Procurement

It is a Visa© purchasing card, and is a convenient way to purchase goods and materials for University-related business. It benefits the employee and their department because it is simple to use and eliminates some of the documentation required for other types of purchases. It benefits the Accounting department by eliminating checks to many individual merchants. It benefits the merchant by providing payment within 2-3 days, thereby eliminating phone calls to departments and Accounting. Furthermore, it can be used for merchants who do not accept Purchase Orders.

The Purchasing Card may be obtained by any career UCR employee who has been delegated purchasing authority by their department. They must complete training, submit the necessary paperwork, and accept responsibility for following campus policies and procedures.

The first step is to obtain pre-approval through the department Financial Officer. After completing the required training and submitting the appropriate forms, the Purchasing department will submit the request to US Bank for your card. The Purchasing department will notify you when it is received from US Bank - it does not come directly to your department.

Centralized training sessions will be available through the Human Resources class schedule, and will also be offered on a case-by-case basis to individual departments as needed. This training must be attended by the potential Cardholder, the department Financial Officer and Department Card Administrator. A guide is given to those involved in the Procurement Card program as a reference.

Yes. The Procurement Card has pre-set default limits for non-restricted purchases of up to $2,500 per transaction, 99 transactions per day, $10,000 in total purchases per day, $10,000 in total purchases per billing cycle, and 999 transactions per billing cycle. Your Financial Officer may set these limits lower, but never higher, and should determine the most appropriate limits for each specific Cardholder.

Yes. There is an option to select a variable period for the date range that the card is valid. There is also an option to select limits for the total number of transactions and/or the total dollar amount spent. These limits, as well as the spending limits, can be modified with the appropriate documentation through the PCC, (not to exceed preset maximum limits) without having to obtain a new card. These limits can be changed by the PCC for a short period of time to accommodate a specific circumstance, and then changed back.

No. The Procurement Card is non-transferable and can only be used by the person whose name is embossed on the card. Violation of this policy can result in revocation of the card.

No. Your personal credit history will not be checked or affected when applying for or using the Procurement Card.

No. Once the charge has been made, your account will be billed. The Cardholder must make arrangements directly with the merchant to obtain a credit.

Yes. However, you should make sure that you use secure web sites and that the commodity being purchased is allowed according to policy.

No. Tell the merchant that you will be purchasing with a Visa purchasing card.

Yes. Charges can be split or divided among accounts/funds when your department carries out the PCT function to redistribute the expenses.

Cut the card in half and submit it to your department Financial Officer, who will advise the Procurement Card Coordinator in Purchasing to close the Cardholder's account.

No. A “Recharge” is required. Although a campus department accepts credit card payments the financial system isn’t designed to differentiate between a UCR business purchase and a personal credit card purchase.