1150P Contract and Purchasing Signature Authority (Procedures)

Original Date: 1/26/2021 * Last Revision Effective: 3/18/2025
Policy Contact: Vice President, Administrative Services

Purpose

The following procedures are established to meet the requirements for implementing policy #1150 – Contract and Purchasing Signature Authority.

Procedures

These procedures provide a list of approved delegated signature authorities and purchasing limits. Employees executing contracts and/or making purchases on behalf of Bellevue College are responsible for completing appropriate state training and ensuring they have authority to act on behalf of the college. They must exercise that authority in compliance with applicable laws, conditions, restrictions, and guidelines.

Contract Review

All college contracts, regardless of signature authority, must be submitted with a Contract Signature Approval (CSA) form to contracts staff for legal review. After reviewing the contract and CSA form, contracts staff will route the documents to the appropriate parties for approval and signature. Contracts are not considered valid until signatures have been obtained by all parties. Contracts must be fully signed before any exchange of goods or services. It is recommended the contract be submitted for review at least two weeks prior to the expected delivery of goods or services. Because of security and accessibility requirements, contracts related to software and databases may take up to two months. Contractors will not be paid for goods or services without a valid, signed contract.

The CSA form includes routing instructions for signatures. In addition to legal review, other offices involved in the review/approval process include:

The appropriate cabinet member must sign any CSA form under consideration.
The vice president of information technology services (ITS) approves all software purchases, software service agreements, and statements of work on consulting projects involving ITS technology and software.
The procurement manager ensures compliance with purchasing regulations.
The grant accountant and/or the finance director reviews and approves purchases for all grant budgets.
Contracts exceeding $250,000 must include a CSA form signed by the college president.

Contract Signature Authority

The following list shows the approved delegated signature authority.

Type of Contract	Signature Authority
Articulation Agreements	Senior Academic Officer
Banking Agreements	Vice President of Administrative Services
BC Non-disclosure Agreement	Director / Dean or higher position of the department overseeing the purchase
BC Data Sharing Agreement	Director / Dean or higher position of the department overseeing the purchase
Building Leases	President (after review by Vice President of Administrative Services)
Catering and Facility Rental Contracts	Director of Food Services and Events
Client Services Contracts	Vice President of Administrative Services
Clinical Agreements (if college template is used with no changes)	Senior Academic Officer
Clinical Agreements (with changes to college template or template from facility)	Senior Academic Officer (after review by Vice President of Administrative Services)
Continuing Education Contract Training Agreements (if college template is used with no changes)	Senior Academic Officer
Continuing Education Contract Training Agreements (with changes to college template or template from another organization)	Vice President of Administrative Services
Debt Agreements / Certificate of Participation	President (after review by Vice President of Administrative Services)
Distance Ed Online Course Development Contracts	Senior Academic Officer
Employment Contracts / Administrator and Exempt	President
Employment Contracts / Faculty Full-time	Senior Academic Officer
Employment Contracts / Faculty Part-time	Dean
Enterprise Software License Agreements	Vice President of Administrative Services
Equipment Leases	Vice President of Administrative Services
Goods and Services (from Request for Proposal [RFP])	Procurement Manager
Goods and Services >$10,000	Vice President of Administrative Services
Goods and Services (non-RFP) <$10,000	Procurement Manager
Grant Applications <$100,000	Vice President of Administrative services (unless Presidential signature is required by grant)
Grant Applications >$100,000	President (after review by Vice President of Administrative Services)
Grant Awards <$100,000	Vice President of Administrative Services
Grant Awards >$100,000	President (after review by Vice President of Administrative Services)
Interlocal / Interagency Agreements	President (after review by Vice President of Administrative Services)
International Student Programs Recruitment Agreements	Vice President of Administrative Services
Internship/Apprenticeship Worksite Agreements	Vice President of Administrative Services
Labor Contracts	Union Representatives; State of WA Labor Relations Board Representatives; President
License Agreements	Vice President of Administrative Services
Memorandum of Understanding	Vice President of Administrartive Services
Personal Service / Provision of Services Contracts	Vice President of Administrative Services
Professional / Collegiate Membership Agreements	President
State Agency Host Services	President (after review by Vice President of Administrative Services)
Vendor Software License Agreements	Vice President of Administrative Services (after review by Vice President of ITS)

Purchasing Signature Authority

Employees authorized to make purchases using purchase orders or procurement cards will follow all purchasing guidelines and observe the following limits, regardless of purchase method.

Administrative assistants (and employees holding comparable positions within the department): <$5,000
Directors and deans with budget signature authority: <$100,000
Vice presidents and associate vice presidents: <$250,000
President: >$250,000

Purchase Card (p-card) Transactions

The following guidelines apply to procurement cards:

Single transactions are limited to $3,000, with a total monthly limit of $10,000.
Unauthorized uses of the procurement card include, but are not limited to: cash advances, gifts/donations, items for personal use, alcoholic beverages, food, business cards, gasoline, hazardous materials, airline tickets, lodging and other travel expenses, computers, clothing and moving expenses.
Splitting purchases to circumvent or to avoid competitive bidding limits or purchasing authority limits is prohibited.

Certain purchases may require an exception to these guidelines. Requests for exceptions must be submitted in writing to the vice president of administrative services. Food and beverage purchases with p-cards are allowed under limited circumstances and require Food Services and Events documentation and approvals as outlined under 6700P Meals, Beverages, and Light Refreshments (procedures).

Relevant Laws and Other Resources

RCW 39.26 Procurement of Goods and Services

Revision History

Original: 1/26/2021; 3/18/2025

Approved By

President’s Cabinet

Last Updated March 18, 2025