If the State suspects fraud or other abuse, or in the event of an emergency, the State is not obligated to provide any prior notice.
(d) The Contractor will pay for all costs and expenses of any audit or inspection which reveals information that, in the sole determination of the State, is sufficient to constitute a breach by the Contractor under this Contract. The Contractor will remit full payment to the State for such audit or inspection no later than 30 days after receiving an invoice from the State. If the State does not receive payment within such time, the State may setoff the amount from any moneys which the State would otherwise be obligated to pay the Contractor in accordance with this Contract's Setoff provision.
(e) The Contractor shall keep and preserve or cause to be kept and preserved all of its and Contractor Parties’ Records until three (3) years after the latter of (i) final payment under this Contract, or (ii) the expiration or earlier termination of this Contract, as the same may be modified for any reason. The State may request an audit or inspection at any time during this period. If any Claim or audit is started before the expiration of this period, the Contractor shall retain or cause to be retained all Records until all Claims or audit findings have been resolved.
(f) The Contractor shall cooperate fully with the State and its agents in connection with an audit or inspection. Following any audit or inspection, the State may conduct and the Contractor shall cooperate with an exit conference.
(g) The Contractor shall incorporate this entire Section verbatim into any contract or other agreement that it enters into with any Contractor Party.
Limitation of Vendor Indemnification and Similar Clauses This is a requirement of the TIPS Contract and is non-negotiable TIPS, a department of Region 8 Education Service Center, a political subdivision, and local government entity of the State of Texas, is prohibited from indemnifying third-parties (pursuant to the Article 3, Section 52 of the Texas Constitution) except as otherwise specifically provided for by law or as ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction. Article 3, Section 52 of the Texas Constitution states that "no debt shall be created by or on behalf of the State … " and the Texas Attorney General has opined that a contractually imposed obligation of indemnity creates a "debt" in the constitutional sense. Tex. Att'y Gen. Op. No. MW-475 (1982). Thus, contract clauses which require TIPS to indemnify Vendor, pay liquidated damages, pay attorney's fees, waive Vendor's liability, or waive any applicable statute of limitations must be deleted or qualified with ''to the extent permitted by the Constitution and Laws of the State of Texas." Does Vendor agree? Yes, I Agree TIPS, a department of Region 8 Education Service Center, a political subdivision, and local government entity of the State of Texas, does not agree to binding arbitration as a remedy to dispute and no such provision shall be permitted in this Agreement with TIPS. Vendor agrees that any claim arising out of or related to this Agreement, except those specifically and expressly waived or negotiated within this Agreement, may be subject to non-binding mediation at the request of either party to be conducted by a mutually agreed upon mediator as prerequisite to the filing of any lawsuit arising out of or related to this Agreement. Mediation shall be held in either Camp or Titus County, Texas. Agreements reached in mediation will be subject to the approval by the Region 8 ESC's Board of Directors, authorized signature of the Parties if approved by the Board of Directors, and, once approved by the Board of Directors and properly signed, shall thereafter be enforceable as provided by the laws of the State of Texas. Does Vendor agree? Yes, Vendor agrees Does Vendor agree? Yes, Vendor agrees Vendor agrees that nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as a waiver of sovereign or government immunity; nor constitute or be construed as a waiver of any of the privileges, rights, defenses, remedies, or immunities available to Region 8 Education Service Center or its TIPS Department. The failure to enforce, or any delay in the enforcement, of any privileges, rights, defenses, remedies, or immunities available to Region 8 Education Service Center or its TIPS Department under this Agreement or under applicable law shall not constitute a waiver of such privileges, rights, defenses, remedies, or immunities or be considered as a basis for estoppel. Does Vendor agree? Yes, Vendor agrees Vendor agrees that TIPS and TIPS Members shall not be liable for interest or late-payment fees on past-due balances at a rate higher than permitted by the laws or regulations of the jurisdiction of the TIPS Member. Funding-Out Clause: Vendor agrees to abide by the applicable laws and regulations, including but not limited to Texas Local Government Code § 271.903, or any other statutory or regulatory limitation of the jurisdiction of any TIPS Member, which requires that contracts approved by TIPS or a TIPS Member are subject to the budgeting and appropriation of currently available funds by the entity or its governing body.
