Welcome to The Citadel's Purchasing Card Program. As an agency
of the State of South Carolina, The Citadel is participating in the program
designed to help you better manage low-dollar supply purchases and bring many
benefits to you, the College, and our vendors.
The success of the Purchasing Card Program and its continuing
use depends on your participation and cooperation. Please be sure to read and
follow the program guidelines as specified within this manual.
What is the Purchasing Card?
The Purchasing Card is a Visa credit card issued by Bank of America.
It is a fast, flexible new purchasing tool which offers an alternative to the
existing College purchasing processes and provides an extremely efficient and
effective method for purchasing and paying for supplies with a total value of
$1,500 or less.
The Visa Purchasing Card will enale you to purchase non-restricted
commodities, by telephone or in person, directly from the vendors. It will eventually
eliminate the need for issuing many low dollar purchase orders and departmental
orders.
The Visa Purchasing Card will be issued in the employee's name
with the State of South Carolina emblem, the wording "For Official Use Only"
and the "The Citadel" clearly indicated on the card.
The Purchasing Card
program
brings many benefits to...
Cardholders - You will be able
to obtain supplies directly from your vendors without using a purchase order
or departmental order. This streamlines the purchasing process and can help
improve turnaround time on receipt of your order. It significantly reduces the
workload and processing costs related to the purchase and payment of supplies.
The College - The Purchasing Card
program provides a cost-efficient, alternative method for purchasing low-dollar
supplies. Built-in card features make the program easy to control and manage
and reduces processing costs at all levels by reducing the number of departmental
orders, requisitions, purchase orders, invoices and checks. The Purchasing
Card enables all departments to focus on higher yield value added activities.
Vendors - The Purchasing Card
will be welcomed by vendors who accept VISA. When they accept the card for business
purchases, vendors need not send invoices to the College, and they will receive
payment directly from Bank of America within 48 hours.
Personnel Involved
Agency - The Citadel who arranges
with the card issuer, Bank of America, for the issuance of Purchasing Cards
to approved College's employees and agrees to accept departmental liability
for the employees' use of the cards.
Cardholder - an employee of the
College who is approved by his/her department head to use the Purchasing Card
to execute purchase transactions on behalf of the College.
Card Issuer - Bank of America's
services were contracted for by the State of South Carolina, to issue Visa Purchasing
Cards to College employees, to bill the College for all purchases made on the
cards, and to collect payment from the College on behalf of the vendors.
Department Head - College official
who must approve employee's request for a Purchasing Card, assign Departmental
Liaison, designate default account number for purchases on the Purchasing Card,
and submit application to the College Purchasing Card Coordinator. Department
Head approval delegates transaction authority to the Cardholder.
Departmental Liaison - an employee
in each department responsible for proper use of the Purchasing Card within
that department. Each Cardholder will be assigned a Departmental Liaison and
the liaison will be responsible for reviewing transactions of individual Cardholders
to make sure the transactions are classified as an appropriate College expense.
Purchasing Card Coordinator -
the central coordinator located in Procurement Services who coordinates the
Purchasing Card program for the College and acts as the College's intermediary
in correspondence with the card issuer.
Vendor - the merchant from whom
a Cardholder is making a purchase.
Cardholder Eligibility
Criteria to receive a College Purchasing Card is as follows:
- Applicant must be an employee of the College.
- Applicant's request for a Purchasing Card must be approved by his/her
Department Head. Department Head will provide the name of the Departmental
Liaison to whom Cardholder will be assigned and the default College account
number for the Purchasing Card. Approved request is sent to College
Purchasing Card Coordinator.
- Employee must attend training session before he/she may be issued a Purchasing
Card.
- Each individual Cardholder must sign a Cardholder agreement in the presence
of the College Purchasing Card Coordinator.
Key Cardholder Responsibilities
The following are several key areas that require ongoing Cardholder
support. A Cardholder must:
- Ensure the Purchasing Card is used only for legitimate business purposes.
Misuse of the card will subject Cardholder to disciplinary
action in accordance with College Policies and Procedures relating to disciplinary
action and termination for cause.
- Adhere to the purchase limits and restrictions of the Purchasing Card
and ensure that the total transaction amount of any single transaction does
not exceed $1,500. Furthermore, the Cardholder must ensure that all purchases
are within all other spending and vendor guidelines established by the College.
- Ensure that the Purchasing Card is only used by the approved Cardholder.
Use by anyone other than the approved Cardholder is strictly prohibited.
The Purchasing Card is not transferable between Cardholders.
- Obtain all sales slips, register receipts, and/or Purchasing Card slips
and provide to Departmental Liaison for reconciliation, approval and allocation
of transactions. A Cardholder must also notify the Departmental Liaison
if the default account number should be changed on an individual transaction.
- Note on the receipt the reason for the purchase. For example , office
supplies, meeting registration, for Professor _____; clock for classroom.
- A cardholder must also notify the Department Liaison if the default account
number should be changed on an individual transaction. Note on the invoice
or receipt the account number and object code if the item should be changed
to something other than the default account number and object code.
- If the purchase related to a meeting registration, note ont he recipt
the employee's Social Security number and Travel Authorization number. All
expenditures for regististration should use the correct registration object
code.
- Turn all invoices into the Department Liaison by the 1st day of the each
month.
- Under no circumstances should a Cardholder accept cash in lieu of a credit
to the Purchasing Card account.
- Call Bank of America at 1-800-538-8788 immediately (24 hours a day, 365
days a year) to report a Purchasing Card lost or stolen. A Cardholder must
also notify the College Purchasing Card Coordinator about a lost or stolen
Purchasing Card at the first opportunity during business hours.
- Return Purchasing Card to Departmental Liaison upon terminating employment
with the College or transferring Departments within the College.
Key Departmental Liaison Responsibilities
Each Department Head must designate one or more Departmental Liaisons
for his/her department. The Department Head will assign a Departmental Liaison
for each Purchasing Card application approved for his/her employees. A Departmental
Liaison may also be liaison for his/her own card. The Departmental Liaison must
receive training on the use of the Purchasing Card before any individuals in
the department may receive a Purchasing Card. Responsibilities include:
- Collecting vendor receipts and purchasing card receipts from Cardholders
and reconciling to Bank of America billing statements. Organize the
receipts in the same order as they are listed on the Purchasing Card statement
and attach them to the statement.
- Ensure there are invoices or receipts for all charges. If not, ask the
cardholder to obtain missing receipts. Retain all charge slips and receipts
for audit by internal and external auditors.
- Ensure that explanation for charges, account numbers, and travel inforamtion
are written on receipts as necessary.
- Approving and/or updating default account numbers on the Purchasing Card
System of individual cardholder accounts in advance of the monthly default
cutoff date for approval established by the College Purchasing Card Coordinator.
- Identifying transactions that require the submission of "use tax"
to the SC Department of Revenue. Determine if sales tax indicators need
to be changed to "NO" on PCS because an item was purchased from
an out-of-state vendor and no SC sales tax was charged.
- Complete and sign monthly purchasing card certification sheet and retain
with monthly statements of all transactions.Obtain signature of cardholder
and department head.
- Receipts, invoices, and purchasing card statement should be retained for
a period of three years. Please note requirement changes to 7 years, if
purchases relate to federal grants.
- It is recommended to maintain montly folders by fiscal year ( July - June.)
The folder should contain the monthly statements with all receipts and invoices
attache das back up.
- Attempting to resolve any disputes with vendor and/or Bank of America
not resolved by Cardholder. Notifying College Purchasing Card Coordinator
in 3 to 5 days of any unresolved disputes, noting the reason for dispute.
- Requesting the College Purchasing Card Coordinator to change default account
for individual cards as needed and approved by Department Head.
- Alerting the Pruchasing Card Coordinator ( John Walker /Jalorie Robinson),
Financial Services, or the Internal Auditor is you suspect a deparmental
purhcasing card is being used inapproproately.
- Notifying College Purchasing Card Coordinator of lost or stolen cards.
- Requesting College Purchasing Card Coordinator to cancel a Cardholder's
card e.g.(terminated employees, transferring departments, loss of purchasing
card privileges) as approved by Department Head.
- Collecting canceled cards from Cardholders and forwarding to College
Purchasing Card Coordinator.
College Purchasing Card Coordinator Responsibilities
The Director of Procurement Services or his designee shall be
responsible for the over-all Purchasing Card program. Responsibilities include:
- College liaison with Bank of America
- Reviewing Department approved applications for completeness of required
information.
- Submitting completed application to Bank of America and receiving Purchasing
Cards from Bank of America.
- Training Departmental Liaisons before releasing Purchasing Cards.
- Training Cardholder before releasing Purchasing Card.
- Having Cardholder sign Cardholder agreement, signifying agreement with
the terms of the Purchasing Card program.
- Handling disputed charges/ discrepancies not resolved by Cardholder or
Departmental Liaison.
- Initiating change of Purchasing Card default account number upon request
of Department Liaison as approved by Department Head.
- Securing revoked Purchasing Cards and submitting information to Bank
of America.
- Receiving Bank of America bill and electronically distributing to Department
Liaisons.
- Electronically notifying Department Liaisons of Bank of America billing
distribution and advising Liaison of cutoff date for approvals.
- Processing upload of bill to accounting for charging individual departments.
- Reviewing usage of Purchasing Card data for appropriateness.
Requirements For Receiving a Purchasing Card
Before receiving a Purchasing Card, the Cardholder is required
to attend purchasing card training , fill out a purchsing card application,
obtain Department Head and Department Liaision signatures and sign The Citadel
Purchasing Card Cardholder Agreement. By signing this agreement, the Cardholder
indicates that he/she understands the intent of the program, and will comply
with all guidelines of this Manual as well as College Policies and Procedures
relating to the expenditure of College funds.
Purchasing Card Maintenance and Closure
All contact with Bank of America for card set up, maintenance
and closure (except for reporting lost or stolen cards) will be handled by the
College Purchasing Card Coordinator who is located in Procurement Services.
The College Purchasing Card Coordinator is required to close an
account if a Cardholder:
- Transfers to a different College department
- Moves to a new job where a Purchasing Card is not required
- Terminates College employment
- For any of the following reasons which will also subject Cardholder to
disciplinary action in accordance with College Policies and Procedures relating
to disciplinary action and termination for cause:
- The card is used for personal or unauthorized purposes.
- The card is used to purchase alcoholic beverages or any substance,
material, or service which violates policy, law or regulation pertaining
to the College.
- The Cardholder allows the card to be used by another individual.
- The Cardholder splits a purchase to circumvent the limitations of the
South Carolina Consolidated Procurement Code.
- The Cardholder uses another Cardholder's card to circumvent the purchase
limit assigned to either Cardholder or the limitations of the South Carolina
Consolidated Procurement Code.
- The Cardholder fails to provide Departmental Liaison with required
receipts.
- The Cardholder fails to provide, when requested, information about
any specific purchase.
- The Cardholder does not adhere to all of the Purchasing Card policy
and procedures.
Purchasing Card Use
The card works just like your personal credit card, except all
charges are paid in full by the College. It is to be used only for the purchase
of supplies and certain services. The Citadel spending parameters for each Purchasing
Card issued are set at $1,500 per transaction with a maximum of $5,000 per month
per card. The Citadel will adjust limits as determined by demonstrated need.
The State of South Carolina and The Citadel require that certain
types of vendors be blocked from Purchasing Card use. Among these are travel,
registration fees, entertainment, and cash transactions. Please refer to the
listing in the back of this manual for the types of vendors where the Purchasing
Card may not be used. Transactions will be blocked at the point-of-sale level.
Purchasing Card/Account Number
Security and Storage
Cardholders should always treat the College Purchasing Card with
at least the same level of care as one does their own personal credit cards.
The card should be maintained in a secure location and the card account number
should be carefully guarded. The only person entitled to use the card is the
person whose name appears on the face of the card. The card may not be lent
to another person for any reason.
The Departmental Liaison assigned to each Purchasing Card will
maintain the Cardholder's vendor receipts/packing slips/charge slips. All other
documentation concerning the Purchasing Card program will be maintained by the
College Purchasing Card Coordinator located in Procurement Services. This documentation
includes, but is not limited to, applications, Cardholder agreements, agency
billing statements, reconciliation of accounting statements, and copies of transmittals
and correspondence with Bank of America
Cardholder Liability
The Purchasing Card is a corporate charge card and will not affect
your personal credit. It is your responsibility to ensure that the card is used
within stated guidelines of this Manual as well as College Policies and Procedures
relating to the expenditure of College Funds. Failure to comply with program
guidelines may result in permanent revocation of the card, notification of the
situation to management, and disciplinary action in accordance with College
Policies and Procedures relating to disciplinary action and termination for
cause.
Lost, Misplaced or Stolen Purchasing Cards
Report any lost or stolen Purchasing Card immediately to Bank
of America toll-free at 1-800-538-8788. Bank of America representatives are
available to assist you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Be sure to notify your
Department Liaison and/or the College Purchasing Card Coordinator about the
lost or stolen card at the first opportunity during normal business hours.
Completing a Purchasing Card Transaction
Follow these general guidelines when using your card or account
number to make a purchase:
- Determine if the intended supply purchase is within spending and
vendor guidelines.
- For face to face transactions provide the vendor with your Purchasing
Card plastic or for telephone orders give the vendor your account number
and expiration date.
- Obtain a copy of the charge slip, sales receipt and/or packing slips.
- Provide all receipts to Departmental Liaison.
- If order is by telephone or fax, provide Departmental Liaison with a
copy of the order blank or description of the order.
- Notify Departmental Liaison of alternate account number for purchase
to be charged if different than the default College account number assigned
to the Purchasing Card.
Erroneous Declines
There may be certain situations when a vendor receives a decline
message when processing your Purchasing Card transaction. If you do not know
the reason for the decline, contact Bank of America at 1- 800-538-8788 for an
explanation. If the decline was in error, the Cardholder should immediately
contact the College Purchasing Card Coordinator for assistance. If purchase
is being made outside of normal College business hours, the employee must find
an alternate payment method or terminate the purchase and contact the College
Purchasing Card Coordinator during normal College hours.
Emergency Transactions
Emergency transactions over $1,500 may not be handled with the
Purchasing Card due to State procurement regulations. For any transaction which
does not meet the spending controls assigned to the card, the Cardholder must
contact Procurement Services for assistance.
Credits
The vendor should issue a credit to your card account for any
item they have agreed to accept for return. This credit will appear on a subsequent
statement. Under no circumstances should you accept cash in lieu of a credit
to the Purchasing Card account.
Disputes & Billing Errors
You should always attempt to resolve any disputes or billing errors
directly with the vendor. In most cases, the vendor will issue a credit to the
card account. If an agreement cannot be reached with the vendor, you should
contact Bank of America at 1-800-538-8788. Bank of America may request you to
mail or fax to 1-800-253-5846 a signed "Dispute
Form" to document the reason for the dispute. A "Dispute
Form" is included as an attachment to this manual.
Nearly all issues can be resolved using this process. If you are
unable to obtain an acceptable resolution, the Cardholder or Departmental Liaison
must contact the College Purchasing Card Coordinator for assistance. The total
amount billed by Bank of America will be charged to the individual departmental
accounts and credits for disputed transactions will be posted to departmental
accounts when credit appears on the Bank of America billing.
Sales and Use Tax
Purchases From Vendors Located In South Carolina - The vendor
is responsible for collecting retail sales tax at the point of sale. The amount
of sales tax should be indicated on the receipt provided by the vendor.
Purchases From Vendors Located Outside South Carolina - If sales
tax is paid in another state, a use tax credit is allowed for the College, therefore,
no South Carolina tax is due. The individual receipt provided by the vendor
should indicate whether any out-of-state sales tax has been collected at the
point of sale.
Vendor Participation
If a vendor frequently used by College employees does not accept
the Visa card, the College will assist in recruiting the vendor to take the
necessary steps to begin acceptance of the card. Cardholders should contact
the Departmental Liaison or College Purchasing Card Coordinator when encountering
vendors who do not accept the card.
Audit Assistance
Your Department Liaison and the College Purchasing Card Coordinator
will assist the College and The State of South Carolina in periodic audits of
your compliance with the guidelines of the Purchasing Card program, College
policies and procedures relating to the expenditure of College funds as well
as Cardholder Memo Statements and other required documentation.
Customer Service
Bank of America Customer Service is available 24 hours a day,
365 days a year at 1-800-538-8788 for:
- Reporting a lost or stolen card
- Disputes or billing errors
- Account information
For all other questions or issues, please contact the College Purchasing Card
Coordinator located in Procurement Services, telephone 953-6861 or 953-5279.
Vendor Blocking
The State of South Carolina requires that certain types of vendors
be blocked from Purchasing Card use. Transactions will be blocked at the point-of-sale
level. You may not use your card to make purchases from the following types
of vendors.
- 3000 - 3299 Airlines
- 3351 - 3440 Automobile Rentals
- 3501 - 3722 Hotels and Motels
- 4011 Railroads
- 4111 Local/Suburban Commuter Passenger Transportation, Including Ferries
- 4112 Passenger Railways
- 4121 Taxicabs/Limousines
- 4214 Motor Freight Carriers, Trucking -- Local/Long Distance, Moving
& Storage Companies -- Local Delivery Services
- 4411 Steamship/Cruise Lines
- 4511 Airlines, Air Carriers (Not Elsewhere Classified)
- 4582 Airports, Flying Fields, Airport Terminals
- 4722 Travel Agencies
- 4723 TUI Travel
- 4761 Transportation/Travel-Related Arrangement Services-Mail or Telephone
Order (Excluding Travel Agencies)
- 4784 Toll and Bridge Fees
- 4789 Transportation Services (Not Elsewhere Classified)
- 4814 Telecommunication Service Including Local and Long Distance Calls,
Credit Card Calls, Calls Through Use of Magnetic-Strip-Reading Telephones,
and Fax Services
- 4815 VisaPhone
- 4821 Telegraph Services
- 4829 Wire Transfer - Money Orders
- 4899 Cable & Other Pay Television Svcs.
- 4900 Utilities - Electric, Gas, Water, Sanitary
- 5094 Precious Stones & Metals, Watches & Jewelry
- 5172 Petroleum & Petroleum Products
- 5271 Mobile Home Dealers
- 5309 Duty Free Stores
- 5411 Grocery Stores, Supermarkets
- 5422 Freezer & Locker Meat Provisions
- 5441 Candy, Nut, and Confectionery Stores
- 5451 Dairy Products Stores
- 5462 Bakeries
- 5499 Miscellaneous Food Stores - Specialty, Markets, Convenience
- 5541 Service Stations (with or without ancillary services)
- 5542 Automated Fuel Dispensers
- 5561 Recreational & Utility Trailers, Camper Dealers
- 5571 Motorcycle Dealers
- 5592 Motor Home Dealers
- 5598 Snowmobile Dealers
- 5681 Furriers & Fur Shops
- 5698 Wig and Toupee Stores
- 5811 Caterers
- 5812 Eating Places, Restaurants
- 5813 Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) Bars, Taverns, Cocktail Lounges,
Nightclubs
- 5814 Fast Food Restaurants
- 5921 Package Stores - Beer, Wine & Liquor
- 5932 Antique Shops
- 5933 Pawn Shops
- 5944 Jewelry Stores, Watches, Clocks, and Silverware Stores
- 5960 Direct Marketing Insurance Svcs.
- 5962 Direct Marketing Travel-Related Arrangement Services
- 5963 Direct Selling Establishments/Door-to-Door Sales
- 5966 Outbound Telemarketing Merchant
- 5971 Art Dealers & Galleries
- 5993 Cigar Stores & Stands
- 5997 Electric Razor Stores - Sales & Service
- 6010 Financial Institutions - Manual Cash Disbursements
- 6011 Financial Institutions - Automated Cash Disbursements
- 6012 Financial Institutions - Merchandise & Svcs.
- 6051 Non-Financial Institutions -- Foreign Currency, Money Orders (not
wire transfer), and Travelers Cheques
- 6211 Security Brokers/Dealers
- 6300 Insurance Sales & Underwriting
- 6381 Insurance Premiums
- 6399 Insurance (Not Elsewhere Classified)
- 6611 Overpayments
- 6760 Savings Bonds
- 7011 Lodging _ Hotels, Motels, Resorts, Central Reservation Svcs., (Not
Elsewhere)
- 7012 Timeshares
- 7230 Barber & Beauty Shops
- 7273 Dating & Escort Svcs.
- 7276 Tax Preparation Service
- 7277 Counseling Svc - Debt, Marriage, Personal
- 7278 Buying-Shopping Serv., Clubs
- 7280 Hospital Patient Personal Funds Withdrawal Accounts
- 7295 Baby-sitting Services
- 7296 Clothing Rental - Costumes, Uniforms
- 7297 Massage Parlors
- 7298 Health & Beauty Spas
- 7321 Consumer Credit Reporting Agencies
- 7361 Employment Agencies, Temporary Help Services
- 7392 Management, Consulting and Public Relations Services
- 7393 Detective Agencies, Protective Services, and Security Services,
Including Armored Cars and Guard Dogs
- 7512 Car Rental Agencies (Not Elsewhere Classified)
- 7519 Motor Home & Recreational Vehicle Rentals
- 7524 Express Payment Service Merchants - Parking Lots
- 7542 Car Washes
- 7833 Express Payment Service Merchants - Motion Picture Theaters
- 7929 Bands, Orchestras, Entertainers
- 7995 Betting (Including Lottery Tickets, Casino Gaming Chips, Off-track
Betting & Wagers) 7997 Membership Clubs (Sports, Recreation, Athletic),
Country Clubs, Private Golf Courses 8011 Doctors
- 8021 Dentists, Orthodontists
- 8031 Osteopaths
- 8041 Chiropractors
- 8042 Optometrists, Opthamologists
- 8043 Opticians
- 8044 Optical Goods & Eyeglasses
- 8049 Chiropodists, Podiatrists
- 8050 Nursing & Personal Care Facilities
- 8062 Hospitals
- 8071 Medical & Dental Laboratories
- 8099 Medical Services & Health Practitioners (Not Elsewhere Classified)
- 8111 Legal Services, Attorneys
- 8211 Elementary and Secondary Schools
- 8241 Correspondence Schools
- 8244 Business & Secretarial Schools
- 8249 Vocational & Trade Schools
- 8299 Schools & Educational Services (Not Elsewhere Classified)
- 8351 Child Care Services
- 8398 Charitable & Social Service Organizations
- 8641 Civic, Social, and Fraternal Associations
- 8651 Political Organizations
- 8661 Religious Organizations
- 8675 Automobile Associations
- 8699 Membership Organizations (Not Elsewhere Classified)
- 8931 Accounting, Auditing, and Bookkeeping Services
- 9211 Court Costs, Including Alimony and Child Support)
- 9222 Fines
- 9223 Bail and Bond Payment
- 9311 Tax Payments
- 9399 Government Services (Not Elsewhere Classified)
- 9411 Government Loan Payments
- 9700 Automated Rental Service
- 9751 U.K. Supermarkets - Electronic Hot File (For Regional Use Only)
- 9752 U.K. Petrol Stations - Electronic Hot File (For Regional Use Only)
