EX-ST-01-STRUCTURAL-SKELETON.md
Document Metadata
- Name: EX-ST-01-STRUCTURAL-SKELETON
- Version: 1.0
- Status: DRAFT
- Date: 2026-02-09
1. Governance Positioning
Settlement is a distinct governance procedure that provides financial finality and auditability. Settlement MUST be separated from Contract/Award to ensure independence and prevent conflicts of interest. Settlement records financial completion without influencing procurement, tendering, or award decisions. Settlement is dependent on a finalized Contract/Award (EX-CT-01) and MUST NOT affect prior decisions.
2. Purpose & Scope
Settlement governs the recording and confirmation of financial payments related to finalized contracts. It explicitly does NOT govern procurement, tendering, contract approval, performance, or delivery.
<!-- Settlement layer does not perform or approve contracts. -->3. Scope Inclusions & Exclusions
Inclusions:
- Financial settlement recording
- Payment confirmation governance
Exclusions:
- Procurement
- Tendering
- Contract approval
- Performance or delivery
4. Relationship to Other Procedures
- Settlement is dependent on EX-CT-01 (Contract/Award)
- Settlement is separated from accounting systems and operational activity
5. Governance Roles Involved
- Payer Authority
- Payee
- Financial Verifier
- Oversight / Audit Role
6. Independence & Control Constraints
- Approver MUST NOT be payer or verifier
- Payer MUST NOT be verifier
- No self-settlement
- No unilateral confirmation
7. High-Level Procedure Sections
- Settlement Initiation
- Verification of Settlement Conditions
- Settlement Confirmation
- Closure
8. Evidence & Records Categories (Conceptual)
- Settlement Request
- Proof of Payment
- Verification Record
- Settlement Confirmation Record
9. Audit & Traceability Requirements
- Full traceability from Contract to Settlement
- Reproducible verification trail
10. Anchoring Positioning
- Hashes of settlement records MAY be anchored
- Anchoring is proof ONLY
- Anchoring MUST NOT imply approval or correctness
11. Explicitly Prohibited Actions
- Settlement before contract finalization
- Automatic settlement approval
- Single-person settlement confirmation
12. UNDEFINED Items
- Items requiring regulatory or organizational decision: UNDEFINED
Status: DRAFT — CANONICAL GOVERNANCE STRUCTURAL SKELETON Location: docs/governance/EX-ST-01-STRUCTURAL-SKELETON.md