Trump finally signs transition contract with Biden White House

• The routine timeline for the presidential transition process is intended to facilitate the transfer of control.
• But the Trump team blew past Sept. 1 and Oct. 1 deadlines to sign the routine agreements with the General Services Administration and White House.

State of play: Trump and Vice President-elect Vance's transition will use private funding and publicly disclose its donors, per the terms outlined on Tuesday.

• The agreement also stipulates that Trump's team won't use government buildings or technology provided by the General Services Administration, which will likely raise security concerns given recent hacking efforts into at least one presidential campaign.

The stipulations outlined by the Trump transition team largely buck protocol and some established procedures used for decades during the transfer of power.

• But there is some precedent for it: Trump chose to forgo intelligence briefings once he became the Republican presidential nominee, telling the Daily Mail that he didn't want to be accused of leaking information.

What they're saying: "This engagement allows our intended Cabinet nominees to begin critical preparations, including the deployment of landing teams to every department and agency, and complete the orderly transition of power," Susie Wiles, Trump's chief of staff, said in a statement.

• The signing marks "a positive step toward an effective transfer of power," Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, which oversees the Center for Presidential Transition, said in a statement.
• "This agreement unlocks direct access to information from federal agencies, which is vital for the incoming administration to be ready to govern on Day One and critical to the transition's success."

Go deeper: Top Democrat sounds alarm over Trump transition plan delay