University of Washington Policy Directory

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*Formerly part of the University Handbook
Presidential Orders


Administrative Order


No. 1


Business and Financial Affairs



1.  The Senior Vice President for Finance and Facilities

Except as otherwise provided in other administrative orders or Sections 2 through 7 below, or unless otherwise expressly delegated, the Senior Vice President for Finance and Facilities, or his or her designee, is authorized to act for the President of the University regarding the execution and administration of instruments and the general business and financial affairs of the University which occur in the course of business, except the following:

  A. The naming of University buildings or outdoor areas in recognition of individuals or organizations.

  B. The execution of instruments relating to real property, including the Metropolitan Tract, where the anticipated cost or value to the University exceeds $1,000,000.

  C. The appointment of external auditors; insurance brokers; investment bankers, managers, and advisors; and financial custodians.

  D. The use of University facilities by individuals or organizations for non-University events that would significantly affect normal campus activities or the surrounding community.

  E. Any instrument, prior to its execution, that the President, the Senior Vice President for Finance and Facilities, or any regent deems appropriate for regental consideration.

  F. When a capital project budget is anticipated to exceed $1,000,000, approval of that capital project budget, negotiation and award of professional services agreements following pre-design phase of the project work, award of construction contracts, and single increases to the capital project budget where the increase is greater than 10% of the approved project budget. However, when the anticipated capital project budget exceeds $1,000,000 and is less than $5,000,000, the Senior Vice President for Finance and Facilities, or his or her designee, may approve and execute all instruments related to the capital project following pre-design phase of the project work, and report all such actions to the Board of Regents no less often than quarterly.

  G. The execution of any other instruments, including but not limited to instruments related to acquisitions of goods and services, where the anticipated cost or value to the University exceeds $1,000,000. However, when the cost or value to the University exceeds $1,000,000 and is less than $5,000,000, the Senior Vice President for Finance and Facilities, or his or her designee, may approve and execute the instruments and report all such actions to the Board of Regents no less often than quarterly. When the ultimate aggregate cost to the University is not known in advance for instruments relating to the acquisition of goods or services on a continuing or intermittent basis (e.g., rental, service, or supply contracts), the amounts set forth in this subsection shall be calculated on a per month basis.

  H.
Notwithstanding the dollar limits specified in Sections 1.B, 1.F, and 1.G above, the Senior Vice President for Finance or Facilities, or his or her designee, is authorized to act for the President regarding the execution and administration of all instruments that have been delegated to the President by the Board of Regents and have not been delegated elsewhere under Sections 2 through 7 below or under other administrative orders. This authority specifically includes instruments relating to:

  1) The procurement of utility services;

  2) The procurement of goods and services made by participating in contracts entered into by group purchasing organizations, including organizations for nonprofit cooperative hospitals, and those awarded by agencies of the state of Washington;

  3) The procurement of equipment and furnishings that are included in capital project budgets that have been authorized by the Board of Regents;

  4) The procurement of goods and services for sponsored research programs when the source of the goods or services is directed by the sponsor, or the sponsor retains title to the goods acquired;

  5) The settlement of claims or lawsuits brought against the University, except as provided in Sections 3.C and 5.B below;

  6) The procurement of property or casualty insurance, self-insurance, or any combination thereof;

  7) Leases of real property and modifications thereto of up to 20 years;

  8) Deferred gift assets;

  9) Real property acquired through gift or devise;

  10) Financing documents related to the financing or refinancing of real or personal property up to a term of 30 years;

  11) Actions necessary to protect the University's interests and operations in response to an emergency situation;

  12) Actions and execution of documents necessary to establish legal entities, controlled by the University, through which the University can conduct itself in foreign countries;

  13) The selection of depositories; and

  14) The execution of all time-critical instruments and business affairs requiring action between scheduled Board of Regents meetings provided that the Senior Vice President for Finance and Facilities, or his or her designee, secures approval of the chair or vice chair of the appropriate regental committee and submits a report of any actions taken pursuant to this delegation to the Board of Regents at its next regularly scheduled meeting.

2.  The Vice President and Vice Provost for Student Life

The Vice President and Vice Provost for Student Life, or his or her designee, is authorized to act for the President of the University regarding the execution and administration of the following types of agreements, except agreements in excess of $1,000,000 in cost or value to the University:

A. Work-study agreements;

B. Agreements for the rental or use of University facilities under the management of the Vice President and Vice Provost for Student Life;

C. Agreements for student activities sponsored by the Associated Students for the University of Washington (ASUW) or the Graduate and Professional Student Senate (GPSS); and

D. Other agreements for the provision of student services, programs, and activities for which the Vice President and Vice Provost for Student Life has been assigned administrative responsibility.

3.  The Provost and Executive Vice President

The Provost and Executive Vice President, or his or her designee, is authorized to act for the President regarding:

A. The execution and administration of affiliation agreements involving academic units, except as provided in Sections 4 and 5 below;

B. Sub-contracts (or sub-awards) for collaborative research entered into in furtherance of sponsored research programs which are funded by grants and contracts administered by the Office of Sponsored Programs;

C. The settlement of employment-related disputes for academic personnel excluding academic student employees, provided that there are no pending University Complaint Investigation and Resolution Office investigations, tort claims, or tort lawsuits, that the source of funds is local, and that the settlement does not exceed $100,000; and

D. The execution and administration of all professional and personal agreements which may be required to provide capital planning services such as pre-design, master and sub-master physical development planning, and all other planning activities required to develop and support the UW capital plan. These activities shall be reported to the Board of Regents no less than quarterly.

4.  The CEO, UW Medicine

The CEO, UW Medicine, or his or her designee, is authorized to act for the President regarding the execution and administration of:

  A. Affiliation agreements, patient care agreements, and other agreements involving any of the component entities of the UW Medicine Health System, including the School of Medicine, the University of Washington Medical Center, Harborview Medical Center, Northwest Hospital & Medical Center, Valley Medical Center, UW Neighborhood Clinics, Airlift Northwest, University of Washington Physicians, or the University's interest in Children's University Medical Group or Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, where the anticipated cost or value to the University does not exceed $1,000,000 and the authority to execute such agreements has not been delegated to another officer of the University. However, when the cost or value to the University of any agreement, contract, or other business instrument described in this subsection or in Subsection 4.B.1 exceeds $1,000,000 and is less than $5,000,000, the CEO, UW Medicine, or his or her designee, may approve and execute the instruments and shall report all such actions to the Board of Regents no less frequently than quarterly. When the ultimate aggregate cost to the University is not known in advance for instruments related to the acquisition of goods or services on a continuing or intermittent basis, the amounts set forth in this paragraph shall be calculated on a per month basis;

  B.
The following instruments which occur in the usual course of business for Harborview Medical Center:

  1) Instruments relating to the acquisition of goods or services where the cost or value to Harborview Medical Center does not exceed $1,000,000, or is subject to Section 6, provided, that for instruments relating to the acquisition of goods or services on a continuing or intermittent basis (e.g. rental, service, or supply contracts) where the ultimate aggregate cost or value to Harborview Medical Center is not known in advance, this delegation shall apply only when the expected cost or value to Harborview Medical Center does not exceed $1,000,000 per month;

  2) Documents relating to the procurement of utility services for Harborview Medical Center;

  3) Documents necessary to protect Harborview Medical Center's interests in response to an emergency situation arising out of fire or other casualty; and

  4) Leases of any real property for a period less than 30 days.

5.  The Vice President for Human Resources

The Vice President for Human Resources, or his or her designee, is authorized to act for the President regarding:

  A. The negotiation, administration, and interpretation of collective bargaining agreements for employees in properly constituted collective bargaining units, except that the initial collective bargaining agreement with a representative of a newly certified bargaining unit requires the approval of the Board of Regents; and

  B. The settlement of employment-related disputes for professional and classified staff employees holding temporary, hourly-paid appointment, and academic student employees, provided that there are not pending University Complaint Investigation and Resolution Office investigations, tort claims, or tort lawsuits, that the source of funds is local, and that the settlement does not exceed $100,000.

6.  The Vice President and Vice Provost for UW Information Technology

The Vice President and Vice Provost for UW Information Technology, or his or her designee, is authorized to act for the President regarding approval of all information technology, information management, administrative and clinical applications, networking and/or telecommunications acquisitions and projects.

7.  The Executive Director of Health Sciences Administration

The Executive Director of Health Sciences Administration, or his or her designee, is authorized to act for the President regarding the execution and administration of affiliation agreements, patient care agreements, and other agreements relating to Health Sciences schools other than the School of Medicine, where the anticipated cost or value to the University does not exceed $1,000,000 and the authority to execute such agreements has not been delegated to another officer of the University.

June 12, 1972; October 7, 1974; July 1, 1976; January 9, 1981; June 1, 1983; September 26, 1985; May 1, 1986; March 20, 1992;  February 1, 1994; April 26, 2000; April 5, 2001; May 10, 2005; December 1, 2011.


For additional delegations of authority, see:

  • Board of Regents Governance, By-Laws, Article IV, "Officers of the University"
  • Board of Regents Governance, Standing Orders, Chapter I, "Delegation of Authority"
  • Executive Order No. 1, "The Office of the President"
  • Executive Order No. 2, "The President: Functions and Responsibilities"
  • Executive Order No. 4, "The Provost"
  • Executive Order No. 5, "The Senior Vice President for Finance and Facilities"
  • Executive Order No. 6, "The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), UW Medicine and Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs and Dean of the School of Medicine, University of Washington"
  • Executive Order No. 7, "The Vice President for Minority Affairs"
  • Executive Order No. 9, "The Vice President for Human Resources"
  • Executive Order No. 10, "The Vice President for Student Affairs"
  • Executive Order No. 11, "The Vice President for External Affairs"
  • Executive Order No. 12, "The Deans"
  • Executive Order No. 14, "Chancellor, UW Bothell and UW Tacoma"
  • Executive Order No. 18, "The Ombudsman"
  • Executive Order No. 62, "The Vice President for University Advancement"
  • Executive Order No. 63, "The Vice President for UW Information Technology and Chief Information Officer"
  • Administrative Order No. 2, "Civil Disorders"
  • Administrative Order No. 3, "Legal Actions"
  • Administrative Order No. 4, "Grant and Contract Awards and Amendments for Research, Development, Service, and Training"
  • Administrative Order No. 5, "Gifts to the University"
  • Administrative Order No. 6, "Personnel Actions"