SMART departments and personnel therein are not authorized to sign contracts or to make purchases on behalf of SMART. As delegated under the authority of the Board of Directors, signing authority is reserved for the General Manager or the Deputy General Manager, but consistent with federal regulation, is the primary responsibility of the Contracting Officer (CO). The CO may delegate limited signing authority to persons designated as Contracting Officer Designees (COD). At SMART, the Contracting Officer is the Manager of Procurement. Contracting Officer Designees are the Purchasing Agents (see Department Directory) and their signing authority is limited to purchases in the amount of $25,000 or less.