HOW
TO USE YOUR CARD
Ordering Process:
The Purchasing Card may be used to purchase approved goods
and services in person (at the point of sale), over the phone, by mail
or over the Internet. Please remember when using your card over the Internet,
to be sure that you are using a secure site. Prior to placing the order,
check the University and State Contract Supplier Listing for the applicable
contract suppliers for the product or service you are about to order.
All Cardholders are obligated to order required goods and services from
those suppliers who are authorized contract suppliers to the University.
When placing your order, please be sure to provide the
vendor the following information:
- Identify yourself as a University of Connecticut employee.
- State that you are making the purchase using a MasterCard
Purchasing Card.
- State that it is a tax-exempt purchase and provide
number listed on reverse side of the card. State Cardholder name.
- Provide individual charge card number and expiration
date on charge card.
- Provide Complete delivery address including building
and room number.
- State the appropriate University or State contract
that you are using to insure that you receive correct pricing and applicable
prompt payment discounts.
- State the quantity and description of the items being
ordered.
- Verify the total cost of the Purchase with the vendor.
- Furnish any other information that may be required.
Note: Please inform the vendor not to send a bill
or invoice to the ordering department or Accounts Payable. Submitting
an invoice for a charge card transaction may result in a duplicate payment.
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Shipping Instructions:
Important: Tell
the vendor that the address label/packing list that accompanies the package
must contain the following information:
Cardholders Name
Department Name
Building and Room Number
Street Address, Unit Number
Storrs, CT 06069
Packages that are not labeled as above described may delay
the delivery of items ordered indefinitely. Under no circumstance should
the vendor indicate the Purchasing Card number on any address label or
packing list. Listing of same would threaten the security of your card.
Upon receipt of your order, keep the documentation received
from the vendor (typically a sales receipt, cash register receipt, or
packing slip) for later reconciliation (refer to Record Keeping). Each
month you will receive a Cardholder statement listing all of your purchases.
Check this statement against your sales receipts and packing slips to
ensure that you have received all the goods for which you have been charged.
Upon reconciliation, forward the statements and all supporting
documentation to the individual within your department, school or center
who has been assigned responsibility for document retention (Record Manager).
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University Bookstore-Co-op:
The Purchasing Card may be used for departmental purchases from the University
Bookstore/Co-op. A BO-46 is not required. The Purchasing Card cannot
be used for personal purchases of any type from the Bookstore/Co-op
or for any other restricted purchases identified in this user manual.
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Proof of Purchase
Documentation:
With the authority to purchase comes the responsibility for maintaining
adequate documentation at the source of the transaction. It is the responsibility
of each department to develop a process and assign responsibility for
document retention in accordance with the requirements set forth in this
manual.
Each month you will receive a Cardholder statement listing all of your
purchases. Check this statement against your sales receipts and packing
slips to ensure that you have received all the goods for which you have
been charged. Adequate documentation must be maintained to record the
transaction at the source. Documentation must support the legitimate business
purpose of all transactions made with the Purchasing Card. The following
are examples of supporting documentation:
- Copies of order forms or applications;
- Internal order form if applicable;
- Cash register receipts;
- Sales receipts; and/or
- Vendor order number if any, for telephone orders.
Upon verification, forward the statement and all supporting
documentation to the individual within your department school or center
who has been assigned responsibility for reconciliation and document retention
(Record Manager).
The Cardholder statement you receive is for your information
and audit purposes only. The University will pay JP Morgan Chase directly. Use
of the Purchasing Card will in no way affect or change your personal credit
history.
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Disputing
a Transaction:
The Cardholder is responsible for following up with a
vendor regarding any erroneous charges, disputed items or returns within
fifteen (15) business days from receipt of the bank statement. A Cardholder
may dispute a charge that appears on their monthly charge card statement.
Disputed charges can result from failure to receive goods, fraud or misuse,
altered charges, defective merchandise, incorrect amounts, duplicate charges,
credits not processed, etc. The Cardholder should contact the vendor first
to resolve any outstanding issues. Most issues can be resolved this way.
If the Cardholder is unable to reach agreement with the
vendor, the next step is to complete a "Statement of Questioned Item"
form and send it along with any supporting documentation to the following
address:
Purchasing Card Program
Administrator
Nancy Patrylak, Purchasing Department
3 North Hillside Road Unit 6076
Storrs, Connecticut 06269
All disputed transactions must be submitted to the Purchasing
Card Administrator within fifty (50) days of the monthly cycle date. Your
request will be sent directly to JP Morgan Chase for review. When JP Morgan Chase has
completed its investigation, the Cardholder will be informed of the resolution
and any corrections that were made.
Please note that, by law, vendors are not permitted to
bill your credit card for purchases until the items have been shipped.
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Receipt
of Goods/Returning Item(s):
Receipt of
Goods and Services:
The Cardholder is responsible for ensuring receipt of
goods and services and follow-up with the vendor to resolve any delivery
problems, discrepancies or damaged goods.
Returning
Item(s):
Item(s) should be returned directly to the vendor by whichever
means the vendor requires. The Cardholder is responsible to see that the
proper charge is posted for any returned item(s). (refer to Disputing
a Transaction).
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Using the Purchasing
Card for Grant Purchases:
The Purchasing Card may be utilized for grant purchases,
however, the use of card for a grant or contract requires some forethought
since the purchasing authority has been transferred to you through issuance
of the card. Careful judgement must be exercised before you make a purchase
with the card against grants. You must clearly understand what constitutes
an allowable charge to your particular program. You should be aware, for
example, that supplies on grants must be "lab" and not office supplies.
If you have questions in this area the staff in the Office of Sponsored
Programs remains available to assist you.
Grant Purchases Checklist:
- Grant purchases are permitted provided that the item
purchased is an allowable charge against the grant;
- The Purchasing Card can not be used for charging departmental
costs to a grant account;
- Grant purchases must be made in accordance with the
restrictions terms and conditions of the grant;
- The grant account cannot be used as a clearing account
for card purchases;
- FRS account and subcode assigned to the purchase must
be appropriate;
- When placing an order against a grant account, the
"received date" must be within the terms of the grant or contract;
- Card purchases can be charged to a grant account through
the re-allocation process only. If an incorrect account or subcode is
used, correction shall be required and accomplished through a subsequent
cost transfer;
- Submit Purchasing Card Log with supporting documentation
to Record Manager within prescribed deadlines;
- A direct benefit must be shown for all card purchases
made against a grant account;
- Any questions should be directed to the Office of Grants
and Contracts.
Where can you
use the card?:
The card can be utilized at virtually any location that
accepts the MasterCard. You should use University and State Contracts
whenever possible as they offer the most competitive pricing and favorable
terms to the University. A list of University Contract vendors are listed
on the Purchasing Department's
Home Page or State Contracted Vendors on DAS
Website.
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PURCHASING CARD ADMINISTRATION
| Acquiring a Card | Canceling
a Card | Renewal of Purchasing Cards | Lost/Stolen
Card | Misusing the Card | | Record
Keeping | Purchasing Card Audits | Sales
Tax Exemption | Reallocation Process |
Acquiring
a Purchasing Card:
Only regular full or part time employees of the University,
designated by the Department Reporting Authority, will be permitted to
receive a Purchasing Card. An individual may only receive his or her card
after the following:
- Completing an Application Form & Record Manager Form
- Attending a Mandatory Purchasing Card Training Session
- Signing a Cardholder Agreement Form
The Cardholder is required to read the Purchasing Card
User Guide and must adhere to all Purchasing Card policies and procedures
outlined therein. Prospective Cardholders and record managers must be
present at the mandatory training session. Failure to attend this training
session will prevent receipt of the card.
Retired Employees as Cardholders
Retirees returning as part-time employees may continue to hold a Purchasing
Card if all of the following criteria are met:
- The retiree must be returning to work in the same department where
they previously held a Purchasing Card.
- The retiree had no significant Purchasing Card audit findings while
a full time employee.
- Dean or Department Head approves the retirees continued use of the
Purchasing Card.
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Canceling
Purchasing Cards:
To cancel a Purchasing Card, the card must be cut in half
and sent to the Purchasing Card Program Administrator, Nancy Patrylak
along with a written request for cancellation. All
Cardholders are responsible to notify Purchasing to cancel their card
prior to leaving the University or accepting a position in a new department.
Renewal
of Existing Purchasing Cards:
A New Purchasing Card will automatically be sent to the
Procard Administrator at least thirty (30) days in advance of your current
card's expiration date. Renewed cards will be distributed by the ProCard
Administrator.
Lost or Stolen
Purchasing Cards:
It is the responsibility of the
Cardholder to report a lost or stolen Purchasing Card immediately.
Notification must be made by phone directly to JP Morgan Chase @ (800) 848-2813
and to Nancy Patrylak, the Purchasing Card Program Administrator at 486-2622
at the time of the occurrence.
Verbal reports of lost or stolen Purchasing Cards must
be followed in writing utilizing the "Lost or Stolen Procurement Card
Notification Form" as soon as possible.
Purchasing Card Security:
Only authorized Cardholders may use the Purchasing Card
or up to the maximum of two (2) individuals within the department that
have been granted secondary use authorization by the Cardholder. In granting
this secondary authorization it should be noted that the Cardholder remains
directly responsible for the proper use of the card in accordance with
established procedures. Cards and card numbers must be safeguarded by
the Cardholder against use by unauthorized individuals within or outside
the University.
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Misusing
the Purchasing Card:
The Purchasing Card represents the University's trust
in you and your empowerment as a responsible employee of the University
to safeguard and protect our assets. As a Cardholder, you assume the responsibility
for the protection and proper use of the Purchasing Card.
The following situations are examples of misuse of the
Purchasing Card:
- Use of card for personal purchases;
- Use of card by individual other than Cardholder or
authorized secondary user;
- Use of the card to purchase a restricted item as identified
in the user guide;
- Use of the card in direct violation of acquisition
goals (failure to use existing University or State contracts);
- Use of the card in excess of assigned Cardholder limits,
available budget and/or after the expiration date of a grant or contract;
- Splitting orders at point of sale to avoid the single
transaction limit;
- Re-allocation of non grant expenditure to grant account;
- Receipt of item outside of grant period;
- Inappropriate re-allocation; and/or
- Failure to re-allocate charges within the period specified
for re-allocation.
Misuse of the Purchasing Card will be handled promptly
and uniformly for all Cardholders. Refer to the Post Audit section of
this manual for how consequences of misuse will be handled.
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Record
Keeping:
Purchasing Card transactions. A Purchasing Card Log has
been developed to assist you in the recording and filing of this documention.
Preprinted Purchasing Card Log envelopes will be distributed for recording
transactions as they occur. You can get additional envelopes from Central
Stores. The stock number is 7377.0020. The information contained on this
log must be reconciled to your monthly bank account statement. Additionally,
this envelope should be used to retain supporting documentation.
The following information must be recorded on your Purchasing
Card Log on a monthly basis:
- Card Information:
- Name of Cardholder
- Record Manager
- Department Name
- Closing Statement Date: ***This date MUST be the 23rd
of the statement month (e.g. 9/23/00).
- FRS Account: The FRS account number assigned to your
Purchasing Card; A method will be available to re-allocate expenses
to other FRS accounts and/or subcodes;
- Purchasing Card Number; Transaction Date: The date
you placed the order;
- Vendor Name: The vendor with whom the order was placed;
- Items Purchased: Include general description of the
item(s) purchased, e.g., office, lab, educational and maintenance supplies,
tools, software, and subscriptions;
- Total Price: Include the total cost of the order;
- How item was ordered:
- P = Phone
- M = Mail
- I = In Person
- Vendor Order # : Many vendors will assign an order
or confirmation number to your purchase (usually phone orders). If an
order # is assigned, please make a note of it here. For telephone orders,
please note the full name of individual providing quote in this block.
- Re-allocation: The 10 digit FRS account where the expenditure
is to be transferred. The charge does not belong to the account associated
with your card but is to be redirected to the FRS account # entered
here.
- Date Received: The date the order was received.
- Partial / Final: Note if shipment was partial or complete
and if all items were received?
- Bank Statement: This must be completed. Indicate with
a check mark if item reconciles with the bank statement. Use the comment
area on the record keeping envelope to address unreconciled items.
- Unreconciled items: Might include items not yet received,
damaged or return goods and/or unusual circumstances.
To obtain an electronic Excel version of the Reallocation
Log Sheet, e-mail Nancy Patrylak at Nancy.Patrylak@uconn.edu.
You can also download the Excel
file of the Log Sheet, but you must be using Internet Explorer. Once
you have opened the file in your browser, export it to Excel by clicking
the Excel icon on the menu at the top of the sheet. When the file opens
in Excel, it will be 'read only', so you must save it with another name
before you can begin working. Download the PDF file Instructions
for using the Log Sheet.
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- Supporting Documention: Every care should be exercised in maintaining receipts/invoices. Copies
of invoices are available from the bank at the cost of $5.00 per each
copy which can become very expensive.
- Please remember that the University is a tax
exempt institution and purchases should not include any state sales
tax. If tax was charged, you should get a credit from the vendor.
- Uniform Commercial Code: If you wish to be afforded the protection of the Uniform Commercial
Code (UCC), it is recommended that you obtain a written quote from the
vendor for single item purchases in excess of $500.00. The UCC affords
the buyer certain rights and remedies in the event of a dispute.
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Purchasing
Card Audits:
To ensure the continued success of the Purchasing Card
Program and to meet the audit requirements of the University, various
government agencies, and the requirements of this program, periodic audits
will be made of Cardholders' accounts to ensure that items purchased have
been received and that policies and procedures are being followed.
Audits will be completed in accordance with the following
guidelines:
- Periodic audits will be completed on site for each
cardholder;
- Post audit teams consisting of one (1) representative
from Accounts Payable and one (1) from Purchasing will be assigned in
rotation to complete a written audit report with findings for each Cardholder
account;
- Audit reports will be completed utilizing a post audit
checklist to record any infractions against the categories of misuse
outlined herein;
- Audits will be completed on each account as time permits
subject to the quantity of cards issued;
- Audits will be completed more frequently on those accounts
where infractions were previously identified;
- Random audits may be scheduled at any time in addition
to the regularly scheduled audit rotation.
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Audits will be conducted for the purpose of confirming
compliance to established procedures for card use and to report areas
of card misuse to the Purchasing Card Program
Administrator for further action:
Consequences of misuse will include any one (1) or combination
of the following remedial actions:
- Verbal notification of infraction;
- Written notification with copies sent to Purchasing
Card Program Administrator and reporting authority;
- Temporary suspension of Cardholder privileges with
mandatory re-training (Suspensions will be assessed for a period of
minimum of thirty (30) days or up to ninety (90) days depending on the
severity of the infraction);
- Card suspension with permanent loss of privileges;
- Disciplinary action up to and including dismissal,
personal liability and repayment (referred to Human Relations Department
for disposition).
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Reporting requirements may include any one or combination
of the following options subject to the determination of the Purchasing
Card Program Administrator.
- Formal written warnings will be sent to the individual
Cardholder from the University Purchasing Card Program Administrator
with copies to the Cardholder's immediate supervisor, Dean/ Director,
or Department Head.
- The Director of Purchasing and the Controller will
be copied on the notification based upon the severity of the infraction.
The notification will include a warning for Purchasing Card revocation
pending further investigation and/or misuse.
The Purchasing Card Program Administrator will also be
available to provide training and technical support to Cardholders, as
needed.
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Sales Tax
Exemption:
The University of Connecticut is a tax-exempt organization.
The tax-exempt number appears on the back of each Purchasing Card. This
number must be given to all vendors by the Cardholder at the time of the
transaction to exempt payment of state sales tax. In addition, all cardholders
will receive a tax exempt certificate for Purchasing Card Use Only.
If sales tax is billed incorrectly to the Cardholder's
account, it is the responsibility of the Cardholder to dispute the charge
as outlined in the section "Disputing a Transaction".
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Re-allocation
Process:
Getting the Purchasing Card Charges into the Accounting
System
- The bank will provide charge information daily.
- These charges will be made directly to the account
that was specified on the application, and will affect the budget available
in that account.
- The charges will be made against a clearing subcode,
so that they will be easily picked out as purchasing card charges.
Moving the Charges to the Appropriate Accounts:
- Reallocation will be made in FOCUS, based on the monthly
statement and the Purchasing Card Log.
- The purchasing card charges must be transferred out
of the clearing subcode to the exact (non-clearing) expenditure subcodes
or to a separate accounts and subcodes.
- Only appropriate charges should be transferred to Grant
accounts.
- The reallocation procedure will be used to record the
receipt date for items purchased for Grant accounts.
- Training in this procedure will be provided to Record
Managers and Cardholders.
- Reallocation must be done within five (5) business
days from receipt of the reconciled Purchasing Card Log and bank statement
from the Cardholder. The combined process of reconciliation and re-allocation
shall take no more than 15 business days from receipt of bank statement
by the Cardholder.
- Flexibility at purchase time requires some extra time
on the record keeping end.
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Reallocation Instructions. |
