State University Procurement Card Policy and Guidelines

The State University of New York procurement card program offers campuses an alternative method of purchasing small dollar items. This program is intended to allow campuses the flexibility to streamline local procedures and controls for procuring goods and services. Proper use of the procurement card significantly reduces the time between requesting, ordering, and receiving goods and services.

In addition to saving time, the procurement card program greatly reduces the volume of accounts payable transactions and the associated administrative costs. This is done by eliminating supplier invoices and consolidating multiple supplier payments into one monthly voucher payment to the procurement card vendor. Currently, the procurement card vendor is paid monthly through an automated clearing house (ACH) via electronic check from the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC). This process contributes to the overall efficiency and cost effectiveness of the program.

Operation of the University program follows the basic New York State Procurement Card guidelines as established by the Office of General Services (OGS). Due to the University’s flexibility, there may be minor differences in the operation between the New York State and the University program. Where the operation of the two programs is different, University guidelines will take precedence.

Overview

Procurement card services must be obtained through participation in the Statewide contract administered by the State of New York OGS, Business Services Center. As such, the University has adopted an identical Purchase Card Template for Included and Excluded Items by Merchant Category Code (MCC). The MCC template is a comprehensive list of vendor types that are allowed when using the procurement card. If a cardholder attempts to purchase goods or services from a vendor with an excluded MCC the charge will be declined.

The procurement card is a non-transferable financial instrument assigned to University employees with appropriate purchasing authority. These employees must have proper security clearance within the State University Finance and Management System (FMS) and be given access to the Web Procurement Card (Web P-Card) application, which is the procurement card reconciliation tool module in the FMS.

Each campus utilizes a program administrator (PA) who is the liaison between the University, the suppliers, and JP Morgan Chase. The PA is primarily responsible for cardholder training, account maintenance (e.g., name changes, creating department hierarchies, etc.), new card applications, and general procurement card issues. These campus PA’s must make certain that cardholders are aware of all the responsibilities and privileges associated with the program. Cardholder responsibilities include, but are not limited to, using the procurement card for authorized State transactions only, notifying JP Morgan Chase and the campus PA immediately if the Visa card is lost or stolen, and following the policies and procedures established within this manual.

Training will be provided by the PA for all persons receiving a procurement card. This training will cover the use of the procurement card consistent with New York State policy, as well as University and/or campus purchasing practices. Training must be completed prior to issuance of the card.

Cardholders are issued a single procurement card, which is embossed with their full legal name. The University program does not allow for group or departmental cards. Before receiving the card, all cardholders must sign the New York State JP Morgan Chase Cardholder Acknowledgement Form. This form ensures that cardholders have read and understand the terms and conditions of the program. All cardholders must surrender the procurement card to the University at the request of the campus PA or upon termination of employment.

Managerial review of all departmental transactions within Web P-Card is strongly suggested, however this process is optional. If charges are not reviewed by the department manager, they must be completely reviewed by the accounts payable (A/P) department before final A/P certification.

Terms and conditions that constitute misuse and/or abuse of the procurement card are outlined in New York State Procurement Card guidelines. Campuses must refer to the appropriate sections of these guidelines for information on disciplinary steps and should incorporate them into the written campus- specific procedures for procurement card use.

Voucher Payment

Voucher payments made to the procurement card vendor (JP Morgan Chase) are automatically generated by System Administration at the end of each monthly billing cycle. Currently, the billing cycle consists of purchases made from the sixth of the month to the fifth of the following month (except when the fifth of the month falls on a weekend). Campuses should expect to receive an IDL two business days after the voucher is completed by System Administration.

The University is responsible for all charges made within the billing cycle, except those related to fraud or misuse. Procurement card bills containing charges related to fraud or misuse are paid in full by the campus. After investigation, if the charges are deemed to be fraudulent the procurement card vendor will credit the campus billing account for the total amount of the fraud.

Transaction Disputes

Campuses are responsible for paying the JP Morgan Chase bill in full, including any disputable charges. Cardholders should review their statement each month for accuracy of charges. If the cardholder identifies a disputable charge on the statement, they should attempt to resolve the dispute with the vendor.

If the cardholder cannot resolve a dispute with a vendor or there is a charge that is unauthorized or unrecognized on the cardholder’s JP Morgan Chase statement, the cardholder may dispute or check on the status of a previously reported disputed charge by calling the telephone number on the back of the card, (800) 270-7760. The cardholder or campus PA may also dispute the charge in the JP Morgan Chase PaymentNet.

Contract terms require disputed items be submitted to JP Morgan Chase within 60 days from the transaction date, so it is important for the cardholder or campus PA to review charges each month upon receipt of the statement. If the cardholder or campus PA fails to dispute the charge within 60 days, the agency may lose the ability to dispute the charge and as a result be liable for the fraudulent charge.

Lost or Stolen Credit Cards

Cardholders must immediately report a lost or stolen procurement card to JP Morgan Chase by calling (800) 270-7760. The cardholder should be prepared to give their name exactly as it appears on the face of the card, the account number, their verification identifiers (last 4 digits of the cardholders NYS employee number ‘N number’, and the first 4 digits of the cardholder’s campus billing zip code), and a brief explanation surrounding the loss. Immediately following this notification, the cardholder must notify the campus PA.

Web P-Card Transaction Sub-objects

The University Controller’s Office has constructed a crosswalk between the MCC that is provided by JP Morgan Chase and University sub-object codes. This process enables campuses to better track purchases made using the procurement card. For example, if a cardholder purchases office supplies from a vendor with MCC XXXX the corresponding University sub-object will be applied to the transaction within Web P-Card.

Program Administrator

The Vice President’s designee, generally the purchasing director at each campus, acts as the campus PA. This campus PA is responsible for managing all aspects of the procurement card program. The PA is the liaison between the campus, the suppliers and JP Morgan Chase.

The campus PA evaluates cardholder, department and vendor compliance within the statewide procurement card program. They may also be involved in evaluating enhancements to policies and the Web P-Card application within the University FMS.

Additional responsibilities of the position include:

Cardholder training, including ensuring cardholders sign JP Morgan Chase Acknowledgement Form before card is received
Maintenance of cardholder records, such as; SUNY default account number, transaction limit, monthly limit, reporting hierarchy, card expiration dates
Review applications for valid approval and funding information
Coordination of cardholder enrollment, termination and changes
Assist with review of program effectiveness
When requested, provides assistance with transaction disputes.

The PA is responsible for ensuring that all employees receiving a procurement card are properly instructed on card usage and responsibilities. They are also responsible for ensuring that all cardholders and their immediate supervisor/manager attend training prior to issuance of the card. The University Controller’s Office, with the assistance of the Office of General Services and JP Morgan Chase, will provide the necessary literature and training to the campus. These training sessions are designed as a “train-the-trainer” course for the campus PA and the procurement staff. The PA, with the assistance of the procurement staff, will provide necessary campus end-user training.

Cardholder training will cover the use of the procurement card consistent with New York State policy, as well as University and campus specific procurement practices. Each cardholder will also be given instruction in the use of the Web P-Card application.

Upon completion of the training, the cardholder will sign a copy of the JP Morgan Chase Cardholder Acknowledgement Form. By signing this form, the cardholder acknowledges that they have read and understand the terms and conditions of the program.

Cardholder

By activating and signing the procurement card, the employee agrees to participate in the State University procurement card program and assumes responsibility in accordance with program guidelines. Failure to abide by these terms may be viewed as grounds for disciplinary action up to and including dismissal. These responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

The State University procurement card is to be used for business expenditures only.

The procurement card may not be used for personal use, business travel or entertainment purposes.

The procurement card will be issued in the name of the employee. By accepting the card, the employee assumes responsibility for the card and will be accountable for all charges made with the card. The card is not transferable and may not be used by anyone other than the cardholder.

The University procurement card must be maintained with the highest level of security. If the card is lost or stolen, or if the cardholder suspects the card or account number has been compromised, the cardholder agrees to immediately notify JP Morgan Chase customer service and his/her manager.

All charges will be billed and paid directly by your Agency. Therefore, the cardholder’s credit rating is not affected by participating in the New York State procurement card program. On a monthly basis, the cardholder will download a statement listing all activity associated with the card. This activity will include purchases and credits made during the reporting period. While the cardholder will not be responsible for making payments, the cardholder will be responsible for the verification and reconciliation of all account activity.

Cardholder accounts may be subject to periodic internal control reviews and audits designed to protect the interests of New York State. By accepting the card, the cardholder agrees to comply with these reviews and audits. The cardholder may be asked to produce the card to validate its existence and produce statements and receipts to verify appropriate use.

Policies and procedures related to the procurement card program may be updated or changed at any time. New York State will promptly notify all cardholders of these changes. The cardholder agrees to and will be responsible for the execution of any program changes.

The cardholder agrees to surrender and cease use of his/her card upon termination of employment whether for retirement, voluntary separation, resignation or dismissal. In addition, the cardholder must surrender and cease use of the card in the event of transfer or relocation. The cardholder may also be asked to surrender the card at any time deemed necessary by Agency management.

Misuse or fraudulent use of the card may result in disciplinary action and may be grounds for dismissal.

The procurement card will be used to buy business related goods and services that are within the guidelines of New York State's procurement card program and the Office of the State Comptroller Guide to Financial Operations.

The procurement card may not be used for:

Personal Use
Business Travel (Airfare, Hotels, etc.) – the Travel Card is to be used for such travel expenses
Non-Employee Travel – the NET Card is to be used for such travel expenses
Cash Advances

If you have questions regarding the appropriate use of the procurement card, contact your campus PA.

To make a purchase using the New York State Procurement Card, follow the same general procedures used for any type of credit card purchase.

All purchases made using the procurement card should be supported by store receipts, Visa® charge slips, shipping detail, etc. The documentation must be maintained and stored for reconciliation, auditing and tax purposes. In addition, these documents will be necessary to resolve billing and shipping disputes.

At the end of each billing cycle, cardholders are instructed to download their billing activity statement from PaymentNet. The cardholder activity statement includes a listing of purchases made and credits received during the monthly cycle. The activity statement is a reference document and not a bill. The cardholder is responsible for verifying all activity listed on the activity statement is accurate. The cardholder may need to refer to previous orders to reconcile credits that may have been posted on the current activity statement.

Cardholder reconciliation procedures include:

Review all transactions listed on the activity statement
Attach all sales receipts and other documentation to the activity statement as support for each transaction
Identify and highlight all discrepancies on the activity statement
Contact supplier directly to resolve discrepancies
Review the reconciled activity statement (with attached receipts) with cardholder's supervisor for approval
Forward statement and receipts to campus PA

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Sanctions List

The OFAC Sanctions List is mandated and maintained by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. Per JPMC’s OFAC Sanctions Screening document:

“OFAC administers and enforces economic sanctions programs primarily against countries and groups of individuals, such as terrorists and narcotics traffickers. The sanctions can either be comprehensive or selective.

OFAC rules generally require that U.S. persons (all persons and entities within the U.S., all U.S. incorporated entities and their foreign branches) are prohibited from transacting with persons on a government sanctions list. As a U.S. entity and a regulated financial institution, we are required to ensure individuals who are listed on a government sanctions list do not use our products.”

The OGS centralized contract with JP Morgan Chase mandates that Authorized Users would only have to provide prospective cardholders’ names in most instances. JP Morgan Chase will contact the Program Administrator if an applicant’s name comes back as a match on the OFAC list. They will only ask for a one or two additional pieces of cardholder information to confirm that the applicant is not the one on the OFAC list. JP Morgan Chase will start with the date of birth (DOB) and if that does not match the name on the OFAC list then the application process will continue. However, if the DOB matches the one on the OFAC list, then an additional step is needed, and JP Morgan Chase will then ask for the applicant’s home address. If the applicant’s address does not match the one on the OFAC list, then JP Morgan Chase will be able to proceed with the application process. If any of this required information is not provided, then JP Morgan Chase will not be able to process the application.

If JP Morgan Chase reaches out to verify the OFAC information and the Authorized User refused to provide the information, the card will be canceled or not issued to the applicant.

Please see the JP Morgan Chase OFAC Sanctions Screening document posted on our Contract Specifics page at: Contract Specifics.

For more information, please visit the OFAC website: https://ofac.treasury.gov/