Policy & Procedure update - January 26, 2022

The following policy document has been updated and is now published and effective.  This document, for regulatory and compliance reasons, was published through an expedited review process that did not include the usual 30-day period for community review.  Community comments are, however, still welcomed and encouraged.  If applicable, please discuss the document with the appropriate people in your department.  Please send any questions or feedback to controllers.office@yale.edu.

Procedure 1101 PR.06 Approval Authority

Related Documents:

• Procedure 1101 PR.06 Approval Authority – Revised

To meet regulatory and compliance obligations, this procedure received an update pertaining to allowable electronic signature tools for individuals who do not hold formal signature authority but who may be required to sign certain documents in the course of their work. One example of this, though it may not be the only one, is for principal investigators required to sign documents with the National Institutes of Health.

To accommodate the requirements, a new subsection was added to this procedure; specifically, subsection A, Section 4, was added. This subsection authorizes the use of Adobe Sign in certain situations. This update should only impact relatively specific circumstances, such as those discussed above. In relevant part, the new subsection reads:

A. Approved Electronic Signature Service for Use When Required by External Parties

In certain circumstances, individuals without Signature Authority (see Policy 1104 University Signature Authority) may be required by external parties to sign particular documents in the course of their work (e.g., faculty with sponsored awards through the National Institutes of Health). In such circumstances, those individuals are authorized to use Adobe Sign. Note, however, such individuals must not use Adobe Sign to sign agreements, contracts, and other legally binding documents on behalf of Yale, unless authorized pursuant to Policy 1104 University Signature Authority. To access Adobe Sign, visit Adobe Sign Enterprise and log in using Yale credentials. Additional resources for the Adobe Sign tool are below:

• Adobe Sign FAQ
• Adobe Sign User Guide
• Adobe Sign Tutorials

Reminder:

Always check the Policies & Procedures website for the latest revisions of all documents. This will ensure you that are utilizing the most up-to-date version.

If you have any questions, please contact Policy & Compliance Services at controllers.office@yale.edu.