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CONTENTS
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OVERVIEW
The University of
Wisconsin-La Crosse Procurement Card Program was established to provide departments
a simple, cost-effective, and convenient way to make low dollar purchases. The
program is designed to replace most low dollar purchase orders and blanket
orders.
The Program is NOT intended :
·
To avoid or
bypass appropriate procurement or payment procedures, but to be a complement to
existing procedures.
·
To replace the
current corporate travel card program (US Bank).
·
For personal use.
The procurement card may be
used at any merchant or service provider that accepts the card, subject to the
limitations described in Appendix A.
The procurement card may be
used in much the same manner that personal credit cards are used for in-store
purchases and for mail, telephone, internet, or fax orders.
This manual provides the
guidelines for using your procurement card, so please read it carefully. Your
signature on the Procurement Cardholder Agreement (Appendix A) indicates that
you have read and understand these guidelines and that you agree to follow
them.
Accurate record keeping is essential
to the Program's success. There are no extraordinary requirements -- merely
that you retain all sales slips, receipts, etc. that document the purchase and
that you record each purchase on a register (Appendix B). Periodically, you
must reconcile the register with account statements, much as you would do with
a personal checking account.
You are responsible for your
procurement card's security and for the transactions made with your procurement
card. The procurement card is issued in your name, and purchases made with it
are your responsibility. Use of the card outside these guidelines and
procurement policy may result in personal liability.
Finally, remember that you
have been entrusted with University funds through your card, and this
responsibility should not be taken lightly.
Vendor / merchant
acceptance...
The procurement card should
be accepted by any merchant that would normally accept a VISA credit card.
Some restrictions have
been built into the Program...
No single transaction may
exceed $5,000 and you may not spend more than $15,000 per two week period;
however, UW-L departments may establish lower transaction limits and also limit
the numbers of transactions within a specific period. You should be aware if
additional limits apply within your department.
Some merchants and vendors
have been blocked from usage in this Program. If you present your procurement
card to any of these vendors, the transaction will be turned down. These
restrictions are few and fairly obvious (cash advances, financial services,
etc.), and you should not have a problem using the procurement card with those
merchants with which you have normally used purchase orders. If a purchase is
declined and you feel it should not have been, you may call the toll-free number
on the card's reverse to determine the reason.
Exceptions to the transaction
and vendor restrictions can be made in certain circumstances, e.g., overseas
travel, special events, etc., but they must be arranged in advance and be
approved by department heads. After the fact exceptions will not be possible.
Success and satisfaction
are the goals...
This Program is designed to
be simple to use, providing you needed products quickly and with fewer steps
than with the standard purchase order system. If you have a personal checking
account and charge card, you will find this Program no more difficult than they
are to use.
Not only will you obtain your
needed products quicker with this Program, but merchants and vendors will be
paid quicker, usually within a few days. This should translate to greater
merchant acceptance, better service for you, and potential discounts from
normal prices.
Your feedback is
important! We in Business Services
need to know if you have concerns, questions, or suggestions for improvement.
Accordingly, the Program Administrator's telephone number is at the bottom of
each page in this manual.
This Program's continued
success and existence will depend a great deal upon its responsible use. We ask
that you abide by the guidelines and restrictions in this manual and not risk
the Program by using the procurement card to circumvent procurement policy or
to avoid following normal purchasing procedures. The procurement card is issued
in your name, and it commits your department's funds. The manner in which you
use this Program will reflect upon and affect both you and your department.
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HOW TO USE THE PROCUREMENT CARD
The steps in a typical
procurement card transaction...
1. After selecting a vendor or merchant,
make the purchase or place the order, providing your procurement card number to
the vendor as the means of payment. Give your name as the cardholder, not UW-L,
though you may wish to identify the card as an institutional procurement card.
2. If the order is to be shipped to you,
use the following address:
Your
Name or Department
All mail, UPS, FEDEX, and other
parcel shipments are centrally received at UW-L. In order to ensure that the
shipment gets delivered to you after receipt at UW-L, there must be a name or
department in the shipping address.
3. If you make your purchase in a store,
you should receive a receipt or sales slip. Ensure that the merchant
specifically identifies what is purchased and does not use a description such
as "miscellaneous merchandise." You should not be charged sales tax
for over the counter purchases made within
4. If you are ordering an item or items for
which UW-L normally receives an educational or institutional discount, you will
need to identify this as an institutional purchase. Provide UW-L's customer
number, if you know it, or, on phone orders, ask the salesperson to look it up.
This will not only assure that you get the discount, it should also ensure that
sales tax is not charged where UW-L is exempt. IMPORTANT: Be sure that the
salesperson uses your address above as the "ship to" address and not
the vendor's default address for UW-L, which is often Campus Stores in the
Physical Plant.
5. You will usually receive some
documentation of your purchase, be it a sales slip, receipt, or packing list.
Keep that receipt as back-up documentation for your periodic reconciliation.
For something like a magazine subscription, where no receipt will be provided,
you may wish to keep a copy of the order form.
6. Record your purchase or order on
the Procurement Card Transaction Register (Appendix B) and keep your receipt
documentation with the register.
7. Every two weeks you will receive a
statement from US Bank if you have used the card during that period. Reconcile
this statement with your receipts (much as you might balance a check book) and
report any discrepancies as described in RESOLVING ERRORS, DISPUTES,
RETURNS, AND CREDITS. You have sixty (60) days from the date of the
statement to dispute any erroneous charges.
8. Staple the receipts to
the statement, sign the Cardholder Signature line, and provide the statement to
your immediate supervisor for signature on the Approver Signature line. These
signatures indicate that the purchases were appropriate and approved by the
supervisor.
8. Once a month you will be
required to turn in your statements and original receipts to Business
Services. You may make and retain copies for your own records.
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RESOLVING ERRORS, DISPUTES, RETURNS, AND CREDITS
Resolving procurement card
problems is very similar to the process you would follow with a personal credit
card, except that Business Services will be involved if initial contacts do not
settle the problems. Disputed billings can result from failure to receive goods
or services charged, fraud or misuse, altered charges, duplicate charges, or
unprocessed credits. If you suspect fraud, contact Business Services
immediately.
The cardholder is responsible
for initially following up with the vendor or US Bank, as soon as possible, on
any erroneous charges, disputed items, or returns.
The cardholder should contact
the vendor first to resolve any outstanding issues, and this should settle most
problems.
If the problem is non-receipt
of an order and the vendor claims to have shipped it, contact Campus Stores
(58643) to see if the order has arrived. If it had arrived without an adequate
delivery address, Campus Stores would have placed it in a holding area pending
identification.
If the cardholder is unable
to reach agreement with the vendor, the next step is to contact US Bank at
(800) 344-5696.
US Bank must also be notified
of any disputed item within sixty (60) days of the billing cycle in which the item
was purchased. If notification is not made within this period, the transaction
is considered valid.
If initial contacts with the
vendor and US Bank do not settle the dispute, contact General Support Services.
Documentation should be kept
for credits received and for returns or exchanges.
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SALES AND USE TAX
The University of
Wisconsin-La Crosse is exempt from
Most local merchants are
aware of UW-L's tax status, but you may encounter merchants or vendors that
either refuse to exempt your purchase from sales tax or who ask you to complete
a tax exemption form. If the merchant refuses to give you tax exemption, you
must decide if you wish to make the purchase. Asking you to complete a form is
a reasonable request, as the merchant would be personally responsible for the
tax if you were given tax exemption and the form were not on file. The tax
exempt number for UW System is ES 40706, and it is printed on the
face of your card. This number should be the one provided when making a
claim for tax exemption within
If sales tax is charged to
your card, it will be listed on your statement. At that time you should contact
the vendor to obtain a credit to your card account.
You should report all tax
exemption problems to Business Services so that action may be taken to prevent
future occurrences.
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ACTIVATION
When you receive a new card,
you will have to activate it before it can be used. A sticker on the card will
provide activation instructions, and during the activation process you may be asked
for the last four digits of your Social Security Number (SSN). UW-L does not
provide that number to US Bank but, instead, uses the last four digits of its
Federal Employee Identification Number. You may call the Program Administrator
at 785-8724 for that number.
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CARD CONTROL
Card control is a jointly
shared responsibility between the cardholder and the department head. The
cardholder agrees to protect and properly use the procurement card, and the
department head assumes responsibility for card and records management within
the department.
Card Control Principles and
Policy:
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When the card is
received it should be signed immediately by the cardholder and kept in a secure
place.
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Only the authorized
cardholder named on the card may use the card.
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Canceled,
revoked, and expired cards shall be cut in half and returned to Business
Services, 125 Graff Main Hall.
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If a procurement
card is lost or stolen, immediately notify US Bank (800) 344-5696 and
Business Services (785-8724).
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To aid the
reconciliation process, the cardholder is responsible for keeping all credit
card slips, cash register receipts, packing slips, etc., and for recording each
transaction accurately and completely on the procurement card register.
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Department heads
are responsible for monitoring card usage within their departments and for
ensuring that cards are returned to Business Services when cardholders depart
their departments or the University.
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Random audits
will be conducted of cardholder and card manager records to ensure compliance
with the Procurement Card Program procedures and to ensure the card is being
used for appropriate transactions.
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Procurement card
records (statements and original receipts) are to be turned in monthly to
Business Services.