UW Research

Signing Officials

Different roles and officers at the UW have the authority to sign different types of agreements on behalf of the UW. These roles are dictated by a variety of rules and regulations at the UW including the University Administrative Policy Statements, Grants Information Memoranda, and other unit-specific policies and procedures.

Signing Official may also be referenced a number of ways such as Authorized Signing Official, Authorized Organizational Representative, Grant Official, or Institutional Official among others. There are also some specific research compliance areas and offices who maintain an official role:

Sponsored Awards & Related Agreements:

For sponsored program proposals, awards, and related agreements the Director of the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) is the signing official.

The OSP Director delegates authority to other OSP staff members to act on behalf of the UW for sponsored program proposal and award acceptance. OSP is the ONLY office delegated authority to enter into agreements for sponsored awards and related agreements.

Post Award Financial

The Authorized Signing Official for post award financial items at the UW is the Director of Grant and Contract Accounting (GCA). The Director of GCA delegates authority to other GCA staff members to act on behalf of the UW for post award financial matters requiring an authorized signature.

Contracts for Provision of Goods & Services: Departmental Authority to Sign

The authority to sign contracts for the provision of Goods & Services is provided to the Deans according to the University Policy on Sales of Goods and Services, APS 59.5. APS 59.5 was developed to define the legitimate purposes under which sales of goods and services for fees may be approved.

Procurement Contracts with Outside Vendors

The University is subject to multiple sets of procurement rules and regulations. These include the University Administrative Policy Statements and Procurement department policies and procedures. For more information on who can sign procurement contracts with outside vendors review the UW Procurement Signing Policy.

Gifts & Donations

The Office of University Advancement reviews and processes gifts via the Offices of Corporate and Foundation Relations, and/or Office of Gift Services. Review Distinguishing between Gifts and Sponsored Programs.

Resources: