e-Business Partners are vendors with which the University of Arkansas has established a relationship which allows pre-approved University of Arkansas employees (at least an active wage rate) the ability to purchase goods via a Procurement Card or other form of purchaser identification defined by the e-Business Partner.
As purchases are made, the charges for purchases made by individuals will be electronically transmitted. Once charges have been downloaded to the BASIS system, departments will have the ability to approve the charges along with redistributing the cost to other 'pre-defined' cost centers as desired. Disputed charges may be identified as such, but regardless, payment will still be made to the e-Business Partner. If credits are not received in current billing cycle, they will be received in the following cycle.
Currently the following vendors have been identified as potential e-Business Partners. Please Note: Although these vendors have been identified, each vendor will have a specific timeframe in which they will become available for use. The Office of Business Affairs will notify the campus as each e-Business Partner is available for use.
The responsibility for the administration of the Procurement Authorization process will take place in Business Affairs. There are individuals within Business Affairs designated as 'administrators' for the various eBusiness Partners. For example: An individual within this office has been assigned to serve as the Procurement Card Administrator for the PCard. Another individual has been assigned as 'administrator' for Staples. Administrators will post-audit purchases made with e-Business Partners. In addition, Business Affairs will select a monthly random sample for futher review.
Marla Misamore, Staples Administrator
Ph: 479/575-5088 email address: mmisamo@uark.edu
Connie Oberg, Procurement Card and VWR International Administrator
Ph: 479/575-6279 email address: coberg@uark.edu
Carol Wade, Travel Card Administrator
Ph: 479/575-7951 email address: cawade@uark.edu
The Procurement Authorization function - PA is the TARGET transaction facility for requesting, approving, and establishing authority for University of Arkansas employees (anyone with an active wage rate) to make purchases on behalf of the university with certain vendors who have a special relationship with the university, known as an e-Business partnership.
A separate effective dated Authorization is required for each individual for each e-Business Partner. Data related to that Authorization is maintained through this function and through the Procurement Authorization Preapproved Cost center function - PAPC.
After an Authorization has been approved, the individual will be assigned a unique indentification and will be sent an e-mail notification. Details related to required training and to receipt and activiation of cards, purchaser identification, and any associated passwords will vary depending upon the e-Business Partner. Although restricted by any limititations associated with a particular Authorization, the individual will be authorized to purchase goods and services from the specific vendor without the requirement of a purchase order number. Each e-Business Partner will electronically submit charges for purchases made.
It is also important to note that regardless of whether or not a department approves the charges the employee(s) have made, the invoice will be paid. Those charges that have not been approved, will be flagged as such and will be subject to audit review and possible suspension of privilege.
The University of Arkansas has entered into an agreement with Staples to purchase Office Supplies via the web. Although it is not mandatory to purchase your office supplies through Staples, you are encouraged to use this process due to significant cost savings and convenience of ordering. Once your Procurement Authorization has been approved, within 24 hours you will receive a Procurement Identification number along with a password via e-mail notification.This identification number and password must be utilized in order to gain access to the Staples catalog utilizing U of A contract pricing.
The first time you enter the Stapleslink site you will be required to change your password.
The Office of Business Affairs will download charges made via StaplesLink each day for orders shipped the day before. Those charges will then be available for each dept. to approve. Although charges will be downloaded daily, the U of A will make one monthly payment to Staples for the total amount of charges made for a given month.
The University of Arkansas has entered into an agreement with VWR International to purchase scientific supplies and equipment via the web for those orders which have a unit price less than or equal to $2288.00 with a maximum of each order not to exceed $25,000. Items that have a unit price greater than this amount will be purchased via a U of A Purchase Order or by a phone order using a PCard.
If you find that you need to purchase more than 25,000 worth of supplies at one time please contact the Office of Business Affairs, if you want to purchase these supplies online.
Once your Procurement Authorization has been approved, within 24 to 48 hours you will receive a Procurement Identification number along with a password via e-mail notification. This identification number and password must be utilized in order to gain access to the VWR catalog utilizing U of A contract pricing.
The first time you enter the VWR.com site you should change your password.
The Office of Business Affairs will download charges made via VWR.com each day for orders shipped the day before. Those charges will then be available for each dept. to approve and distribute to appropriate cost centers. Although charges will be downloaded daily, the U of A will make one monthly payment to VWR for the total amount of charges made for a given month.
The purpose of the State of Arkansas Procurement Card program is to establish a more efficient, cost effective alternative for departments to make supply type purchases. The procurement card should greatly reduce, if not eliminate, the need for blanket Purchase Orders, which are now being used.
Using the procurement card will be a benefit to the University, its suppliers, you, and your department. The University will save time and money by consolidating paperwork, suppliers will receive payment more quickly, and you and your department will get the supplies you need without unnecessary delays.
As a University employee, you are being entrusted and empowered with the ability to make small dollar purchases on behalf of your department. Along with this empowerment comes responsibility. Cardholders are expected to make sound business decisions in the best interest of the University and always comply with the polices and procedures as set forth in this User Manual. PERSONAL CHARGES ARE STRICTLY FORBIDDEN. The adherence to policy allows continued process savings, accountability, and auditability of purchases.
Procurement Cards are for business use only!
The Procurement Card is a special VISA credit card. It works similarly to your personal credit cards, except the charges are billed directly to the University and payment made by the University Business Office.
As purchases are made, cardholders should maintain a log of all transactions. This log should be kept along with all receipts and packing slips provided by suppliers. This information will prove helpful in keeping track of all purchases made using the Procurement Card. Should it be necessary to return any supplies or resolve billing disputes, this information is also needed to document University expenditures and also available for review by internal and external auditors.
More information related to retention of receipts may be found under What do I do with my Receipts?
The Procurement Card will display the cardholder's name along with the words: STATE OF ARKANSAS.
Improper use of the Procurement Card will result in consequences ranging from suspension of card to termination of employment and criminal prosecution.
Any employee for which a Procurement Card is going to be requested must first complete an online Procurement Authorization within the BASIS system. Once this Procurement Authorization has been submitted and approved by the Cost Center managers for the default cost center entered via TARGET, information will be given to U.S. Bank to setup a cardholder account.
For a Step by Step of how to enter a Procurement Authorization please see How to Submit a Procurement Authorization
Prospective Cardholders MUST attend a training session and sign a Cardholder Agreement Form before receiving their Procurement Card.
Procurement Cards are not transferable. If someone's card use is discontiued, the Procurement Card MUST be sent to the 'administrator' of the Procurement Card program and the Procurement Authorization in BASIS must be cancelled.
The following limits are the maximum amounts allowable for a Procurement Card. When the Procurement Authorization is requested, these amounts may be lowered, but not raised.
University Procurement Cardholders are responsible for:
The employee whose name appears on the Procurement Card is authorized and responsible for all charges on the card. It is the responsibility of every Cardholder to safeguard their card and card number against use by unauthorized individuals within or outside of the University.
Cardholders are authorized to use the Procurement Card to purchase merchandise required as a function of their duties at the University. Under no circumstances may the Procurement Card be used for items of personal use or Non-University purposes.
Your Procurement Card CANNOT be used for the purchase of the following items (check with PCard Administrator for updated list):
The Procurement Card MUST never be used to purchase items for personal use or for non- University purposes even if the cardholder intends to reimburse the University.
Charges for an item CANNOT BE SPLIT into separate payments so as not to exceed a Card's single transaction dollar limit.
A cardholder who makes an unauthorized purchase with a Procurement Card, or uses the Procurement Card in an inappropriate manner, will be subject to loss of any authority to retain or use the Procurement Card; disciplinary action up to and including termination; and possible criminal prosecution and restitution.
The Procurement Card may be used to purchase goods in person at the supplier site, over the phone, over secure internet sites, or by mail. When placing your order in person you will simply give the supplier your Procurement Card as you would any credit card.
If you are ordering over the phone you should provide:
When necessary, items should be returned according to vendor specifications. The cardholder is responsible for ensuring that proper credit is posted for any returned items.
Documentation showing the proper resolution of the exchange is to be imaged with other supporting documentation for that purchase.
If merchandise is returned in person, the cardholder is responsible for obtaining a credit receipt from the merchant and retaining that receipt with other receipts to document the purchase and return. These receipts will then be imaged.
Receiving cash or checks to resolve a credit is prohibited.
Whether a purchase is made in person or via telephone, internet, fax, or mail, you must obtain some form of official supporting documentation, such as:
These documents MUST be given to whoever in your department is responsible for approving the electronic charges sent from US Bank.
As charges are approved, the receipt is sent to Accounts Payable where it will be imaged for later retrieval by department and audit personnel, when required.
If the cardholder and the supplier cannot resolve the issue, a Cardholder Dispute Form must be completed and mailed or faxed to the PCard Administrator, Connie Oberg, at Office of Business Affairs, ADMN 321, or fax 575-4158. She will forward this request to US Bank for action. Regardless of the status of the dispute, payment will be made to US Bank. Adjustments will be made upon resolution.
Cardholders are required to immediately report any lost or stolen Procurement Card to US Bank toll-free at 1-800-344-5696 (24 hours a day, 365 days a year). The Cardholder MUST also immediately notify the U of A Procurement Card Administrator at the first opportunity during normal U of A business hours at 479-575-6279.
Procurement Cards will be audited not only by the PCard Administrator, but also by Legislative and system auditors, along with upper managment within the Office of Business Affairs. Auditors will be looking for the following for compliance:
The Procurement Card (PCard) must never be used to purchase items for personal use or for non-University purposes. A cardholder who makes an unauthorized purchase with the PCard, or uses the card in an inappropriate manner will be subject to disciplinary action including possible card cancellation, termination of employment at the University of Arkansas and criminal prosecution.
Written warning from the Business Office to the cardholder; additional training will be offered.
Suspension of the card; user and their TARGET approver will be notified by e-mail.
To reinstate privilages, a memo from a user's TARGET approver giving adequate justification will be required. Upon receipt and approval of that justification, the Business Office will establish a time for the user ot attend Procurement Card training again.
First Offense: The card will be suspended from use for a minimum of 30 days. Cardholder and their TARGET approver will be notified by e-mail.
Second Offense: Removal from card program and depending on the circumstances, any of the following additional actions:
Internal Audit will be notified immediately
Possible criminal prosecution
Termination of employment
Your card will be cancelled. In addition, you will be required to reimburse the University immediately. You would also be subject to disciplinary action, if the charge was deliberate. See the cardholder agreement for further information.
The merchant may make an inquiry as to why the transaction was declined. Unfortunately in most cases it is not an immediate fix. WE RECOMMEND THAT YOU NOT CALL FROM THE STORE, AS DECLINED CARDS CAN RARELY BE RECTIFIED IMMEDIATELY. It is best if you go back to your office and notify the University Purchasing Card Administrator, Connie Oberg, at 479/575-6279. She will research the problem and notify you.
Unfortunately, there is no Level 3 (detailed description) of items purchased with the PCard. This is not to say that at some point in the future more vendors will step up and supply that information. Until then, it is ESSENTIAL that items receipts be kept, then once charges are approved, sent to Accounts Payable for scanning.
If you cannot resolve the problem with the merchant and receive a credit, then you must complete the 'Statement of Disputed Items' form and send or fax to Connie Oberg, PCArd Administrator, Office of Business Affairs ADMN-321 Fax: 479-575-4158.
Accountability. Charge card activity is traced to the individual cardholder/credit card number. Also, this allows the person approving the charges in BASIS to better know what cost center (s) to distribute a charge to.
These limits have been defined by the State. You can LOWER the amounts defaulted on the screen, but you cannot raise them. Please remember though that if you do lower these amounts it is more likely that at some point in the future the cardholder may experience the charge being denied at the merchant due to exceeding the amounts.
YES!! Receipts must be kept and given to whomever in your department is approving the charges in BASIS. As charges are approved, a document number is then written on each receipt and sent to Accounts Payable for scanning.
If you have lost or were unable to obtain a receipt, you must fill out a Lost/Unobtainable PCard Receipt Form.
Billing Cycle - The monthly billing period, which for the University of Arkansas, will be the 15th of each month.
Cardholder - A person whose name is on a Procurement Card and given authority to make purchases within preset limits on behalf of the University of Arkansas.
Cardholder Agreement - The agreement signed by the person whose name appears on the procurement card. This agreement outlines the policies regarding using a procurement card and must be signed by all persons receiving a procurement card. This signed agreement will be imaged by the Office of Business Affairs.
Cut-Off Date - The last day in which charges can be approved and costs redistributed prior to payment being made to the e-Business partner.
MCC - Merchant Category Code assigned to a merchant by VISA, which identifies the primary goods or services provided by the merchant.
MCCG - A grouping of merchants by MCC.
Monthly Limit - A maximum dollar value of charges that may be applied to a Cardholder's purchasing authority during a month. Maximum monthly limit currently allowed is $25,000.00.
Procurement Card Administrator - The individual at the University of Arkansas responsible for the Procurement Card program. This individual is Connie Oberg, Office of Business Affairs, Phone: 479/575-6279, email: coberg@uark.edu.
Procurement Card Provider - US Bank
Transaction - A charge or credit associated with an e-Business partner account.
Transaction Limit - A dollar limit that may be applied to a cardholder's procurement card. The maximum currently allowed at the University of Arkansas is $2500.00.