Delegations of Authority

Principles of Delegations of Authority

Authority for making decisions at the University is communicated through various means, including formal delegations of authority. A UC Merced delegation of authority formally assigns authority and responsibility for actions and activities to specific campus administrators. These actions and activities include the authority to act, commit, or execute resources and documents legally binding to the University. Delegations are intended to provide clear, unambiguous statements of action that may be taken by the delegatee.

The Regents may authorize the President of the University to make certain decisions and may authorize the President to redelegate that decision-making authority to Chancellors. A redelegation of authority from the Chancellor delegates certain decision-making authority and financial, administrative, and management responsibilities to specified administrative officials. Administrative officials may be able to redelegate their decision-making authority, but must do so via the formal delegation process coordinated by Ethics & Compliance. Delegations are formalized on a letter that specifies the title of the position to which authority has been delegated, the extent of the authority, and whether or not the authority can be further redelegated. The letter includes a reference to the source of the authority being delegated and restrictions or requirements established by the original delegation. Delegations are made to positions and titles rather than to an individual. Delegations are not reissued when there is an individual position incumbent change unless the duties of the position change. Delegations remain in effect until such time as they are superseded or retired, usually based on a change to the Standing Orders of the Regents or because the subject matter is no longer current. Delegations are typically not issued for routine office management or administrative responsibilities. 

In addition to formal delegations of authority, there are other means for which authority is communicated and assigned. Campus administrators have certain responsibilities inherent to their job responsibilities, but authority may also come from policies, procedures, Business and Finance Bulletins, and granting transaction and reviewer roles in systems.

UC Merced Delegations of Authority

Please download the Active Delegations Excel file for a complete list of active Merced delegations of authority. This file can be sorted and filtered by DA#, Title, Delegated To/From, and Date. Active delegations are also listed below. UC Presidential delegations are maintained by the Office of the President and can be found on the Office of the President Current List of Delegations website.

Authority to Execute Business Contracts

The only UC Merced employees with authority to sign business contracts are those with active delegations of authority issued via the process outlined above. These types of delegations are limited to specific contract types and dollar amounts. If you do not have authority to sign a business contract via an active delegation, you are not authorized to enter into contractual relationships on behalf of the University. If you would like assistance with creating a business contract, please work with the Business Contracts team in Procurement. Business Contracts works with campus departments by guiding them to the right type of agreement or contract and are responsible for reviewing, negotiating, and establishing legally binding agreements and contracts.

Contact for Delegations of Authority

The Ethics & Compliance department manages and coordinates the delegation of authority process to ensure that delegations are consistent and do not conflict with Standing Orders of the Regents, Presidential delegations, and current policies, financial bulletins, and manuals. If you have questions regarding delegations, please contact policy@ucmerced.edu.