Purpose

A temporary process has been set up for CWS staff to electronically stamp permitting plans, specifications, and any other related documents that need to be stamped in the permitting process. This will eliminate the need to acquire hard copy permits for final processing if a permit was received via MiEHDWIS or in some cases via email (see paths below). This documentation will give guidance on how to set up a stamp and signature in Kofax Power PDF.

There are three main paths that a permit can take, and the signature/stamping requirements for each are below:

1. Permit received via MiEHDWIS

   1. Receiving - Ideally, the CWS will have a Certifier that can certify the documents sent to EGLE. This replaces the need for signatures upon receiving documents as the Certifier approval process allows certifying to act as a signature.

   2. Final Processing - EGLE staff must provide a stamp, Digital ID signature, and lock the document when signing. This process will be done through Kofax or Adobe using the provided guidance documentation until the process within MiEHDWIS is fully developed.

2. Permit received via email

   1. Receiving - If a permit package is received via email, the permit application must be signed with a certificate-backed digital signature. A wet signature that is scanned and uploaded is not acceptable. Any electronic signature that is not certificate-backed is not acceptable.

   2. Final Processing - EGLE staff must provide a stamp, Digital ID signature, and lock the document when signing. This process will be done through Kofax or Adobe using the provided guidance documentation. The generated permit from MiEHDWIS and the finalized permit package can then be emailed to the CWS and any other requested parties.
      Note: The generated permit document does not need to be stamped/signed.

3. Permit received via hard copy

   1. Receiving - A permit application received via hard copy must have a wet signature. The CWS can submit the permit application via email and follow step 2 above, or ideally, add a Certifier to MiEHDWIS. Adding a Certifier to MiEHDWIS should be encouraged as it will cut down on mail and processing time.

   2. Final Processing - For hard copy plans, the final processing should adhere to the steps laid out in the Permits Received Externally SOP. If no portions of the permit have been received electronically, all final processing will have to happen to the hard copies.
      Note: The generated permit document does not need to be stamped/signed.

Obtaining a Kofax Power PDF License

To use the Kofax Power PDF software, a license is required. If Kofax Power PDF does not show up in your State of Michigan Software Center under Applications, it is likely that you do not yet have a license. If you do not already have a Kofax Power PDF license, you will need to obtain one by reaching out to your IT Liaison.

Setting Up a Stamp in Kofax Power PDF

Downloading the Stamp (One-Time Process)

To add the standard EGLE permitting stamp, start by downloading the stamp from the Drinking Water Engineers - Misc Engineer Files - All Documents (sharepoint.com) to an easily accessible location. Kofax Power PDF makes importing the stamp very easy, so if you are using Kofax make sure the selected file name is EGLE-CWSPermitStamp-KofaxImport.

Importing the Stamp to Kofax Power PDF (One-Time Process)

Next, you should open Kofax Power PDF. It is helpful to have a test document open to make sure the stamp is working properly. One the left side, click the stamp icon to open the Stamps menu.

Open

Next, click the Options button near the top of the Stamps menu and choose Import. Then navigate to the location that you saved the permit stamp, select the file, and click Open. Make sure the stamp appears correctly in your Stamps list.

Open

A stamp will also require an Identity to be set up within Kofax. To get an Identity menu, follow the path (File > Options > General > Identity) and enter the appropriate information. Login Name should be restricted to your Windows Login, Name should be first and last name, Title should be your specific title, Company should be State of Michigan, Department should be EGLE, and E-mail Address should be your appropriate work email.

Once the stamp has been added to your Stamps list, you can move on to the signature section. Signatures and Certify are important steps in Kofax Power PDF to lock the document from being modified by any other users. It is important to note that the Certify process should be done as the final step so that the document is not locked before it is finalized.

Setting Up a Signature in Kofax Power PDF

The signature step is very important in ensuring that the document that is stamped and approved is then locked and encrypted. This prevents the document from being easily modified and through the Certify process outlined below allows you to lock the document, encrypt your signature, and encrypt the document.

Digital IDs (One-Time Process)

A Digital ID is required to sign a document. If you do not have a Digital ID set up, click the Security tab and then Manage Digital Identities.

The Security Settings screen should appear and clicking the Add ID will start the process of creating a Digital ID.

On the Add Digital ID screen, you should select Create a Self-Signed Digital ID and click Next.

On the Add Self-Signed Digital ID screen, there are two choices:

1. Selecting the New Digital ID File (PKCS#12 Format) will create a local file and require you to enter a password every time you want to use your Digital ID.

2. (Preferred) Selecting the Windows Certificate Store will store your Digital ID in the Windows Certificate Store where it will also be available to other Windows applications. This method is protected by your Windows login.

On the Create a Self-Signed Digital ID screen, enter the appropriate information and for the Use digital ID for row, make sure to select Digital Signatures and Data Encryption, Organization should be State of Michigan, Country should be US, and E-Mail Address should be your appropriate work email. (Note: If your name requires Unicode support, click the box next to Enable Unicode Support and enter the Unicode characters in the Unicode fields). Click OK when the fields have been correctly filled to complete your Digital ID creation.

Setting Up a Signature Scheme (One-Time Process)

A signature scheme will help to set up a standard signature and associated settings so that you spend less time modifying settings in the Certify process.

To set up a Signature Scheme, you will first need to add the Sign/Certify menu to your Panel menu (typically on the left side of the screen). Right click on your panel and click Sign/Certify to add it to your Panel.

In the Sign/Certify menu, click the Create Signature Scheme plus button. On the New Signature Scheme screen, enter a Scheme Title and Description and click Next.

On the next screen, choose your appropriate Digital ID to be associated with this Signature Scheme. Click the box next to Certify Document to ensure the document will be certified when using this Signature Scheme. Change the drop-down menu to Allow no changes and select Next.

The next screen will allow you to set up a standard appearance for your signature. The Standard Appearance option contains unnecessary information and graphics, so a new appearance should be created. Click the New button to create the signature appearance.

On the Configure Signature Appearance screen add a Title, choose Name for the graphic, uncheck all boxes except for Date, and click OK. For those with a hand-drawn signature saved, you can import this signature by selecting Imported graphic, clicking File, and selecting the appropriate signature file.

Click Finish to complete the New Signature Scheme and ensure it has been added to your Sign/Certify menu. Once your Stamp and Signature have been set up, you are now ready to move onto the Using a stamp and signature in Kofax documentation.

Note: Signature Schemes can be managed under File > Options > Signatures > Signatures > Creation & Appearance and click More.

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