A form of budget authority that permits obligations to be made in advance of appropriations or receipts. Contract authority therefore is unfunded and requires a subsequent appropriation or offsetting collection to liquidate (pay) the obligations. The federal-aid highway program has operated under contract authority since 1921.
A form of budget authority that permits obligations to be made in advance of appropriations. Contract authority funds Discretionary Grants program subject to an obligation limitation.
A form of budget authority that permits obligations to be made in advance of appropriations. The federal Discretionary Grants program is funded from contract authority, subject to an obligation limitation.
A form of budget authority that permits obligations to be made in advance of appropriations. The federal-aid highway program operates mostly under contract authority rules.
A form of budget authority that specifically permits contracts or other obligations to be entered into in advance of available funding for that purpose. Therefore, the contractual or other obligation must be funded later, usually by a subsequent appropriation act (called a liquidating appropriation). Contract authority differs from a federal agency's inherent authority to enter into contracts, which may be exercised only within the limits of available funding. See appropriation act and budget authority.
A federal budgetary term that refers to a form of budget authority permitting obligations to be incurred in advance of appropriations. Advance obligations, however, have been limited by the appropriations committees with obligation limitations.
One of the basic forms of Budget Authority. Statutory authority under which contracts or other Obligations may be entered into prior to an appropriation for the payment of such obligations. The later enacted Appropriation provides cash to liquidate such obligations. (JFMIP Core; A-34, Part 11, Section 21.1 (Budget Authority), p. 11-3) HUDCAPS Core Financial System Standard Accounting Interface, dated 9/30/97