Delegation provisions for level 4

Managers exercise financial decision-making authority on the condition that a budget has been delegated to them and that the expense can be incurred within the approved budget. Decision-making authority for each level of management is expressed in terms of approval limits for each level. Financial decision-making authority applies to purchasing decisions that involve a binding purchase or binding agreement for multiple purchases from the same supplier.

Financial transactions outside the approved budget can only be carried out after prior approval by the level of management immediately above. Decision-making authority applies to all financial transactions, regardless of whether they are made with AU’s institutional funding or with funds from an external grant.

The minimum thresholds

Level-three managers can set a de minimus threshold for one-time transactions of up to DKK 2,000 for all employees or a group of selected employees at their own department/school (institut).

Please note with regards to line managers: With the exception of the head of procurement, who has signing authority for purchasing agreements of up to DKK 10 million, provided that the budget owners concerned have given their prior consent. If the agreement is of a particularly strategic nature, the university director must be involved in the approval process.

Transactions that impact costs for one financial year (in DKK excluding VAT)

• One-time transactions (including transactions related to building operations, including maintenance, furnishing and renovation).
  • One-time purchases that do not fall under the categories in the following columns: Under 750,000.

Annual transactions that impact costs over several financial years

• Capital expenditure
  • External grants: Under 500,000 can be delegated to this level by immediate superior.

 Co-financing of external grants with resources from institutional funding

• Under 750,000 can be delegated to this level by immediate superior.

The description below relates to the decision-making and signing authority delegated to each level of management in regard to concluding and terminating lease agreements. Decision-making authority means authority to make decisions about and approve transactions. Signing-authority in this context means authority to conclude binding agreements on behalf of the university as a signatory or by (written or oral) confirmation.

Out of consideration for coordination, all signing authority in connection with concluding lease and sublease agreements, as well as the termination of such agreements, is delegated to the deputy director for AU Estates Projects and Development (with the exception of visitor accommodation, which is handled by the faculties), and is conditional on the involvement of AU Estates Projects and Development when the process is initiated with a view to quality assurance of the contracts.

A condition for delegation of authority in this area is that transactions must take place within the framework of the campus development plan adopted by the board.

The following relates to the head of building services (teknisk chef/bygningschef)

Conclusion of lease and sublease agreements 

Can be delegated decision-making authority, but not signing authority, with regard to the conclusion of lease and sublease agreements with a non-cancellation period of up to one year and/or a total rental obligation for the university of under DKK 1 million in fixed prices as of the agreement date.

Termination of lease and sublease agreements

Can be delegated decision-making authority, but not signing authority, to terminate lease and sublease agreements.

Overall and operational people management must at all times be conducted in accordance with the locally and centrally established guidelines and rules, including the rules in the collaboration agreement, frameworks established in the collective agreements and other relevant legislation in the area.

People management is defined as the decision-making authority to manage, hire, dismiss and take disciplinary action against employees, including decision-making authority to agree on the specific terms and conditions for employment as well as to assign specific tasks to employees.

Involuntary dismissal of employees with special protections against termination (union reps, occupational health and safety reps, members of liaison committees and the occupational health and safety organisation) is subject to the approval of the rector.

The delegation provisions distinguish between overall people management and operational people management.

Decision-making authority

Academic manager

Decision-making authority for operational people management responsibility for the employees in their unit, with or without decision-making authority to appoint postdocs, research assistants and comparable functions, in addition to decision-making authority for overall people management responsibility for postdocs, research assistants and comparable functions, can be delegated from heads of department/school (institutledere), heads of department-like centres and the director of AIAS.

Technical/administrative manager

Decision-making authority for overall or operational people management responsibility of the employees in their unit can be delegated from heads of department/school (institutledere), heads of department-like centres, heads of administrative centres and the director of AIAS.

Delegation

Level-four managers can delegate the following to their unit’s academic managers:

• operational people management of the employees in their units with decision-making authority to appoint postdocs and research assistants and comparable functions.
• operational people management of the employees in their units without decision-making authority to appoint postdocs and research assistants and comparable functions.
• decision-making authority for overall people management of postdocs and research assistants and comparable functions.

Level-four managers can delegate overall or operational people management of employees in their units to level-five administrative managers.

Legally responsible entity

AU Research is always legally responsible for approving and signing the following types of agreements:

• EU Grant Agreements
• EU Consortium Agreements
• American foundations

In addition, AU Research is responsible for reviewing and approving research collaboration agreements, with a particular focus on agreements involving rights to exploit research results and/or utilise personal data (standard agreements), however not fast-track agreements drawn up by AU Research (standard agreements).

Enterprise and Innovation is always responsible for approving and signing commercialisation agreements (licensing agreements, patents, transfer of rights).

Decision-making authority

Decision-making and signing authority to negotiate and approve research collaboration agreements that apply to their units can be delegated from level-three managers.

This only applies to collaboration agreements for existing degree programmes, as the process for the approval of new degree programmes is different. Examples include agreements with other institutions in Denmark (degree programme collaboration, commissioned teaching and the like) and with foreign universities (exchange agreements, Erasmus+ projects and the like).

Note the following: 

• that the individual managers/employees are responsible for ensuring the legal validity of the agreements.
• that the delegation provisions on financial management also apply in regard to signing sub-agreements dealing with the financial aspects of collaboration agreements.

Decision-making authority - relates to deputy heads of department/school (viceinstitutleder)

Decision-making and signing authority to negotiate and approve collaboration agreements on existing degree programmes to a specified extent can be delegated from managers on levels 1-3.