Procurement Card Policy

Scope

Employees

Policy Statement

Syracuse University has entered into an agreement with The JPMorgan Chase, ("Chase"), which provides qualified employees with a procurement card at University expense to purchase selected goods and materials for pickup or delivery on behalf of the University. Before a procurement card is issued to a University employee, a properly completed Procurement Card Acceptance Statement must be submitted to the Procurement Card Administrator, Purchasing Department, Skytop Office Building. The procurement card is assigned to specific individuals by Syracuse University and Chase. Procurement cards will be issued with concurrence from the dean, director, or department head responsible for the individual requesting the procurement card and the Director of Business and Facilities Maintenance Services. The proper name of the individual will be embossed on the procurement card along with other vital Syracuse University information. The assigned individual is responsible for the card's safekeeping. It may not be transferred to, assigned to, or used by anyone other than the designated cardholder. Chase or Syracuse University may, at any time, suspend or cancel the cardholder privileges for any reason and the cardholder will surrender the procurement card to his/her Syracuse University supervisor upon request. Use of the procurement card or account by the assigned individual after notice of its cancellation may be considered fraudulent and further action by the University may take place against the assigned cardholder.

Dean, Director, or Department Head Responsibilities

It is the dean, director, or department head's responsibility to identify and approve specific cardholders, monitor the use of the procurement card, assist with the setting of transaction limits, provide up to date information to all departmental employees involved with the procurement card, and assign an individual to generate and retain accurate procurement card records. This individual responsible for approving expenditures must be an authorized signer on the Chartstrings charged and not be a cardholder. The dean, director, or department head has the obligation and authority to question the business nature of the charges incurred by the cardholder and has the responsibility to call upon the Comptroller's Office, Treasurer's Office, Internal Audit, or the Purchasing Department, as appropriate, to investigate potential improprieties.

Cardholder Responsibilities

Disclosure: The procurement card is valuable property which requires proper treatment by the cardholder to protect it from misuse by unauthorized parties. The cardholder is required to activate (as per instructions on card) and sign the procurement card immediately upon receipt. Upon activation, the card may be used in 24 hours. When the current card has expired or when a new card is issued to the cardholder, it is his/her responsibility to destroy the card (cut it in pieces) and discard. If the cardholder's employment is terminated for any reason, the individual will give the card to his/her supervisor to destroy. The supervisor must promptly notify the Purchasing Department. If the card is confiscated from the individual, the individual will give the card to his/her supervisor to destroy. The supervisor must notify the Purchasing Department of confiscated cards promptly. It is the cardholder's responsibility to obtain itemized transaction receipts from the merchant or vendor each time the procurement card is used. Individual transaction receipts shall be submitted to the appropriate departmental individual daily. Each procurement card has a pre-set per transaction maximum spending limit (currently $500) which may not be exceeded under any circumstances. The cardholder will be advised of his/her cardholder limit. The per transaction limit and monthly limit are determined by the dean, director, or department head and the Director of Business and Facilities Maintenance Services.

Lost or Stolen Procurement Cards

Lost or stolen procurement cards shall be documented immediately and the following steps are to be followed:

The cardholder is to report the incident to his/her immediate supervisor, and the supervisor or cardholder is to immediately contact Chase's 24-hour toll-free answer center at (800)-577-0634.
The supervisor is to contact the Procurement Card Administrator in the Purchasing Department to alert Purchasing of the lost or stolen procurement card and confirm that notification to Chase has been completed.

Appropriate Use of Card

Failure to use the procurement card in accordance with Syracuse University's policies including, but not limited to, conflict of interest may result in revocation of the card and may involve appropriate disciplinary action up to and including termination and prosecution.

Policy violations include, but are not limited to:

Purchasing items with the procurement card for personal use.
Failure to return the procurement card when reassigned, terminated, or upon request.
Failure to submit proper transaction documentation to the appropriate person in a timely manner.
Failure to report a lost or stolen procurement card to the appropriate person immediately after discovered.
Transferring assignment of the procurement card to another individual.
Repeatedly allowing sales tax to be charged when the purchases are tax exempt.

The procurement card should not be used for the purchase of the following commodities:

Travel and Entertainment (including business meals, car rentals, lodging)
Moving Expenses
Employee Gifts (except those specifically authorized in the Gift Disbursements Policy)
Donations and Contributions
Radioactive Materials
Products that contain Hazardous Materials
Fines and Penalties

Sales Tax

Syracuse University's NYS sales tax exemption number is displayed on the card. Sales tax exemption certificates, if needed, may be obtained by contacting the Procurement Card Administrator in the Purchasing Department. It is the responsibility of the cardholder to make certain that sales tax is not inappropriately charged to the card. Vendors which repeatedly charge sales tax inappropriately will be eliminated from participation in the procurement card program. Card users should bring sales tax issues to the attention of the Director of Business and Facilities Maintenance Services.

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE OF PROCUREMENT CARDS ON SPONSORED AND RESTRICTED ACCOUNTS

Purchases made by the procurement card and charged to sponsored or restricted funds can be made, subject to certain restrictions. Sponsored funds used to purchase supplies and materials are required to be for the sole direct benefit of the sponsored award within the approved budget period. The purchases should closely relate to the items that are described in the proposal or award budget for the sponsored award. Restricted funds can be used within the guidelines established on the Program.

The University makes every practical effort to utilize small, disadvantaged, and women owned business enterprises whenever possible. Users of procurement cards are encouraged to contact the appropriate purchasing agent to obtain the names of the recommended suppliers.

In addition to the commodities previously indicated as not to be purchased with the procurement card, the following commodities are generally not allowed by outside sponsors, or require prior approval, and should not be purchased with the procurement card when charging sponsored or restricted accounts:

Employee gifts (no exceptions)
Equipment and Capital Expenditures including Rentals/Leases
Laboratory Research Animals
Office Supplies (On federal awards, office supplies are not allowable unless the award meets the exception criteria. Contact The Office of Sponsored Accounting for clarification on specific accounts.) Office supplies are usually allowable expenses on restricted funds; consult the gift documentation or contact Restricted Accounting with questions.
Postage and other Courier Express Services (On federal awards, postage and other courier express services are generally not allowed unless the award meets the exception criteria and the expenditures are specifically budgeted. Postage and other courier express services expenditures for the shipment of research materials and deliverables for the sole direct benefit of the federal award will be allowed when an explanation is provided.) Postage and delivery services are usually allowable expenses on restricted funds; consult the gift documentation or contact Restricted Accounting with questions.

For expenditures charged to sponsored or restricted accounts, the default account provided by the department on the procurement card Acceptance Statement will be used to pay the invoice for any items not allowed by the sponsor, lacking adequate documentation, not purchased within the budget period of the award, or not submitted to disbursements processing within 30 days after the end date of the sponsored award. If in doubt about the allowability of purchases, call the Office of Sponsored Accounting for sponsored Chartstrings or Restricted Accounting for non-sponsored restricted Chartstrings, before making the purchases.

Policy Administration

Links to Procedures and Related Information

Amended: May 2007

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Scope

Policy Statement

Policy Administration

Links to Procedures and Related Information