P-Card New User Training

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Introduction
Procurement Ethics
P-Card Purchasing Processes
P-Card Administration

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It’s about ethical purchasing practices, good recordkeeping and timely signoff in Works…

 PCard = “Procurement
Card”
 A P-Card is a type of credit card with special administrative features that can be used by a business or government agency.

The use of a P-Card is intended to
 Promote efficiency in the procurement of goods and services
 Provide a convenient method for obtaining goods and services

 As a public employee, you will be responsible for upholding certain requirements:



Legal
Ethical
Procedural

Who is eligible to use
Procurement Card?
 Regular employees who have successfully completed initial and periodic refresher training
 Limited Temp/Seasonal employees who have successfully completed initial or periodic refresher training

Who is NOT eligible to use
Procurement Card?
 Employees of temporary staffing agencies
 Outside contractors/consultants
 Employees on extended leave such as FMLA, Medical,
Disciplinary and other leaves of absence
 Employees who have not successfully completed initial or periodic refresher training

 YOU are now the government purchasing agent.
 YOU become the focal point for justifying your actions.
 YOU become the object of any media or legal attention as to any of your actions (along with
MESD)



Oregon’s Government Standards & Practices
Commission
The “Ethics Commission”
 Per Oregon State Law (ORS 244), the GSPC has jurisdiction over:
 Use of public office for financial gain
 Conflict of interest


Definition of “Public Official”

ORS 244.020(15) defines a public official as “any person who… is serving the State of Oregon or any of its political subdivisions or any other public body of the state as an officer, employee, agent or otherwise, and irrespective of whether the person is compensated for such services.”
 As an employee of MESD, you are a Public
Official!

 ORS 244.040(1)(a):
 " No public official shall use or attempt to use official position or office to obtain financial gain or avoidance of financial detriment that would not otherwise be available but for the public official’s holding of the official position or office...“

Examples of Financial Gain or
Avoidance of Financial Detriment





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Frequent flyer miles
Free gift with purchase – classroom?
Free admissions – Due to your “position”
Waived fees – Due to your “position”
Store Credit
Safeway 10 ¢ per gallon
All goods/services/benefits associated/received with P-
Card purchase belong to
MESD.

ORS 244.020: Conflict of Interest
 Before taking an official action, a public official should first: determine if an action could result in financial benefit or avoidance of financial detriment to the official, a relative or a business with which the official or a relative is associated . If the answer is "no," proceed with the action.

A “ relative " includes the public official’s spouse and the parents, children, brothers and sisters of either the public official or the official’s spouse. A " member of a household " is any relative, as defined above, who resides with the public official.

 Any person who was a public official at the time of an alleged violation will be subject to the authority of the GSPC, for a period of four years after the alleged violation, regardless of whether or not the person is still a public official at the time a complaint is filed.

 http://www.gspc.state.or.us/

 Downloadable complaint form on GSPC website

 Even if a case is dismissed, the record is kept on the GSPC website for years.

At Multnomah ESD

 Card Limits


Per-transaction limit
Per- statement cycle limit (28 th through 27 th )
 Department Limits (Budget)
 You need appropriate department approval
 Ethical Limits
 Be sure your purchase is above reproach and doesn’t present the appearance of impropriety

 If you are going to use a trade service contractor to glue, nail, screw, drill, use concrete or make a building repair at an MESD or non-MESD site, you must contact FACILITIES SERVICES:
 Mark Wheeler: x 1786
 If you are purchasing technology-related items that will work with the network, or for which you expect support from TS, you must contact TECHNOLOGY
SERVICES:
 Wendy Chase: x 1775

 When a purchase contract is broken up into smaller transactions to circumvent bid/quote limits
 ORS 279B.065 (2) makes split requirements illegal

 Quotes not mandatory
(but, would you get quotes at home?)


Avoid split requirements
If you have a stake in the vendor’s business, or if you have a close personal, professional or family connection to the vendor, ask someone else to buy.

 If your purchase is $10,000 or more
 Follow the 3 quote process
 Contact Brian Altman in Purchasing for assistance.

 To the maximum extent possible.
 Purchases can be made
 In person



By phone
By fax
The internet

 Physical Security of Cards
 Keep all receipts, invoices, packing slips and quotation documents
 Verify, enter description and account number in all transactions made against your card in the WORKS system
 Provide all documentation for review during audits

 A secure, web-based expense management system
 Allows you to perform administrative tasks online
 Provides automated reporting tools

 Each time you use your P-Card, you will receive an email saying, “Task to Perform”
 Update P-Card transaction information and sign-off in the WORKS system
 Enter valid account codes for your transactions unless otherwise directed

 After a P-Card User has completed transaction signoff, the “approver” will receive an email notifying that there is a transaction awaiting approval in WORKS.

Business Services’
Responsibilities
 Be available for assistance when needed
 Review P-Card activity for proper usage
 Provide opportunities for initial and refresher training
 Conduct monthly internal audits

Business Services will conduct random monthly audits to monitor compliance with agency policy on purchasing, card usage, recordkeeping, and ethics. For example, we will check that:
•Purchases are made for business purposes only
•P-Card receipts are retained
•Quote documentation maintained (purchases of
$10,000 or more)
•No “Split Purchases” have occurred
•Cards have been cancelled when appropriate
•Timeliness of task completion in WORKS

Audit Results
Most Common Mistakes. . .


No description
Description too vague: “parking”
 Delay in Cardholder/Manager Sign Off
 Gratuity over the 15% limit
 Questionable receipts

 Acceptable receipts


Invoice
Register Receipt
 Web Page Print Out
 An acceptable receipt must include
 Vendor Name



Transaction Amount
Date
Itemized description of item(s) purchased

You must fill out the “Lost, Stolen or Missing
Receipt” form and submit it to your Director for approval .
Contact Brian Altman at ext. 1794 if you need the form

All receipts, invoices, and bank statements are to be kept as follows:
• Expenditures of federal funds:
5 years after final or annual expenditure report accepted.
• Other records:
3 years

 Personal Purchases
 Cash or cash-type transaction
 Frequent Flyer Programs
 Purchase of items expressly prohibited by policy
 eScrip Fundraising Program
( http://www.escrip.com/ )

 Percentage Off Programs
 Gift Cards -student incentives (tracking mandatory)
 Incentive Card Programs - Use 503-255-1841 for purchase discounts (no personal phone numbers)
 Safeway card
 Albertsons

 Suppliers that do not accept credit cards
 Available Balance on Card
 Returns
 Disputed Charges

P-Card/WORKS and Purchasing Questions:
Brian Altman
(503) 257-1794 baltman@mesd.k12.or.us

Thank you! I will register your information with B of A and order your card.