The DocuSign Delegation feature allows University employees to set up one active delegate who will sign on their behalf during a scheduled period. Delegated signing ensures that envelope completion can continue when signers are out-of-the-office or unavailable. In advance of the setup, the delegate must have a DocuSign account with their SF State credentials and an appropriate Delegation of Authority (DOA) in place. University employees must log in to their SF State DocuSign account to set up the Delegation and specify the timeframe (i.e., start and end date).
Delegated Signing Functionalities
When a delegate signs an agreement on someone’s behalf, they sign under their name and signature. The envelope details, history, and Certificate of Completion will record the delegate's name, email address, and any action they perform on the user’s behalf. The delegation will only apply for envelopes with a Needs to Sign task; envelopes with the assigned tasks of Receives a Copy or Needs to View will not be sent to the delegate. If the active delegate decides to assign the envelope to someone else, the user will lose access to the envelope. Below we have listed the delegated signing functionalities:
| Delegated Signing Functionalities | User | Active Delegate |
|---|---|---|
| Receive notifications when the delegation rule is set up | Yes | Yes |
| Receive notifications for envelopes sent to user | Yes | Yes |
| Access to envelopes sent to user during delegation period | Yes | Yes |
| Access to envelopes when delegation period is over | Yes | Yes |
| Access to completed envelopes | Yes | Yes |
| Reassign envelopes to someone else | Yes | Yes |
| Receive notifications when the delegation period is over | No | No |
Delegated Signing Setup Instructions
- Log in to your DocuSign eSignature account and go to My Preferences > Signing and Sending > Delegation.
- Select Add Delegation and complete the following:
- Select a user from the list of users on your account.
- Select a start date. Delegation activates at midnight on the start date, based on user account's timezone.
- Select an end date.
- Review the delegate status information:
- Active. The delegation is in effect. The start date has passed and if there is an end date, it is in the future.
- Scheduled. The start date for the delegate is in the future; delegation is not yet in effect.
DocuSign notifications will be sent to the user and the delegate with details of the delegation assignment. As best practice, we recommend the user and delegate inform the University on the delegation and the delegation period.