Purchasing Cards
Cardholder’s Guide
CONTENTS
1.
At a Glance
2.
The Purchasing Card
3.
Budget Holder & Line Managers Responsibilities
4.
Procedures
5.
Loss/theft of the Purchasing Card
6.
Contacts: People and Useful Telephone Numbers
Steve Cole
Head of Procurement
September 2012.
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Purchasing Cards
1.
At-a-Glance Guide
 how to use the card – for goods ordered by phone, internet, at point of
sale.
 misuse of card – only to be used by the named cardholder to procure
goods and services on behalf of the University of Sussex.
 misappropriation of University funds - treated as Gross Misconduct.
 all applications that include the merchant category for access to cash
(currently category 34) must have prior approval of the Line Manager
and Finance.
 not complying with the guide – suspension or withdrawal of card.
 transaction limits – ensure total value of goods, inclusive of
carriage/VAT is within transaction limits.
 Keep a list of transactions/usage for checking against statement
 paperwork – supplier paperwork must be checked and verified
 cardholder will receive a system generated task for each transaction
on their Barclaycard statement for that month
 attach all invoices/supporting documents and send with copy of the
Agresso Purchase Card Transaction Report to Payments
Management each month; failure to follow process may result in card
withdrawal.
 reporting card loss – immediately notify Company Barclaycard and
Payments Management
Please remember to keep the PIN & Card separate
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2.
The Purchasing Card
What is a Purchasing Card?
Purchasing Cards are similar to personal Credit/Debit Cards and can be used as an alternative
method of payment for low value orders. They should not be used when the requirement can be
met using a purchase order (requisitioned through the Agresso order system).
The Purchasing Card used by the University of Sussex is Company Barclaycard; it is widely
accepted in the UK and abroad and can be used at any establishment displaying the VISA
symbol.
Barclaycard will pay the supplier invoices within days and the University make a single monthly
payment to Barclaycard by Direct Debit.
The Card can be used to pay for goods:
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Ordered by telephone
Ordered via the Internet
In person at the point of sale
Misuse of the Card
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The card must only be used to procure goods and services on behalf of the University
of Sussex and must only be used by the named cardholder.
All statements will be checked and any misappropriation of University funds will be
treated in accordance with the rules and procedures for GROSS MISCONDUCT.
Access to cash

access to cash (currently category 34) must have prior approval of the line manager
and Finance
It is the responsibility of the Cardholder to ensure that:
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The card is kept in a safe place at all times.
The card is only used by yourself and not others in your department/unit.
All paperwork is completed correctly and on time.
Orders are only issued in conjunction with procurement policy.
There is sufficient budget and the order value is within your credit limits.
Should you leave the University, the purchase card is returned to your line manager and
you witness that the card is destroyed.
All expenditure during your notice period is authorised by your line manager and any
monthly/annual subscriptions charged against your card are cancelled.
Failure to do so may result in the card being suspended or withdrawn
When not to use Purchasing Cards

for goods and services that require special terms & conditions e.g. where the requirement is
to deliver a service, or meet/perform to a specification.
 Petrol is not to be charged to the Purchasing Card, except where a hire car is being used
and with prior agreement.
 When using own car, petrol or mileage (as appropriate) should be claimed on the
University’s expenses claim form.
 Travel expenses are not to be charged to the Purchasing Card if they are to be refunded by
a Third Party at a later date e.g. Research Charity (own card to be used & costs reclaimed
by the individual).
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3.
Budget Holders & Line Managers Responsibilities
It is the responsibility of the Budget Holder/Line Manager to ensure that:
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All paperwork is checked and verified.
The cardholder is made regularly aware of budget position/restrictions.
If the cardholder leaves the University, the card is destroyed and returned immediately
to the Payments Management office.
All expenditure on the purchasing card during the cardholders notice period is authorised
by their line manager.
All applications for cards must be initialled (alongside the cardholders details in Section B
‘New cardholder details’) by the line manager
Credit Limits

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4.
Credit limits (maximum single transaction limit and overall limit) are agreed prior to the
card being issued. The current default set limits (as of 1st June 2012) £1000 and a single
transaction limit of £250.
Care should be taken not to exceed these limits. Limits can be raised by application
to the Head of Procurement
Procedures
Cardholders must ensure that:
 the total value of goods, inclusive of carriage and VAT, is within their transaction limit.
 delivery notes/receipts are reconciled against order details, any disputes must be dealt
with by the cardholder immediately.
 If goods are not delivered, short delivered, damaged or unsatisfactory the cardholder
must immediately contact the supplier and request a VAT Credit Note and that a Refund
Voucher be put through Barclaycard
 delivery notes/receipt slips are retained with a copy of the Transaction Report and
Cardholder Statement for audit purposes.
 hard copies of invoices, till receipts, tickets or web pages for each transaction should
be retained until the relevant transaction appears on a statement and then forwarded to
Payments Management as per the Agresso card processing procedure. This should be
reviewed regularly and suppliers with outstanding invoices or credit notes should be
contacted promptly, well before the statement due date.
 invoices/credit notes are reconciled against the Transaction Report
 you have received all outstanding VAT invoices and Credit notes.
 the details on the Statement correspond with invoice and Transaction Report details.
Requirements outside the scope of standard VAT, please consult Payments Management.
All discrepancies/disputes must be resolved by the cardholder/budget holder.
TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY
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Travel: All expenditure for hotel bills and rail/air fares must be clearly stated on the
Transaction Log including: the date, destination and confirmation that travel is associated
with University business.
Hospitality: All expenditure for hospitality must state the names of the individuals
present, the reason for the entertainment and have supporting receipts/documentation.
INVOICES

Reconcile invoices against Transaction Log details/delivery notes.
STATEMENTS
It is the responsibility of the cardholder to ensure that Transaction Log entries and Statement
details correspond. Any queries on the statement must be resolved by the School/Unit in the
subsequent month as there will not be enough time between the receipt of the statement and the
payment due date to change the amount being claimed through the Direct Debit.
Any items with/without invoices that appear on the Transaction Log but not on the statement
must be retained by the School/Unit for reconciling with the next statement.

Attach all invoices/supporting documents and a copy of the Transaction Log to the
Statement, and send to the Payments Management Office by the 10th of the Month.
Failure to meet this deadline may result in your card being withdrawn.
5.
Loss/Theft of the Card
In the event of loss or theft of the Purchasing Card, the cardholder must immediately
notify Barclaycard and Payments Management, so that the card can be cancelled to
prevent fraudulent use.
If the notification is given verbally it must be confirmed by the cardholder in
writing to Payments Management by e-mail
A replacement card will be arranged as soon as possible.
The details for Barclaycard are: - Barclays Bank plc
Barclaycard Centre
Northampton
NN1 1SG
Telephone: 01604 - 230230
(24 hours, 7 days a week)
6.
Contact People & Useful Telephone Numbers
BARCLAYCARD:
Customer Services and Enquiries
Tel:
0870 154 0126
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Fax:
01642 663636
Address :
Company Barclaycard
PO Box 3000
Teesdale Business Park
Stocton-on-Tees
TS17 6YG
E-Mail:
Web:
cbc.customer@barclaycard.co.uk
www.barclaycardbusiness.co.uk
Payments Management
Jane Fawn
Tel: 01273 678988
Procurement Office
Steve Cole/David Warner/Iain Monro
Tel: 01273 678143/873946/873308
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