Extension Signature Authority

Rationale/Purpose of the Policy 

Division of Extension employees do not have authority to sign contracts, memorandums of understanding (MOU/As), and agreements with external organizations/parties. Extension has workflows for routing these agreements through Extension leadership and then to specific campus units that review and have signature authority (e.g., Office of Legal Affairs, UW-Madison Business Services). This policy describes the different types of agreements and contracts that Extension typically uses with external parties and internal contracts within UW Madison. In very limited situations, Extension leadership is authorized to sign internal UW System and UW-Madison contracts/agreements as described below.

Definitions

Contract

Any type of document, whether in letter form, standard contract form, or otherwise, that commits the University to pay another party for goods or services or commits the University to provide goods or services to another, is a contract and may bind the University to its terms. (Office of Legal Affairs https://legal.wisc.edu/contract-approval/)

Scope

This policy directs all employees (including faculty and managers). It includes information on seeking signature for general signatory agreements (GSA’s), county-based agreements, event contracts and space use agreements.

Policy Details

Per UW-Madison Policy 3053 – Signatory Authority, “Staff should be aware that employees signing contracts or agreements beyond the scope of their employment are not able to contractually obligate UW-Madison. Departmental staff who sign contracts/agreements/leases while acting outside of their employment, can be held personally responsible for any costs or damages.”

The Division of Extension is not authorized to sign the following types of agreements: memorandum of understanding (MOU), memorandum of agreement (MOA), partnerships, internships, memberships, or any other agreements that formalize a relationship between Extension and an outside organization. Extension calls these types of agreements General Signatory Agreements (GSA).

General Signatory Agreements (GSA)

• GSA’s are agreements that the Division of Extension makes with an outside signatory (county official, local non-profit, school, etc.) that define a relationship between the Division of Extension and the outside signatory or the outside signatory's organization.

• All agreements, grants or contracts that obligate UW employee time or UW resources must be approved and signed by UW-Madison. This includes subawards that obligate UW employee time or resources. Those grants and contracts that obligate employee time or resources cannot be routed through the county.

• If you have a grant or contract that obligates UW employee time or resources, start by contacting your program’s administrative leadership (e.g., Administrative Manager) for first-level support and review.

• Agreements with other University of Wisconsin System schools should be routed through the GSA workflow and can be signed by Extension Associate Dean of Policy, Operations and Stakeholder Engagement. If it is a short-term facility use agreement (no UW funds), either the Area Extension Director or Assistant Dean may sign.

• Agreements with other University of Wisconsin – Madison schools/colleges/units may be signed by Associate or Assistant Deans.

• Letters of support are allowed to be written and signed by staff only if they do not obligate university resources, including employee time, and supervisor has reviewed and approved.  (See Extension’s Grant Guide if committing staff time as part of a grant.)

• Student internship evaluations and documentation of completion may be signed by an Area Extension Director, Program Manager, Unit Director or higher leadership.

• UW-Madison does not sign contracts and agreements on behalf of 3rd parties such as 4-H clubs or other organizations.

For questions related to a GSA, contact an Associate Dean.

Note for County-based Educators/Coordinators:

• County-based Educators and Coordinators should collaborate with their Program Manager and/or Institute Director (as necessary) prior to submitting an agreement for approval. This practice will ensure that all necessary programmatic parties are in the loop.
• County-based Educators and Coordinators work with their Area Extension Director (AED) to submit agreements through the GSA workflow.
• Submissions pass through divisional approval by the Assistant Deans, Extension's CFO, then Associate Dean of Policy, Operations & Stakeholder Engagement.
• For those events/purchases/agreements that are funded by the county budget, continue to work with your AED.

At the county level, Area Extension Directors (AEDs) may have delegated authority from the county to sign on behalf of the county government to facilitate and manage local Extension office functions. However, this authority does not extend to obligation of university resources.

For questions related to an AEDs ability to sign contracts, contact an Assistant Dean for either the southern or northern areas.

All staff responsibilities:

• Employees must read agreements and any attachments, appendices, or other documents referenced in agreement before seeking signature.
• Employees may need to draft or be involved in the process of drafting an agreement. Support is provided through the GSA workflow, which is a review process where clarifying questions and comments can be made and addressed prior to the execution of the contract.
• Employees must complete the Legal cover sheet in full (this is a step in the GSA workflow).
• Employees must budget a minimum of 3-4 weeks for a GSA to be signed and fully-executed. If there are local approval processes, this may take additional time.
• Employee requesting the signed agreement is responsible for ensuring that a fully-executed (signatures of all parties) copy of the agreement is stored in the Fully Executed Agreements Document Library (found in the GSA workflow). 

Event Contracts

Off-campus events, programs, or activities that require short-term facility rentals, zero-cost facility rentals, catering, hotel and conference management contracts, speaker contracts, or entertainer contracts must be reviewed, approved, and signed by UW-Madison Purchasing prior to the event taking place. If the contract for purchasing has no cost (or a non-UW-Madison entity is paying), submit the contract through the zero-dollar event contracts workflow. For other events and contracts paid with UW-Madison administered funds, work with your Institute’s Administrative Manager who will then work with your program’s financial contact in Extension’s Office of Financial Services.

On-campus events, programs, or activities that require contracts with UW-Madison vendors (e.g., Pyle Center, Union South) can be signed by the Extension position that controls the budget for the funds (e.g., Institute Director).

Space Use Agreements (SUA)

The Division of Extension is not authorized to make and sign agreements related to long-term space use or rental. Agreements, with cost or not, such as long-term facility rental agreements, inter-agency space use agreements, storage unit agreements, land rental agreements, and land use agreements will first be routed through Division of Extension Planning Manager for review, then sent to Facilities Planning & Management for approval.

Related UW–Madison Policies

List and provide the URL for any other UW–Madison policies that are closely related to the policy itself and may need to be known to users of the policy. (optional)

Related UW–Madison Documents, Web Pages, or Other Resources

Division of Extension procedures to get contracts/MOUs/agreements signed (both GSA and purchasing contracts) see: https://uwprod.sharepoint.com/sites/EXT-AdminTools/approvals/SitePages/Get-contracts-MOUs-agreements-signed.aspx

Division of Extension Guide for Preparing Grant & Contract Proposals: https://kb.wisc.edu/extension/159881

UW-Madison Policy 3053 Signatory Authority (Agreements/Contracts): https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-3053

UW-Madison VCFA - Signature Authority Memo, Division of Business Services: https://businessservices.wisc.edu/documents/how-to-get-a-document-signed-by-a-university-official/

Policy Administration

Approval Authority

Division of Extension Dean, Karl Martin

Policy Manager

Policy Advisor, Rebecca Diebel

Policy Contact(s)

Revised Dates

Reviewed Dates