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IANR POLICY GUIDELINES ON SIGNATURE AUTHORITY
Revised April 2000
This revised April 2000 IANR Policy Guidelines on Signature Authority replaces those established May 1993. The intent of the Policy Guidelines on Signature Authority is to provide for the necessary review and approval of public fund expenditures, while being mindful of the appropriate amount of processing time. As revised, these policy guidelines delegate more authority to the Unit Administrator (UA). Raising the dollar limits should expedite this process and allow for more effective use of administrative time. These policy guidelines will be continually reviewed and updated as necessary.
It is essential the UA or his/her authorized designee reviews each document to ensure the appropriate use of funds and that, if necessary, proper corrections are made to the document(s) prior to approval and submission to the next higher approving authority. The Unit Administrator will be held accountable for any inappropriate use of funds. Appropriate fund source is especially relevant for restrictive grant and contract funds.
Effective April 2000, the following guidelines shall apply to the processing of University business documents as follows:
The travel authorization will be approved/signed by the appropriate UA and/or Dean/Director or his/her authorized designee as required by the funding requested. If travel is using the UA's funds, the UA must sign. If travel is requiring additional funding from a Dean(s), signatures from the UA and Dean(s) is needed. Any travel by UAs would require approval by the Dean(s) regardless of fund source. Refer to IANR Policy on Approval of Travel Authorizations for more detail.
After the employee expense voucher has been completed, it can be sent directly to Accounting for processing since the travel authorization has already been pre-approved. An expense voucher must have a signature from the Vice Chancellor's or Dean's Office if funds from the Vice Chancellor or Dean(s) were used to fund the travel. Any expense voucher for non-travel items requires signatures from the appropriate Dean/UA and the claimant.
Approval/signature authority for purchases up to $10,000 is delegated by the Dean/Director to the UA or his/her authorized designee. This applies to all fund sources unless a grant specified otherwise. In this case, the grant provisions take precedence. Any requisition of $10,000 or above requires the signature of the appropriate Dean/Director.
Approval/signature authority does not constitute legal authority to commit funds and/or authorized purchases with vendors and suppliers.
Any requisition of $1,500 or above requires the original signature of the Unit Administrator or his/her authorized designee. The Unit Administrator/designee needs to ensure that the requisition is being charged to the correct fund source. Teaching funds are to purchase teaching items, research funds for research items, etc.
Requisitions, depending on the dollar value, ordering the following merchandise require prior approval as follows:
| MERCHANDISE | APPROVAL BY | DOLLAR VALUE |
| Radioactive Materials | Env Health & Safety | Any Amount |
| Laboratory Animals | Inst Animal Care | Any Amount |
Approval/signature authority for transactions less than $5,000 is delegated by the Dean/Director to the UA or his/her authorized designee.
The current draft approval authority is limited to $499.99 with approval authority assigned to the UA or his/her authorized designee. Purchasing can issue drafts up to $1,000.
The current approval authority/transaction threshold is limited to $1,499 per transaction. The monthly limit threshold (30 day cycle period) for most cardholders is $10,000. Any exceptions to extend this limit must first be approved by the UA, the IANR Vice Chancellor's Office, and the Purchasing Director.
Use of the purchasing card simplifies the purchasing/disbursement process by facilitating point-of-sale procurement. Purchasing responsibility is delegated to the Unit Administrator or his/her authorized designee to act as the approving official of the unit who is thereby enabling an authorized cardholder of that department to place an order directly with a vendor/supplier.
Post-approval reports will be developed for review by the Deans by the appropriate Business Center summarizing transactions between $1,000 and $10,000. Spot audits will be conducted on transactions less than $1,000 to assure compliance with state and federal policy.