Business Procedures Tips
Purchasing
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New Bank for the Procurement Card
The bank providing services for UTSA’s Procard Program will be changing from JPMorgan Chase (“Chase”) to Citibank. The Texas Comptroller has established a new contract for the State’s Procurement Card program, and Citibank was the selected provider under the new contract. Most of Chase’s essential services will continue through February 28, 2011, based upon transition clauses in the contracts with both Chase and Citibank.
Cardholders and department administrators do not need to take any action at this time. Over the next two months, the Procard Office will begin working with Citibank and the Texas Comptroller’s Office to address the transition procedures necessary to implement the Citibank Procurement Cards. Future communication from the Procard Office will address these procedures.
To avoid any unnecessary transition between banks, the Procard Office strongly suggests that departments postpone their requests for new Procards while transition procedures are being developed. As UTSA begins the implementation phase of the new contract, the Procard Office will provide key implementation dates, such as the date new cards will be received, and the dates existing cards will terminate.
The Procard Office will continue with business as usual until further communication to begin implementation of Citibank Procurement Card Program is in place.
State of Texas Comptroller website http://www.window.state.tx.us/procurement/prog/charge-card/
Vendor hold status checks have been made a bit easier by posting a guide on our website for vendor checks through Point Plus. (See link below) If you continue to have problems or need assistance with Point Plus, please check with your reviewer or other appropriate individual in your department. If there is not someone in your department that can help you out, please call Anne Jackson, at ext. 4059.
Check to be sure the vendor is not on the State of Texas "Warrant Hold" list. State agencies are not allowed to do business with or make payments to entities that are on "warrant hold", with the State of Texas until the hold is lifted. Purchases over $500 or more from a vendor based in the State of Texas require checking the vendor's status prior to making the purchase. Vendor status link and a guide has been added to our website in two places, one under the Purchasing site under "Announcements" and the other on the ProCard site under "Forms".
Here is a direct link to the guide: www.utsa.edu/purchasing/forms/Vendor%20Search%20Using%20POINT%20Plus.pdf
Small dollar amount reimbursements for items purchased by staff can cost the university more in processing time and costs than the actual reimbursement.
Instead, we recommend using a departmental ProCard for this type of purchase. Using the ProCard for these purchases is more efficient, staff won’t have to wait for reimbursements, and is a “cleaner” transaction. (Additionally, if something has to be returned/exchanged, then there is no issue of reimbursing UTSA who reimbursed an employee.)
State agencies and four-year institutions of higher education are required to verify a vendor's hold status for payment card purchases over $500. Procard holders can access the Texas Identification Number System (TINS) to verify hold status by going to https://cpafmprd.cpa.state.tx.us/tpis/search.html and follow instructions.
If you are unable to click on the links above, right click on the link and click open hyperlink for access or copy and paste.
For future reference, you might want to bookmark the website to your favorites.
If you need assistance, contact Anne Jackson at 4059 or Rita Sutton at 4063.
This Business Procedures Tip was submitted by Anne Jackson, Procard Specialist.
<< Back to the Business Procedures Tips Archive
Have a Business Procedures Tip to share? Please send it to Bob Miller.