3.11. Specifics of the Delegation of Authority to Heads of Entity

Effective 1 January 2019, in the area of human resources, heads of entity can make judicious exceptions to administrative instructions with the caveat that exceptions should be used rarely and only where necessary and not in breach of the underlying staff rule and regulation. The rights of staff must not be infringed upon by the exception. The analysis, circumstances, reason and justification for the exception must be documented, noting that the exception does not infringe upon the underlying rule or regulation. Additionally, all exceptions to administrative instructions must be reported to the Business Transformation and Accountability Office (BTA), DMSPC, within 24 hours of granting the exception.

For delegated authorities to heads of entity, contained in ST/AI/2013/4, DMSPC has clarified as follows:

1. Level “E” fee range (Annex 3, section “C” of ST/AI/2013/4): Heads of entity are NOT delegated the authority to approve level “E” fees for consultants; request for approval of fees at level E must be send to ASG-OHR via ohr-policysupport@un.org;
2. Duration of contracts (sections 5.8 and 5.9 of ST/AI/2013/4): 24 months for consultants in a 36-month period and 6 to 9 months in any period of 12 consecutive months for individual contractors. Heads of entities are NOT delegated the authority to exceptionally extend contracts beyond these maximum employment times. As this restriction is based on a GA decision, no exceptions are permissible.
3. Contracts with token fees (section 5.21 of ST/AI/2013/4): Heads of entity have approval authority, in accordance with Annex A of the Delegation of Procurement Authority, to issue individual contracts with token fees but must adhere to the guidelines provided.
   

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