Purchasing Card

The Purchasing Card or P-Card is a MasterCard that is designed to provide a more efficient, cost effective method of purchasing and payment for small dollar transactions. The P-Card can be used for in-store purchases as well as mail, internet, telephone and fax orders.

Overview

Using a Purchasing Card (P-Card) allows employees to obtain goods and services more efficiently, reduces paperwork and processing time for departments, and provides cost savings through consolidated payments by the Purchasing department.  The P-Card allows the buyer of goods and services to contact vendors directly, including making in-person, telephone, and on-line purchases.  Purchases can be made for most items costing less than $1,500 with merchants that accept MasterCard.  P-Cards are not intended to replace all methods of purchasing, rather to complement the existing purchasing processes.

OVERVIEW OF CARD OWNERSHIP AND USAGE:

• Purchasing Card User's Guide (PDF)
• Contract employees of Weber State University are eligible to be a cardholder
• All purchases are for Weber State University business only
• P-Card must be kept secure.  Lost or stolen cards must be reported immediately to the issuing bank (1-800-316-6056) and to the Purchasing Card Coordinator (801) 626-7113.
• The P-Card is non-transferrable and cannot be used by anyone other than the cardholder
• Each transaction must be properly documented
• Monthly statements must be kept on file for 6 years and signed by the cardholder, supervisor and reconciler.
• Initial training is done in-person.
• All P-Cards are subject to annual audits by Internal Audit. 

• P-Cards cannot be used to purchase items that exceed the single transaction limit or items on the Restricted Items list.
• P-Cards can be authorized for Purchases Only, Travel Only, or for Purchases AND Travel. Authorization is granted by immediate supervisor.

• Purchases - $1,500 per single transaction, $7,000 monthly limit
• Travel - $7,000 per single transaction, $7,000 monthly limit
• ATM - Only authorized for foreign and/or group (student) travel and must be pre-approved in writing by the appropriate Vice President.

*Lower limits can be established by direction of employee's supervisor.  Higher limits must be approved by the supervisor and Director of Purchasing.  A written request by the supervisor for higher limits must be submitted to the Purchasing Card Coordinator.

EMPLOYEE TRANSFERS

If a cardholder is transferred to a new position within the department or to another department and will be requiring a P-Card, the same card should be used. The Cardholder's Supervisor or his/her designee, must promptly notify the P-Card Coordinator if there are changes to be made (such as cardholder's address, default account, etc.) If transferring to another department, a final audit will need to be completed. Required paperwork (statements for the preceding 12 month period with supporting documentation) must be forwarded to the P-Card Coordinator as soon as possible.

If a cardholder is transferring to a new position within the department, but will not have the same supervisor, and/or will no longer be purchasing items for the university, the card must be retrieved and cancelled.

EMPLOYEE TERMINATIONS

The P-Card remains the property of the issuing bank and must be surrendered to the Purchasing Office along with required paperwork (statements for the preceding 12 month period with supporting documentation) prior to termination.

The cardholder should contact the Purchasing Card Coordinator (x7113) or Assistant (x6011), at least five (5) working days prior to termination to schedule an appointment to complete the sign-out process.

QUESTIONS?

For any questions regarding the P-Card please contact the Purchasing Card Coordinator, Brad Budge:

Email: bbudge1@weber.edu

Tel: (801) 626-7113 

• Obtaining and Using the P-Card

  Obtaining a P-Card

  • The Purchasing Card Application (P-Card) is available via the eWeber portal Purchasing Card Request app. New P-Card applications require approval from the requester's supervisor, Accounting Services, and Purchasing. Once a P-Card application has been submitted, the requester's supervisor will be notified via email. The supervisor's email will have a link to the Purchasing Card Request app to update the P-Card's Index/FOAPAL, select whether the P-Card is for purchasing, travel or both and approve the application. 
  
  
  • Training:  Once the P-Card application has gone through the appropriate approvals, a new P-Card will be ordered and an appointment for P-Card/Travel training will be sent via WSU Faculty/Staff email.  Cardholders are required to complete training and to sign a Cardholder Agreement Form (PDF) before a new P-Card will be issued.  Please contact the Purchasing Card Coordinator at ext. 7113 if there is a immediate need for training, otherwise training sessions are scheduled every other week or on an as-needed basis.  

   

  Making Purchases

  The cardholder is the only person authorized to make purchases using their P-Card. Do not give the card or card number to anyone else to use.

  Determine that the P-Card is the most appropriate method to use. Make sure the items are not on the Restricted Items List. Be certain that the total amount will not exceed card limits (including shipping and handling). Do not split a transaction into small amounts to avoid dollar limits on your card. Determine that the price is the best you can obtain. Ensure that no sales tax is charged. Obtain itemized receipt at time of purchase.

   

  Food purchases in excess of $200 - All purchases of food products in excess of $200 for events that take place on campus must be provided by the food service company - the current provider is Sodexo. Any exceptions to this policy must be approved in advance by the company's General Manager and the Shepherd Union Director.

  Purchases made by Phone, Fax, Mail or On-Line

  By Phone, Fax or Mail - Follow general instructions for making purchases listed above

  Phone: Use the Purchasing Card Telephone Order form (PDF) (necessary in case an itemized
  receipt is not received). If the supplier requires a PO number in addition to your credit card
  number, give them the number AMST-_____ (last 4 digits of your p-card number).
  
  Fax: Retain a copy of the order form and fax confirmation for your records. You are urged NOT to mail the original to the company to prevent a duplicate order. If the company does require that the original be sent, clearly mark it Aconfirmation@ and Aorder placed by fax.@
  
  Mail: Retain a copy of the order form and the address to which it was mailed. Request a receipt for your records.

  Internet Purchases: It is recommended for making a purchase over the internet, that it is with a company you know is reliable and/or have used traditional procurement methods in the past. Be sure the website is a secure site. If you are not comfortable giving your number over the internet, some companies allow the option of placing the order on-line and following up with a card number by telephone. Do a Screen Print of your order confirmation for documentation purposes if the option to print is not made available to you.

  Sales Tax Exemption - SALES TAX EXEMPT NO. 12179945-002-STC

  It is the cardholder's responsibility to ensure that no sales tax is charged when making a purchase with the P-Card. If sales tax is charged in error, the cardholder must request a credit from the merchant as soon as possible. The University is usually exempt from ALL sales tax, even when purchasing items from out-of-state suppliers, because the application of sales tax is determined by the location of the buyer. A copy of the Utah State Tax Commission Exemption Certificate is available from the Purchasing Department.

  Food and Business Meals, Awards, Gifts, Flowers

  P-Cards may be used to purchase these items provided the purchases comply with policy restrictions (See PPM 5-25j).

  Food purchases (restaurant or grocery) made in accordance with the above referenced policy must be documented by a receipt, list of participants, meeting purpose, and are subject to supervisory approval. The information may be documented on the receipt or on the optional Purchasing Card Hosting Documentation Form. (PDF)

• Restricted Items

  P-Cards are not to be used to purchase the following RESTRICTED items:

  • Advertisements for personnel recruiting (staff or academic)
  • Alcoholic beverages (Unless purchased in conjunction with a meal where the business purpose is employee recruitment or donor development.  Beverages purchased for this purpose must be reallocated to non E&G funds.)
  • ATM withdrawals (only available for pre-authorized foreign and/or group travel)
  • Construction/remodeling (contracted)
  • Controlled substances (prescription drugs, narcotics, etc.)
  • Computers
  • Donations
  • Equipment items exceeding $1,500 (department is responsible for keeping records of model and serial number on equipment items less than $1,500)
  • Ethyl Alcohol
  • Fines, late fees or penalties
  • Firearms
  • Furniture (i.e., bookcases, chairs, desks, file cabinets, modular furniture, tables, etc.)
  • Gasoline (for personal vehicle)
  • Interest/finance charges
  • Lobbying costs
  • Lodging or housing (unless authorized for travel)
  • Maintenance agreements exceeding $1,500 per year
  • Purchases of any amount that require a contract be signed by the institution (Submit a requisition to comply with contract approval requirements)
  • Radioactive isotopes
  • Split transactions (vendor makes two charges to keep under a limit)
  • Student tuition, scholarships or stipends
  • Telephone equipment or installation on campus (regular or cellular)
  • Travel (unless authorized for travel) Tuition for employees
  • Vehicle rental locally (allowed at destination only, with supervisor approval on pre-authorized travel)

• Lost, Stolen, or Damaged Cards

  The cardholder must contact the issuing bank immediately upon discovering that their purchasing card has been lost or stolen.  The cardholder can contact the issuing bank 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
  
  To report a LOST OR STOLEN CARD or for assistance and information, call: 

  Bank Customer Service:  1-800-316-6056 Fax:  1-847-622-2495

  
  Damaged cards will be replaced by contacting the bank at the above contact numbers.
  
  The cardholder will remain responsible for all charges against the purchasing card until the bank is notified of the loss or theft of the card by the cardholder. Once the bank is notified, the purchasing card will automatically be suspended and a new card will be issued.

  After contacting the issuing bank, the cardholder must contact the Purchasing Card Coordinator.  The Purchasing Card Coordinator is available Monday - Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. at ext. 7113.

• Monthly Statement, Audit, Forms/Agreements

  Monthly Statements

  It is the cardholder's responsibility to obtain a monthly statement and the appropriate Reconciler and Supervisor's signatures when charges are made on their P-Card.

  Statements are available on the JP Morgan Commercial Card website.

  Statement Guide (PDF) - this guide contain detailed instructions for logging in and printing statements.

  Audits

  Internal Audit will perform annual audits of all p-card records, including P-Card statements and supporting documentation.  The Internal Audit department has listed items they will be reviewing related to Purchasing Cards on their website
  
  Preparing for a P-Card Audit

  Forms/Agreements

  • Missing Receipt Form (PDF)
  • Telephone Order Form (PDF)
  • Transaction/Reallocation Log Form (PDF)
  • Hosting Form (PDF)
  • Cardholder Agreement (PDF)
  • Reconciler's Agreement (PDF)