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Softdocs Login(opens in new window)Delegation of Fiscal Authority
Purpose
This site outlines the policies and procedures related to fiscal delegation as governed by CSU Fiscal Authority and Responsibility(opens in new window). It ensures internal controls and responsible financial management at Chico State. An individual with Delegation of Fiscal Authority has been designated to review and approve transactions and authorize the expenditure of monies.
Delegated Responsibilities & Expectations
Delegated Responsibilities & Expectations
The President, Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and designated administrators are responsible for fiscal decision-making within defined authority levels.
- President: Ultimate fiscal authority and compliance oversight.
- CFO: Policy implementation and monitoring.
- Delegates: Authorized personnel by role and unit.
Individuals with this designation will:
- Understand the nature or purpose of the expense/purchase and ensure supporting documentation is complete.
- Verify that the expense/purchase utilizes the correct funding source (i.e., campus chartfields)
- Ensure that adequate funding is available to cover the expense/purchase. Designees must ensure that budget plans are fiscally sound and sustainable prior to entering into multi-year commitments.
- Ensure that the funding source is appropriate for the expense/purchase and complies with any applicable spending requirements for student fee revenue.
Further information is available on the CSU Delegation of Authority (DOA) Standard website(opens in new window). The Chancellor’s Office has established standardized fiscal authority limits across the CSU system. To support the transition to the CSUBuy Procure-to-Pay (P2P)(opens in new window) system for goods and services approvals, a DOA module was implemented in CFS(opens in new window).
Delegation is aligned with an individual’s role and responsibilities within the organization, as well as the purchasing system used (e.g., CSUBuy or Concur). In CSUBuy, the DOA approver step occurs after a purchase request is submitted and prior to Procurement review. As of March 2026, the DOA module has been expanded to include the new Concur Transaction & Expense system, where transaction requests and expense reports are routed to the assigned DOA approver.
Level Definitions and Titles
Following an initial assessment, division offices reviewed and confirmed DOA approvers for their respective areas. These designations serve as the basis for assigning fiscal authority across departments and related financial systems/ transactions within CSUBuy(opens in new window). Approval levels are not progressive. If a fiscal transaction falls within the authority limit of a Level 3 approver, it will route directly to that approver and will not route to Level 5 or Level 4 approvers.
| Level | Level Definition | Role/Titles | Approval Authority Limits | System |
| 1 | Individual with oversight of campus | President | Unlimited (by deptid) | CSUBUY |
| 2 | Individual with oversight of division | Provost, Vice President | Limit: Up to $5M (by deptid) | CSUBUY |
| 3 | Individual with oversight of college/unit | Deans, Associate Vice President (AVP), Vice Provost, Management Personnel Plan (* MPP - Admin III) | Limit: Up to $500K (by deptid) | CSUBUY |
| 4 | Individuals with delegated authority to spend and manage approval budgets | Management Personnel Plan (MPP - Admin I & II), Department Chairs, College Administrative Analyst/Specialist | Limit: Up to $100K (by deptid) | CSUBUY |
| 5 | Individuals who process, monitor, and initiate expenditure transactions on behalf of a higher authority | Administrative Support (ASC/ASA), non-MPP, Administrative Analyst/Specialist | Limit: Up to $5K (by deptid) | CSUBUY |
| Faculty, Lecturer | None (Shopper only) | CSUBUY |
* To allow flexibility for division structures that do not have AVP representation.
Following an initial assessment, division offices reviewed and confirmed DOA approvers for their respective areas. It will act as the basis for assignment of fiscal authority for departments and related financial systems/transactions in Concur(opens in new window).
| Level | Level Definitions | Role/Title | System |
| 1 | Individual with oversight of college/unit | Management Personnel Plan (MPP Admin III Recommended) | Concur |
Note: Employees will be assigned levels based on role and then given authority at Department ID level by requesting access via Financial Security & Delegation of Fiscal Authority Form in SoftDocs.(opens in new window)
To view current DOA approvers and assignments, please select the DOA Dashboard Report in the CFS Data Warehouse(opens in new window).
- Type of Transactions
- CSUBuy DOA - Purchase of Goods or Services
- Example – equipment, software, independent contractor services, subscriptions, supply orders, hospitality expenses,
- Concur DOA - Travel
- Example – travel requests (trip plan) or travel expense report (trip costs)
- Concur DOA - Reimbursements
- Example – employee and non-employee reimbursements
- Concur DOA - ProCard Transactions
- Example – goods or services that are compliant with the Procurement Credit Card Procedures. Generally low dollar, high volume activity.
- Other
- Example - Charge Authorization Forms (CAF) for campus service requests, journal entry requests to Financial Accounting and Reporting
- CSUBuy DOA - Purchase of Goods or Services
- DOA Request Form
Complete the FIN Security and Delegation of Fiscal Authority Form in SoftDocs(opens in new window) for new employees or any personnel changes that warrant an add/update to your delegated approvers.
- FAQ'sWhat are the Responsibilities of a Delegated Approver?
- Your role should not be taken lightly
- It requires that you have or obtain specific knowledge
- It is required to maintain compliance with CSU policies and procedures and act as good stewards of our financial resources
- It is a structural component of our financial systems and processes
- It should be used to determine whether expenditures support the University’s mission and are within your budget authority
Please refer to the DOA Data Warehouse Dashboard to review the designated approvers for your area by Dept ID. While CSU Buy and Concur allow you to view transaction workflows and identify where a transaction is currently pending, we encourage you to review the Data Warehouse reports regularly to ensure your approver pool remains accurate. Doing so will help transactions route correctly across related systems.
- To view current DOA approvers and assignments, please select the DOA Dashboard Report in the CFS Data Warehouse(opens in new window).
- For a quick guide on how to use the DOA Data Warehouse Dashboard, click here (PDF).
- If your area has encountered personnel changes that warrant an add/update to your Delegated Approvers, please use the FIN Security and Delegation of Fiscal Authority Form in SoftDocs(opens in new window) to request the change.