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Procurement Cards

The Procurement Card (Pcard) is a tool for faculty and staff on campus to make low-dollar purchases in a simple and convenient manner. Per the Open Records Law, all purchases completed with a Pcard may be fully disclosed as a public record. For additional information, please click the link below to view the Procurement Credit Card Program Manual.

UW System Purchasing Card Policy and Procedure ManualProcurement Travel Credit Card Information

Types of Cards

There are three different procurement card options available for faculty and staff; each option is best suited for different needs. The three options include two different kinds of Procurement cards: Procurement Travel (PT) card and Procurement/Supply (P) card. The third option is the Corporate Travel card, which is a personal liability card.

Procurement Card 

(P-Card)

Procurement Travel Card

(PT-Card)

US Bank Corporate Travel Card

(personal liability)

Personal Credit Card
Supplies Yes No Yes No
Airfare No Yes Yes No
Hotel No Yes Yes Allowed
Travel Agency Fees No Yes Yes No
Car Rentals No Yes Yes Allowed
Meals No No Yes Yes

Registration

(includes online training and workshops)

Allowed Preferred Yes Yes
Procurement Travel (PT) card

A PT card is set up for categories of merchants and commodities related to travel expenses.

Examples of appropriate PT card transactions:

  • Airfare
  • Lodging
  • Taxis
  • Transit
  • Registration fees for conferences or seminars that require travel
Procurement/Supply (P) card

A Pcard is set up for categories of merchants and commodities related to supplies, goods, or services. When ordering items with a Pcard, the ship-to address should always be an on-campus location.

Examples of items that can be purchased with Pcard:

  • Art supplies
  • Lab supplies
  • Professional memberships
  • Library books
  • Professional development materials

Items that CANNOT be purchased with a Pcard:

  • Personal purchases
  • Air conditioning units/space heaters
  • Firearms/ammunition
  • Capital Assets (Items that cost $5,000 or more)
  • Fines (including parking tickets)
  • Campus parking passes
  • Flowers
  • Printing
  • Insurance
  • Legal Services
  • Food, clothing, gifts, prizes (Pre-approval must be obtained in writing. Please see Accounts Payable page for these documents here: https://www.uwec.edu/accounts-payable/)
  • Software (including software-as-a-service, subscriptions to software, licensed software, “shrink-wrapped” software, Commercial off the Shelf (COTS) software, software media, software upgrades, maintenance/support agreements offered by the publisher/licensor. Please work with LTS Consulting for software purchases)
Corporate Travel card

The US Bank Corporate Travel Card is an employee benefit designed to ease the travel burden for employees, eliminate travel advances and, from report driven spending information, enable the UW System to negotiate favorable contracts with other travel vendors.  Accordingly, it should be used for ALL UW business-related travel but NOT for personal travel or personal retail expenditures. A Corporate Travel card is a personal liability card and the cardholder is responsible for making the statement payments.

General Pcard Information

How to use a Pcards

 

When making a purchase on a Pcard it is important to keep a few things in mind:

  • Pcards are for business use only, they are not for personal use
  • Pcards are not a “Department Card” and should not be used by anyone other than the cardholder
  • Be aware of the limits and responsibilities connected with the Pcard
    • Limits:
      • $1,500 single purchase limit and $5,00 per 2-wek billing cycle
      • Pcards are only authorized for purchases with certain categories of merchants and commodities
      • Clothing, food, gifts, prizes, etc. should NOT be purchased using a Pcard. For more information regarding these policies please visit the Accounts Payable page.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Filling out a Pcard Log
      • Retain all receipts
Sales Tax on the Pcard

The University of Wisconsin Eau Claire is tax-exempt. When you receive and activate your credit card, please affix the tax-exempt number stick to the front of your card. Cardholders may also request a laminated tax-exempt card. It is required for cardholders to inform vendors of the tax-exempt status prior to making a purchase and reviewing transactions afterward ensuring that tax has not been charged.

If tax was collected with an in-state vendor, the cardholder will be required to obtain a refund from the vendor. The refund will most likely not show up within the same Reporting Period. Within the comments section of the Pcard Log please attach documentation showing that the tax collected is in the process of being refunded.

Amazon Business

Personal Amazon accounts cannot be tied to a University-issued credit card and Amazon Prime accounts are NOT an allowable expense with UW-Eau Claire funds. You can, however, set up an Amazon Business Account using only your University-issued Pcard. Amazon is acceptable for “best judgment” purchases (purchases that do not require use of mandatory state-wide contracts or items and systems that cost less than $5,000).

Amazon Tax Exempt Process

Individuals who purchase from Amazon, on behalf of the University, will need to enroll in the Amazon Tax Exemption Program (ATEP) and submit exemption documents to Amazon.

 NOTE: The University is not able to file a "universal" exemption for the campus and all Pcard users who purchase from Amazon will need to file for the exemption.  To file for exemption status, please click here, log into your account and upload the exemptions. You will need to upload two exemption documents, one for Amazon Digital and one for Amazon LLC. 

The exemption documents CANNOT be used for personal Amazon accounts and can only be used for UW-Eau Claire business related purchases using your Pcard. If you do not have a UW-Eau Claire Amazon account, you will need to create one via the Amazon website first and then enroll in the tax exemption program. 

NOTE: Sales tax my still be charged on items ordered from other sellers that list products for sale on Amazon.com. The exemptions submitted to Amazon do not cover these third-party vendors and individuals will be responsible for requesting sales tax refunds form those third-party vendors. 

Remember:

  • Paying for shipping charges is an allowable expense; taxes are charges that need to be avoided.
  • Office supplies CANNOT be purchased from Amazon; Office supplies must be purchased from Staples on Shop@UW.
Ordering

When ordering supplies with a Pcard, cardholders must ship the item to an on-campus location. 

For Example

Central Receiving 
651 University Drive
Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54701

 

Ineligible Purchases

Purchases not to be made using a Pcard:

  • Air conditioning units/Space heaters
  • Firearms/ammunition
  • Capital assets (over $5,000)
  • Fines
  • Flowers
  • Printing
  • Insurance
  • Technology (run through LTS)
  • Personal purchases
  • Clothing
  • Food

For additional information regarding the University’s food, clothing, gifts, prizes, and giveaway policies, please see the Accounts Payable page 

Supply Item Policies

There has been some confusion regarding the use of state funds when purchasing various supply items. As a reminder, not all items listed in the Staples Catalog or items purchased from other sources can be paid for with state funds.

  • Some of the common items that have been brought to our attention that are generally not allowed include:
    • Picture Frames
    • Kleenex, hand sanitizer, lotion, disinfecting wipes, etc.
    • Paper plates, forks, spoons, napkins, etc.
    • T-shirts
    • Promotional Candy
    • Flowers

If you are uncertain whether an item is allowable or not, contact Accounts Payable.

Ineligible Vendor List

The Department of Administration (DOA) provides a list of vendors that are ineligible to buy from based on their failure to comply with the tax law listed in s.77.66, Wis. Stats. If purchases are made from a vendor on the ineligible list, the products must be returned.

Ineligible vendor list

 

Limits and Reconciliation

Limits

All three types of procurement cards have standard limits of $1,500 for a single purchase limit and a $5,000 billing cycle limit. The P and PT cards run on two week billing cycles and the balances are paid by the University. The Corporate Travel card runs on a monthly billing cycle and the cardholder is responsible for paying the balance.

Requests for temporary limit increases may be directed to purchasing@uwec.edu. Please include the requested amount for increase, the last four digits of your credit card, the dates of the intended purchase, and any applicable quotes.

Reconciliation

At the close of each two-week cycle for the P and PT cards, cardholders will receive an email notification if they have charges on their card and will be directed to complete an eform to reconcile those charges. It is the cardholder’s responsibility to complete the business purpose descriptions for each purchase, attach all receipts or other supporting documentation such as agendas, and the corresponding bank statement to their P and PT card logs.

Pcard Log Checklist

  • Does the attached invoice match the reporting period?
  • Are receipts provided for all the items shown on the invoice?
  • Do the attached receipts show the purchase date? (this should match the date shown on the US Bank Statement)
  • Do the attached receipts clearly state what is being purchased?
  • Do the attached receipts show that tax was not collected?
    • If tax was collected, UWEC is tax exempt and a refund should be given
  • Is the business purpose clear?
    • Take advantage of the “business purpose line” and the comment section to make the purpose clear
Apply for a Procurement Card

Any faculty or staff member responsible for making business-related purchases should apply for their own Pcard. Follow the links below to access the application eforms for each type of Pcard.

Procurement Card Application

Procurement Travel Card Application

Corporate Travel Card Application

Procurement Card Pick-Up and Activation

When your P or PT card is delivered to campus, you will be notified by the Firstsource Team in the ASK Center to pick up your card. The cardholder is required to sign for the Pcard and present their Blugold ID for verification and security purposes. Corporate Travel cardholders have the option to have their cards shipped to their office or to their home address on the credit card application.

Call the US Bank number listed on the back of the card to activate. Instructions will also be included in your envelope containing your Pcard.

Also included with your Pcard is a tax exempt sticker that should be affixed to the front of your card. Ensure all purchases, especially purchases completed in the state of Wisconsin, are tax exempt, prior to running any transactions.

Reporting a Lost or Stolen Card

If your Pcard is lost or stolen, immediately notify the Corporate Payment Systems (800) 344-5696, University Police and Security (715) 836-2222, and the Purchasing Office (715) 836-5171.

Canceling a Pcard

If you leave UW-Eau Claire, transfer to another department, or choose to cancel your card for any other reason, you must return your procurement card to the ASK Center. The Purchasing Program Administrator will cancel the card. The University does not reissue the same procurement card number to other employees for use.

Additionally, if the card is being cancelled because you are leaving employment at UW-Eau Claire or transferring to another department, prior to your last day on campus or in your department, you must return all receipts, credit slips, invoice, and other documentation for pending purchases to the member of your department who will be responsible for filling out the Pcard log after your departure.

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