03.051 PURCHASING CARD

SECTION 03 – BUSINESS and AUXILIARY SERVICES

The Great Plains Technology Center (GPTC) board of education has authorized, by board resolution, the use of a purchasing card (P-Card) by select GPTC employees. The commercial purchase card will be used to facilitate the acquisition of goods and services needed to conduct authorized, official school business.

Purchasing cards are designed to consolidate many small transactions onto a single monthly invoice. This program will expedite the accounts payable function for any department or school site making multiple supply purchases in a given month. The purchasing cards will not replace the normal purchasing procedures established by the business office but will be used in instances where it is not advantageous or cost effective to issue a purchase order.

The purpose of the purchasing card is to provide the district with an alternate method of purchasing goods and services. The purchasing card enables employees to order and receive products directly from any qualified vendor, gives employees the authority and flexibility to purchase supplies when the district needs them at competitive prices, and allows employees to purchase supplies from vendors who do not take purchase orders.

The employees receiving P-Cards will be determined by the district’s director of finance and approved by the Superintendent or his/her designee. The cardholder will be responsible for and accountable to the district for all charges made with the P-Card. Use of the P-Card is solely for authorized, official school purchases. Personal purchases are strictly forbidden and may result in disciplinary action as well as reimbursement.

Board regulation defines the requirements for district use of the P-Card that include, but are not limited to, card management, card control and limits, use of the cards, documentation of purchases and reports.

The P-Card Administrator is the director of finance and is responsible for management of the P- Card program. The director of finance is designated to answer questions, address issues and oversee the administration of the program. The P-Card administrator will request new purchasing cards, assign cardholder spending limits and monitor adherence to purchasing card regulation.

Transaction Flow of a Typical P-Card Transaction

1. Submit a requisition in the finance software with Arvest Bank as the vendor with the proper coding for the purchase being made. Reviewers must include the approving administrator(s) well as the director of finance. The requisition must include the vendor of where the P-card will be used, the name of the cardholder of the card being used, and all other details a normal requisition requires.
2. Once the purchase order has been issued, the cardholder can make the purchase from the merchant. The cardholder retains the receipt from the purchase.
3. Once the goods or services are purchased, the cardholder must send the invoice/receipt with proper approving signatures to the Director of Finance. The director of finance will sign off on the invoice/receipt and forward it to Accounts Payable for payment.  The employee who makes the purchase is responsible for turning in the signed invoice both to the Director of Finance and their administrator.

If a P-Card is lost or stolen, the cardholder should notify the bank immediately as well as the Director of Finance.

Upon termination of employment, cardholders must return their P-Card to the Director of Finance.

Misuse of the P-Card in any manner by a cardholder will result in revocation of the privilege to use the P-Card, disciplinary action, termination of employment, and/or criminal charges being filed with the appropriate authority.

Unauthorized purchases with the P-Card, which cannot be returned to the vendor, will be reimbursed in full by the employee.

Payment arrangements should be made within fifteen (15) days of the date on which the employee was notified of the obligation. If arrangements cannot be made with the employee, the school district will commence garnishment proceedings via small claims court or through appropriate legal proceedings.