Authorized Approvers System for Online Forms

About the Program

Category: County Administration and Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2018

Alameda County agencies/departments rely on a growing number of forms for processing general expenses involving travel, training, stipends, and various reimbursements as well as many specific expenses such as witness fees and departmental gift cards. Agency/Department Heads who wish to authorize staff within their Agency or Department to sign these forms on their behalf, are required to identify employees as Authorized Approvers for each of these forms for their department and then report these designations to the Auditor-Controller Agency. The new Authorized Approvers application developed by the Information Technology Department (ITD) working with the County Auditor-Controller Agency, replaces an outdated paper-based system to streamline the process of granting form authorization entirely electronically. The work-flow efficiency allows multiple employees, multiple departments, and multiple forms to be processed in a single request, saving time and money as well as eliminating paper. The resulting data then becomes available for reports, referencing, and maintenance. Furthermore, the potential for future integration with any County system requiring authorization verification provides a powerful incentive for agencies/departments to consider the benefits of digital transactions as alternatives to existing paper forms.