FAQ

1. What is delegated authority?
2. How do I know if I am a delegate?
3. What are Bands of Authority?
4. Am I the only person responsible for the authority delegated to me?
5. Where will I find the delegations relevant to my position?
6.  How can I know what documents I can authorise?
7. What are my responsibilities when I am acting in a position?
8. What forms do I have to sign to register my signature?
9. What do I do in the case of a conflict of interest?
10. I have been asked to develop/update a schedule.  What do I have to do?
11. How can I find out more information?
12.  Who is the Delegations Web Administrator?


1. What is delegated authority?
Delegated authority provides formal authority to an officer to commit the University and/or incur liabilities for the University.
2. How do I know if I am a delegate?
The Delegations Policy outlines responsibilities of delegates in Section 3: Delegations framework. Delegates and their delegations are listed on the University Delegations page.  Your supervisor or Head of School will confirm your delegations and the band in which your position rests.
3.What are Bands of Authority?  Delegations reflect the University’s organisational structure as set out in the document entitled “Organisational Structure of the University in Terms of Levels of Delegated Authority”, which assigns bands of authority in relation to reporting lines within the University. 
  a. Bands of delegated authority assume that all positions in the reporting line higher than the delegate's position hold the delegate's delegations.
  b. Where a band is split into (a) and (b) the following applies:
     i. Band 4b holds only the authority that has been delegated to the position by Band 4a.
    ii. Band 5b holds only the authority that has been delegated to the position by Band 5a.
4. Am I the only person responsible for the authority delegated to me?
All positions in the reporting line higher than the delegate's position hold the delegate's delegations.  The Delegations Policy outlines the hierarchical nature of delegations in Section 3: Delegations framework. 
5. Where will I find the delegations relevant to my position?
Delegated authorities are listed in the Function Report, the Administrative Report and the Delegation Report by Bands.  These reports are displayed as drop-down menus and present the same information in differnet formats.  For example, if you are a School Manager, you will have delegated authority listed under the Band which applies to your position, ie: Band 5b “School Manager”.  However, you may wish to view all Human Resource delegations in the Administrative Report.
6.  How can I know what documents I can authorise?
Specific delegations are listed under sub-headings in one of the functions listed in the Function Report, for example: to know if you have authority to purchase goods up to $20,000, you go to the drop-down menu under Function Report, choose "Financial Management" and scroll down to "Expenditure (General)".  In this section, all delegates with the same authority appear against the delegation statement giving financial limits to expenditure.  See also How to use the Website.
7. What are my responsibilities when I am acting in a position?
If you are appointed in an acting position you will assume the delegations related to the responsibilities of the position you are holding.  You may only be taking on some of the responsibilities of the position in which case you will assume the delegations associated with those responsibilities.
8. What forms do I have to sign to register my signature?
Authorised Signatory Form 
9. What do I do in the case of a conflict of interest?
If you are in a position where there is a potential for a conflict of interest or a perception of conflict of interest, your supervisor or a person in a band higher than you should be asked to carry out the delegation.  Committees have their own procedures for dealing with conflict of interest and you should identify your conflict of interest to the Chair of the committee.
10a. I have been asked to develop/update a schedule.  What do I have to do?
  Templates can be downloaded for each schedule.  Instructions for completing, updating and approving the schedule are outlined under Procedures.  Following approval, these schedules will be added by the Delegations Website Administrator to the master file which creates the various reports on the University Delegations page.
 10b. Is the Schedule by Business Unit mandatory? No, if your business unit processes are standard there is no need to create a Schedule by Business Unit.
 10c. When is the Business Unit schedule necessary? If your business unit processes vary from the standard delegated authorities, you must have these approved by the Dean or member of the Executive responsible for your section.  The approved variations should be posted on your website in the form of the Business Unit schedule and linked to the Busines Unit Reports.
11. How can I find out more information?
The administrative sections of the University which have overarching responsibility for delegations are listed in the Administrative Report.
12.  Who is the Delegations Web Administrator?
Vittoria Wilkin x4759 vittoria.wilkin@uwa.edu.au