Authority to Sign and Execution

Authority to Sign, Responsibilities, Execution & Record Retention

Authority to Sign Contracts and Leases on Behalf of the University

The President and the Chancellor each have broad authority delegated from the Board of Trustees to sign contracts on behalf of the University.  The Director of Procurement Services has also been delegated the authority directly from the Board of Trustees to sign procurement contracts.  All other University employees must be delegated authority in writing by one of those three individuals in order to have any authority to sign University contracts.  The President, Chancellor, Director of Procurement Services, and those personnel with written delegation of authority from one of those individuals are the only persons authorized to sign University contracts.   For those with delegated authority, the types of contracts they are authorized to sign are defined in the written delegation. 

1. Authority to Sign: Only individuals who have expressed, delegated signature authority may sign contracts for SIU. Any contract that is signed by an individual who does not have delegated signing authority may not be binding on SIU. In addition, an individual who signs a contract without delegated signing authority may be held personally liable for the contract and any damages caused to SIU and may be subject to discipline. 
2. Responsibilities: Individuals who sign contracts on behalf of SIU are responsible for ensuring compliance with all university policies and procedures pertaining to contracts. Requesting departments remain accountable for compliance with the obligations in any contracts they request, regardless of who executes the contract. 
3. Execution: Once all terms have been agreed to by the contracting parties and all required approvals have been received, a contract may be executed. Electronic signatures (digital signatures and scanned signatures) are generally acceptable, but before execution, you should verify with the Office of General Counsel (OGC) that electronic signatures are acceptable for your contract. The department requesting the contract is responsible for coordinating the signature process. The requesting department is responsible for maintaining copies of all fully executed contracts requested by that Department. Copies of all executed procurement contracts are maintained by Procurement Services.
4. Record Retention  The requesting department is responsible for maintaining copies of fully executed contracts in accordance with SIU's policies and procedures, including the department's applicable document retention policy. Visit  SIU Records Management for more information.