Purchasing Card
Dear employee:
Welcome to the special group of employees who have been selected by their management
to become a Austin Peay State University (APSU) Purchasing Cardholder. Your nomination
is proof of the University’s faith and trust in your ability to represent Austin Peay
as an authorized Agent for placing small dollar orders on behalf of your department
and the University. The Purchasing Card is entrusted to you in your name and it can
only be used for University business. In addition it may not be loaned or delegated
to another employee at any time. You are fully responsible for ensuring that your
card is safe, and that it is not used to personally benefit any one individual in
our organization.
This card program has been established to streamline the purchasing process including
requisitioning, order placement, receiving and the payment processing for low value
($4,999) per transaction not to exceed $4,999 per month. Transactions for more than
that amount will be denied at the point of sale. Our program utilizes the US Bank Visa
Purchasing Card as the payment processing medium and it is administered by US Bank.
Card holders are encouraged to use the card for all low value purchases, however,
usage must always be in compliance with APSU policies and procedures regarding purchases.
It should also be noted that Suppliers who do not accept the Visa Purchasing Card
can still be used if they accept the regular APSU Purchase Order form issued by a
Purchasing Department Buyer.
US Bank will maintain a computerized summary of each and every purchase made against
your Purchasing Card, and will submit a monthly summary billing statement covering
your purchases directly to your department. Generally, the transaction dates and amounts
on the statement should match the order dates and amounts recorded on your department
log. Use the summary statement to verify order placement by checking it against your
department’s log of low value purchases to ensure it’s accuracy. However, there may
be times when your log shows items purchased toward the end of the billing cycle which
will not be included until the next monthly summary billing statement is issued. APSU’s
Accounts Payable Department will receive a monthly master statement of all charges
for all card holders at the University which it will use to reconcile the purchases
with each department and to make any internal changes that are considered necessary
prior to debiting your department’s account. The incoming master invoice will be paid
in full by Accounts Payable upon receipt by the University while problems, if any,
must be identified and when they cannot be resolved with the supplier they should
be submitted to the Purchasing Card Coordinator who will work directly with the bank
to resolve the conflict. Forms have been provided in the Appendix of this manual for
your convenience in reporting any invoice discrepancy.
If you follow the Purchasing Card Usage Guidelines and always work in the best interest
of Austin Peay, this experience should be a rewarding part of your daily contributions
to the University. I am certain that you will enjoy the luxury of placing orders as
they surface, but when questions arise regarding the purchasing requirements please
feel free to call me or the Purchasing Card Coordinator and we will try to help you
through the purchasing process.
Sincerely,
Judy Blain
Director of Purchasing