Flowchart of Events

1. With permission of the department supervisor, the cardholder uses the purchase card to place a purchase for items/services corresponding to the business purposes of the respective department with a reputable vendor. The receipt and/or invoice are forwarded to the assigned liaison.
2. The vendor processes the credit card transaction and provides a receipt of payment to the cardholder.
3. Visa processes the transaction and either authorizes or declines the card.
4. Bank of America uploads all transactions to The Citadel at the end of the month for reconciliation within Banner. Credit Card statement is mailed to the cardholder at the end of the month.
5. Liaison collects all credit card statements and supporting documentation (receipts, invoices, package slips) to perform reconciliation within Banner.
6. Liaison has 10 days from date of notice to review all transactions, change Banner account information, dispute charges, and prepare monthly certification for for cardholder(s) and Department Supervisor to sign.
7. Liaison retains all documentation for future reference and audits. Transactions using Federal funds are kept on file for seven fiscal years. All other transactions are kept on file for 3 fiscal years.
8. Purchase Card Coordinator performs annual audits of each department for assurance of compliance to all Citadel Purchase Card policies.

Keeping Purchase Card Records

Cardholders are to provide their assigned liaisons all records of purchases on a monthly basis including the monthly credit card statement and proof of purchases in the form of a receipts, invoices, and package slips.  The assigned department liaison is responsible for retaining records for a period of 3 years for all purchases and for 7 years for purchases funded with federal funds.

What You Can and Can Not Buy

The standard Citadel Purchase Card may not be used for personal items.  Prohibited items include but are not limited to:

• Any purchase or combination of purchases over $2,500
• Memberships to organizations unrelated to business purpose at The Citadel or memberships too costly the the State to have individual memberships.  Any membership to a charitable organization.
• All employee travel including hotels, air travel, car rental, meals
• Maintenance agreements in which contracts require authorized signatures
• Lease agreements and/or expenditures for contracts for any lease or loaned equipment
• Department luxury items such as microwaves, coffee machines, refigerators, freezers, or any personal employee items that are not standard and necessary for all employees to carry out respective duties for The Citadel.
• Consultants
• Food for consumption by employees
• Entertainment
• Telephone or cell phone charges (Contact Citadel Telecommunications)
• Gift cards, gift certificates, cash advances, or any item that can be immediately converted to cash.
• Fuel, gasoline

The standard Citadel Purchase Card may be used for:

• Purchases under $2,500 for unrestricted items/services.
• Membership dues for certifications for individuals when there is a direct benefit to The Citadel and the cost is reasonable
• Registration fees
• Advertising - relative to departmental business purpose
• Fed-Ex / UPS shipping, postage, freight
• Printing
• Lab supplies
• Office supplies
• Educational supplies
• Subscriptions to educational journals, magazines, newspapers, periodicals, bulletins, test sheets

Violations

Please know that participating in The Citadel Program is a privilege granted to accepted applicants with proper approvals and authorization.  The deliberate, fraudulent, or illegal misuse of The Citadel Purchase Card may result in the immediate revocation of the card and possible termination of employment.  The progressive disciplinary procedures are described in chapter 4 of the Procurement Card Policies and Procedures Manual.

Splitting Transactions

The maximum transaction amount allowed (grand total including shipping charges and tax) may not exceed $2,500 for a single purchase.  Circumvention of this rule, such as splitting a large invoice into two or more payments, is strictly prohibited.

Allocating Transactions in Banner

Liaisons must use module FAAINVT within Banner Finance to assign card purchases to the correct Index, Fund, Organization and Account.

Identifying and Assigning Use Tax

Vendors are responsible for charging sales tax for purchases placed within the state of South Carolina.  The consumer is responsible for paying use taxes for purchases placed from vendors located outside the state of South Carolina.  Use tax is a tax on tangible personal property purchased out of state and brought into South Carolina for use, storage, consumption, or distribution.  If an out-of-state vendor did not charge sales tax on a tangible non-exempt item, assign use tax to the purchase within the module FAAINVT in Banner by placing "USETAX" in the Actv field.