Contact Officer: Director, Strategic Procurement Services
Purpose
To outline the procedures to be followed in order to delegate authority to sign an invoice and/or sign a Contract, as granted under the Contract and Invoice Signing Authority, Approval, and Execution Policy.
Procedure
Key considerations when delegating Contract Signing Authority
- Contract Signing Authority may be permanently delegated only where a Designate is identified in the signing authority matrices.
- Contract Signing Authority may be temporarily delegated while the person occupying the position to whom the authority is delegated is on vacation or other short-term leave. These delegations must be communicated by email to the person receiving the delegated authority, as well as SPS and/or other units associated with the signing of contracts.
- Where Contract Signing Authority is delegated, responsibility remains with the position named in the Contract and Invoice Signing Authority, Approval, and Execution Policy.
- The delegation of Contract Signing Authority to a certain position (the delegate) also authorizes the individual who supervises the delegate to exercise that authority.
- Contract Signing Authority must only be delegated to staff with the knowledge, experience and judgment required to fulfill their obligations under the delegation.
- Delegated signing levels must be commensurate with job responsibility. The delegator must exercise sufficient control to ensure his/her responsibilities are appropriately discharged under the delegation and must have sufficient procedures in place to review his/her Designate's actions.
Key considerations when delegating Invoice Signing Authority
- The Contract and Invoice Signing Authority, Approval, and Execution Policy provides for the delegation of Invoice Signing Authority on a temporary basis, or permanently.
- These delegations must be communicated by email to the person receiving the delegated authority, as well as SPS and/or other units associated with the signing of contracts.
- Where Invoice Signing Authority is delegated, responsibility remains with the most responsible individual (for example, the Department Head, the Principal Investigator, AVP, or Project Manager).
- A delegate cannot authorize expenditures from which receiving a personal benefit might be perceived.
- Delegated signing levels must be commensurate with job responsibility.
The delegator must exercise sufficient control to ensure signing responsibilities are appropriately discharged under the delegation and must have sufficient procedures in place to review the Designate's actions.
Signing Authority Step 1 - Complete the applicable Delegation of Signing Authority Form
At a minimum, information on the form must include;
- Name and Title of the Delegator and Delegate
- The effective date of the delegation
- The expiry date of the delegation (if applicable)
- The applicable Chartfields
- Any restrictions imposed on type or dollar amount of delegation
Acceptance of responsibility by both delegator and delegate.
Delegation form for goods and services contracts and invoices funded by funds other than research can be found in .
Delegation form for contracts and agreements funded by research funds can be found here: Research Project Signing Authority and Systems Access
Faculty Office or Business Unit Step 2 – Provide a summary of ALL authorized Non-Research Signing Officers to Strategic Procurement Services.
Once per year, Faculties and Business Units are responsible for reviewing and providing updates to a current summary of ALL Authorized Signing Officers for both Invoice and Contract Signing Authority to Financial Services for all non-research funds and departments. This list must be consolidated at the Faculty or Business Unit level (for example, all of Health Sciences, or all of Student Affairs). To facilitate this, in early October of each year Strategic Procurement Services will provide the Business Officers of the Faculties and Business Units a summary of the Signing Authorities in the system as at September 30th.
This summary must be reviewed and acknowledged by December 1st using the format provided by Strategic Procurement Services in the annual confirmation process, and is to be accompanied by submitted forms in acQuire for any changes that need to be made.
If a change in signing authorities occurs during the year, this must be communicated to Strategic Procurement Services via the acQuire form, on a timely basis, as detailed in Step 2 above.
Date Approved: May 8, 2015
Approval Authority: Vice-Principal (Finance & Administration)
Date of Commencement: May 2015
Amendment Dates: July 2018, October 2026
Date for Next Review: 2031
Related Policies, Procedures and Guidelines:
Contract and Invoice Signing Authority, Approval, and Execution Policy
Delegation form for goods and services contracts and invoices funded by funds other than research: in
Delegation form for contracts and agreements funded by research funds: Research Project Signing Authority and Systems Access