Signature Authority (Delegated Signing Responsibilities)

Signature Authority (Delegated Signing Responsibilities)

• Signature authority is the permission to approve transactions or documents in compliance with relevant University policies and procedures. Each unit should have an established policy of who can sign for whom, how designees are determined, when signature authority should be established, and when it is appropriate to use. The assignment of signature authority is not just the ability to add a signature, it is the delegation of verification responsibilities and responsibility for decision making on those topics, including verification of whether a transaction/contract is allowable, reasonable, and justifiable. In general, Signature Authority defines “a delegated individual who may sign or approve in the absence of and/or with the express permission of a specific individual/role”.

• Establishing a signatory authority policy and documenting the delegation allows units  to continue running smoothly in cases of emergency, and ensures that procedures are followed during periods of employee turnover.

• Establishment - Signature Authority should be considered and assigned when new employees are hired.
• Documentation - Signature Authority should be documented in writing or through official system transactions.
• Review - Signature authority designations should be reviewed on a regular basis, e.g. annually or biannually. Responsibility for review should be documented.
• Details of the Signature Authority - may vary dependent on the size and complexity of the organization. Any authority exceptions to the organization chart for the unit (which shows lines of authority and responsibility) should be documented. Ex: A Dean may sign on behalf of an Associate Dean without documentation. An Associate Dean may not sign on behalf of another Associate Dean without assigned Signature Authority.
• Use of system functionality to delegate – Electronic  systems may allow for delegation of responsibility. These must be set up by the designating individual themselves except in extreme cases.  When delegation is established based on assignment of roles rather than specific assignment of delegation, that should be documented prior to assignment of that role.  Ex: The UGA Foundation allows Deans to delegate signature authority on Check Requests. If another individual will sign on the Dean’s behalf, that needs to be established and shared with the Foundation before workflow in FAME is set up.

• Designation– When establishing signature authority, units should consider the following at a minimum:

1. Consider which types of items can be appropriately delegated and specifically note those in the documentation.  Consider all types of transactions and contracts. Finance, HR, and other Academic or Administrative work may need to be defined.
2. Individuals may delegate authority and responsibility unless expressly prohibited by the BOR or UGA policy. Ex: Non-University Bank Accounts
3. Individuals cannot delegate items for which they have no authority to originally sign. Ex: Agreements for buying goods and services must be reviewed, approved, and acted upon by the Procurement Office. That ability cannot be delegated by a Dean to someone in their unit.
4. At a minimum, units may want to document standing signature authority for CBOs to sign on behalf of leadership for certain delegated items unless expressly included in their job duties.
5. When signing as a delegate, a signature should indicate designation, and the signature should always be for the authorized person, by the delegate.
   1. Ex: Sincerely,
   2. Big Dawg (Dean), by Hairy Dawg with express permission
6. A standing signature authority should indicate time frames and can be conditionally specific. “Hairy Dawg has signature delegation for Big Dawg during Fall Semester 2022 and Spring 2023 only at those times when Big Dawg is out of town or otherwise away from the office for periods of time greater than 3 consecutive days.”
7. Authority may be granted to an individual or to a role. Ex: UGA Law Signature Authority
8. Signature authority agreements may define exceptions to the delegation. “Unit CBO is granted signature authority for HR transactions allowable by UGA and BOR policy, with the following exceptions: Involuntary Terminations and RSAs.”
9. Individuals simply applying electronic signatures to documents are not considered to have signature authority and should have documented approval for each of these transactions or documentation of an accepted process. Email or written notes are acceptable on an ad hoc basis in these cases.

• UGA Office of Legal Affairs Signatory Authority Advisement
• UGA Office of Legal Affairs Contract Approval and Execution Policy - including President’s signature authority delegation for contracts
• Responsibility and Accountability for Fiscal Administration 
• USG Presidential Delegation of Authority and Responsibilities

• Foundation: UGA Foundation requires units to have a Signature Authority document on file with them for individuals signing on behalf of a Dean or VP

• UGA Law School published guidelines defined by role

• Time and Absence: Supervisors are authorized to sign for the employees he or she supervises, but not for all employees. In the event of supervisor absence, the supervisor may use the OneUSG Connect System to assign a delegate to sign leave forms or time sheets.
• Systems Approvals example from Audits
• Primary State Signature Authority example from Audits

Contributed by Andrew Garber

Last updated 09/24/2024