# Presentation: 224742

## OverviewSignature AuthorityFor Financial Transactions

**Michele M. Mock****October 20, 2005**

## What is a Financial Transaction?

- Accrual requests
- Conference and training fees
- Procurement requisitions
- Request for issuance of check
- Resource adjustments (over $5K)
- Travel requests

**Notes:**
We are going to talk about the roles and responsibilities for those authorized to approve financial transactions.

## Agenda

- Roles and Responsibilities
- Procedures
- Scenarios

## Roles and Responsibilities

- Ultimate Responsibility – Lab Director
- UC Standing Order of the Regents 100.4 Delegation of Authority
- In order for an employee to obtain signature authority, approval from one of the following must be documented:
- Laboratory Director
- Deputy Director
- Associate Laboratory Director
- Chief Financial Officer
- Division Director
- Department Head
- Business Manager (or designee)

**Notes:**
Exceptions in writing to OCFO. In order to be granted you have to have approval. Auditable.

## Roles and Responsibilities

- What Does Your Signature Ensure?
- Understanding of transaction
- Information, supporting documentation – complete and accurate
- Allowable, reasonable, and justified
- Allocable to correct project(s)
- Adequate funds to cover expense
- Awareness of your authority level ($ limit)

## Procedures

- Managed by the OCFO
- New Form (to be deployed January 2006)
- Actions
- Delegate
- Change $
- Transfer Departments
- Cancel
- Submit form to the Policy/Training Office, 937-600
- Provides auditable documentation and justification

**Notes:**
Provides a documented paper trail. 

## Procedures

- Certification
- Online questionnaire
- Signature on File (SOF) form
- Bi-annual, proposed rollout January 2006
- Authorized Signers Database
- List of authorized signers/dollar limits
- Located in IRIS, link from our website
- Maintained by the Office of the CFO
- Formal Notification Provided via Email

## What’s New? Process Flow

- Potential Signatory

- Complete the new form

- Mail to FPT Office

- Complete the Online Survey

- Sign the SOF four times

- Mail to FPT Office

- Info entered into database

- FPT Office emails confirmation and limit amount

- You now have Signature Authority and the responsibilities that accompany it!

**Note: Process repeats bi-annually**

**Notes:**
Process Flow

## Get Ready!

- Scenarios

## Check Request - Red

- Review your sample RFIC with a red square
- Will you approve? Why or why not?

## Check Request - Green

- Review your sample RFIC with a green square
- Will you approve? Why or why not?

## Allowability

- It’s the end of year and your department has some money left over. It has been decided to contribute $5K to the Berkeley Democrats Association. They have generously supported the Berkeley Lab throughout the years, in particular in the last election.
- Will you approve?

## Authority

- You are an LBNL employee that has an important financial transaction that urgently needs to be processed and requires your supervisor’s approval. However, your supervisor is out of town and has not formally delegated signature authority to you.
- Is it appropriate for you to sign the transaction for your supervisor, provided you notify your supervisor immediately of the transaction upon their return?

**Notes:**
Don’t sign or mass produce someone else’s name! Duh!

## Allocability

- Background
- Project ID #1 = Widget Design
- Project ID #2 = Widget Construction
- Final Project = Widget Structure
- Scenario
- Project ID #1 Funding – Overspent by $10K
- Project ID #2 Funding - $150K Remaining
- OK to Move $10K From #1 to #2?

**Notes:**
Funding source designates. Guidance or contract. Final cost objective is the determining factor.

## Quick Review

- Know what you are approving
- Know your responsibilities, procedures
- Know your authorization limits
- Follow guidance
- Lab policy
- Contract 31, FAR

## Questions?

- Be sure you have signed in to receive credit for this course