Submitting Delegations of Authority

 If you work within an OD office and are preparing to send a formal NIH-level Delegation of Authority package to the Office of Management Assessment for coordination and final approval by the NIH Director, please use the template (NIH Access Only).  For questions or additional assistance, please contact the NIH Delegations of Authority Officer at (301) 496-4606.

If you work in an IC and want to learn how to process the IC-level Delegation of Authority, contact your IC DOA Coordinator found on the DoA Points of Contact list.

Steps for Processing a Delegation of Authority:

DoA Preparation
The Issuing Office (IO) coordinates with the NIH DoA Officer to review, prepare, and submit the DoA package for clearance.  The IO will provide background material, which includes but is not limited to legislation, or legal authority to implement the delegation, the rational for issuing the DoA , and any relevant correspondence.  ​Once the DoA is in final draft form and receives approval from the IO, the NIH Delegations of Authority Officer will send the proposed draft DoA to the Office of General Counsel (OGC) for legal review.  If OGC has suggested edits, questions, or comments, these will be shared with the IO for consideration.  When the DoA draft is formalized, the NIH DoA Officer will submit the formal DoA package for clearance.

DoA Clearance
In general, the DoA package will be cleared through the Division of Compliance Management, Office of Management Assessment, OGC, the NIH IO, the appropriate Program Officials and/or OD Officials as determined by the IO.  The package will then be sent to the NIH Deputy Director for Management, Executive Secretariat, NIH Principle Deputy Director, and the Director of NIH.

Implementation of the DoA
When the signed delegation is returned to OMA, the NIH Delegations Authority Officer will enter the text of the delegation into the DoA Database, and notify IC DoA Coordinators and OHR SMEs via the Delegations-L listserv, that a new, revised, or rescinded NIH-level Delegation of Authority has been approved and posted in the database.  The official folder is maintained within​ the OMA.

Additional Reference​