P-Card Guidelines

P-Card Administrator: Danielle Lewis, ext. 2407

SUNY Cortland’s Procurement Card (P-Card) Program provides a more efficient and cost-effective method for procuring and paying for small-dollar purchases from vendors that accept Visa. The program allows cardholders to purchase approved commodities and services directly from vendors.

Each P-Card is issued to a named individual, who is accountable for all transactions made with the card.

Cardholders must return the P-Card to the Campus P-Card Administrator immediately upon request or upon termination of employment.

Cardholders are not billed directly for the charges; however, they are responsible for recording purchases, accessing and printing monthly statements of account activity from the J.P. Morgan Chase website, and reconciling transactions in the online reconciliation system.

New York State is liable for all authorized charges made using the P-Card.

Note: Travel-related expenses, including meals, lodging, airfare, and car rentals, are not permitted on the J.P. Morgan Chase Visa P-Card.

The department or office Administrative Assistant will typically serve as the primary cardholder. Up to two (2) additional cards may be requested and must be approved by the Associate Director of Purchasing and Accounts Payable.  Any exceptions require approval from the Vice President for Finance and Management.

It is important that each individual receiving a P-card is familiar with New York State procurement procedures and SUNY Cortland purchasing policies, which are available on the SUNY Cortland Purchasing website: http://www2.cortland.edu/offices/purchasing-office/

Each cardholder is responsible for verifying all charges associated with their department or office’s specific state account number. Only authorized purchases are permitted.

Employees who makes unauthorized purchases are subject to appropriate disciplinary action (see Unauthorized Purchases).

To obtain a P-Card, complete and submit an Application for the NYS J.P. Morgan Chase Visa Procurement Card. Once your application is received and approved, the Procurement Card Administrator will email instructions for configuring your web access to the P-card online system.

Note: All applicants must complete this web access configuration for their application to be transmitted to J.P. Morgan Chase.

P-cards typically take approximately two (2) weeks to arrive after approval.

The Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) requires all cardholders to attend a training session with the P-Card Administrator prior to receiving their card. Once the card arrives from J.P. Morgan Chase, the P-Card Administrator will contact the employee to schedule training and card pickup.

All rules and procedures of Purchasing apply to any transactions placed on the P-card. Cardholders must adhere to the following guidelines:

• Use Preferred Source Vendors
  These include:
  • NYS Department of Corrections (Corcraft)
  • NYS Industries for the Disabled (NYSID)
  • NYS Preferred Source Program for People Who Are Blind (NYSPSP)

More information on the preferred source offerings can be found on our website at: https://www2.cortland.edu/offices/purchasing-office/preferred-sources.dot

• Use State Contract Vendors whenever possible: OGS Centralized Contracts List.
• Use Certified Women-Owned or Minority-Owned Vendors whenever possible.
• Obtain competitive price quotes and include a Reasonableness of Price Checklist (ROPC) for any purchase $2,500 or more.
• Keep accurate records and documentation for all transactions, including verifying that funding is available and obtaining supervisor approval.
• Guard your P-Card information carefully. If you would not make a purchase with your personal credit card, you should not make it with the P-Card.
• Upon termination of employment, cardholders must notify the P-Card Administrator and return the P-Card along with any outstanding receipts and supporting documentation for remaining purchases.
• When transferring to a new position on campus, cardholders must notify the P-Card Administrator. If the P-card will not be required in the new position, it must be returned. Otherwise, submit a new P-Card application signed by the new supervisor.

Cardholder

1. Accountability
   • The cardholder is responsible and accountable for all P-Card transactions. 
2. Appropriate Use
   • P-Cards are only for official SUNY purchases.
   • Cardholders must provide the business purpose for each purchase.
   • Prohibited uses:
     • Personal items
     • Cash advances
     • Business travel expenses.
   • For clarification, contact the P-Card Administrator before to making the purchase.
3. Tax Exemption
   •  SUNY is tax-exempt.
   • If sales tax is charged, the cardholder must contact the vendor to correct the charge.
4. Procurement Log & Documentation
   • Maintain a written Procurement Log
   • Retain all receipts, purchases, and returns documentation.
   • Reconcile transactions electronically with the monthly J.P. Morgan Chase statement.
   • Certify monthly transactions and submit your log and P-card packet by the emailed due dates
   • Chronic late submission may result in card suspension.
5. Compliance
   • Follow all SUNY and New York State policies and procedures.
   • Non-compliance can lead to revocation of card privileges or disciplinary action, up to termination.
6. Security
   • Do not share your P-Card or account number with anyone, except the vendor.
   • Do not allow  anyone else in your department or office to use your P-Card.
7. Assistance
   • Questions about proper use should be directed to the P-Card Administrator at ext. 2407.

Per the SUNY Office of Internal Audit: “The Office of the University Auditor and the New York State Comptroller (OSC) use a number of forensic accounting tools to detect potentially fraudulent, wasteful, and abusive expenditure activity as well as other inappropriate uses of State resources. We ask that all cardholders adhere to these policies and report suspicious or unusual activity to the appropriate authorities.”

Supervisor

It is the responsibility of the cardholder’s supervisor to review the JP Morgan Chase monthly billing statement and supporting documentation submitted by the cardholder to ensure that all purchases are for valid State business purposes.

The supervisor signs and dates the Procurement Log to indicate approval for the purchases.

• If there are discrepancies or disagreements, the supervisor must meet with the cardholder to obtain an explanation and have the problem resolved.

Within five (5) days of receiving the certified SUNY statement, the JP Morgan Chase monthly billing statement, and accompanying documentation from the cardholder, the supervisor must complete the departmental manager certification via the SUNY Financial Management System (FMS), sign and date the Procurement Log supplied by the cardholder, and forward everything (including all attachments) back to the cardholder to digitally submit to the P-Card Administrator via the Dropbox.

P-Card Administrator

The Program Administrator is the liaison between the University, JP Morgan Chase, and SUNY.

Upon P-Card application submission, the Program Administrator will setup all cardholders within JP Morgan Chase & SUNY FMS and provide training for all campus employees authorized to use the P-Card.

The administrator will audit and retain monthly certification documents and scan and index documents within OnBase for retention.

Both the Procurement Card Administrator (Danielle Lewis) and the Associate Director of Purchasing and Accounts Payable (Casey Avery) are available for assistance regarding the Procurement Card Program at ext. 2407 and ext. 2307 (respectively).

The following purchases are not permitted on the SUNY Cortland P-Card:

• Travel and entertainment – e.g., airline tickets, car rentals, taxis, shuttles, parking, lodging, restaurant dining, meals, etc.
• Apparel – must be purchased through a Purchase Order (PO) in Red Dragon Depot (RDD).
• Furniture – see the SUNY Cortland Furniture Policy for guidance.
• Flowers, greeting cards, and personal celebrations – e.g., birthdays, retirements, staff morale, and recognition items.
• Gift certificates or gift cards – unless pre-approved via the Cortland Auxiliary Services (CAS) Gift Card/Certificate Request Form.
• Store-value cards
• Breakroom supplies – e.g., cutlery, paper products, etc.
• Personal items – e.g., over-the-counter medication, tissues, air fresheners, etc.
• Reimbursable and personal expenses – e.g., gasoline, meals, etc.
• Alcoholic beverages and coffee service
• Food purchases, refreshments, or meals – except for exceptions such as ASC events that are on-campus learning events or candidate lunches. Documentation of the event is required, including:
  • Event announcement
  • Agenda
  • Attendee list
  • Business purpose or program description
  • Copies of any advertising or promotional materials
• Orders exceeding transaction limits – request a limit increase if necessary. Submit an email to the Procurement Card Administrator (cc: Associate Director of Purchasing & Accounts Payable) including:
  1. Supervisor’s approval email
  2. Reasonableness of Price Checklist (ROPC)
  3. Invoice
• Split ordering – two or more partial payments for the same vendor are prohibited.
• Leases or insurance
• Contracted services from an individual

All purchases must be for official state use and must be reasonable, rational, and cost-effective. Purchases must relate to the program’s purpose, reflecting responsible stewardship of public funds.

All IT-related purchases, including technology hardware, software, and any cloud or externally hosted systems, software and services, require review and approval of the Office of the Associate Vice President and Chief Information Officer or their designee.

As a general rule, Information Resources (IR) will place IT purchases on behalf of the university. This ensures compatibility with existing campus systems and adherence to established standards.

• For more information, see the Information Technology Purchasing Policy.
• Guidelines regarding Subscriptions, Renewals, & IT Purchases.

Durable equipment with a value over $5,000 must be tagged and recorded in the State’s Property Control System. Whenever possible, these items should be purchased through the Purchasing & Accounts Payable Office using a Purchase Order (PO).

Questions about equipment should be directed to Chris Tucker, Director of Property Control and Print Services. Call ext. 2488 immediately upon receipt of equipment not ordered through the Purchasing & Accounts Payable Office (via RDD) to ensure it is properly recorded into the Property Control System and tagged.

Freight or shipping invoices are required for any shipment over $500. These invoices must be requested from the vendor at the time of purchase and submitted along with your paid receipts.

All shipments must be delivered to a valid campus address, preferably Central Receiving (3739 Stratton Drive, Cortland; attention to and department name). 

Cardholders should not incur credit card fees exceeding 5% of the purchase amount or $100 per transaction, whichever is lower.

If a fee falls within this limit, the department or office may determine, at its discretion, whether to pay the fee from its budget. Any fee exceeding this threshold is not permitted unless explicitly approved in advance.

The University is tax-exempt.

If sales tax appears on the invoice, the cardholder is responsible for contacting the vendor to have the sales tax charge credited back to their P-Card. You are required to pursue a vendor credit if there is a sales tax charge.

Tax Exemption Certificate

SUNY Cortland Tax Exempt #: 14740026K

SUNY Cortland Federal ID #: 146013200

Cardholders should verify that prices paid are reasonable. This can be done by comparing costs from other sources or historical costs.

“Reasonable” means a “fair market price” based on normal competitive conditions and not necessarily the lowest possible price.

Reasonableness of Price Checklist (ROPC) (PDF)

OSC encourages agency awareness and consideration of vendor responsibility in all purchases and procurements. Cardholders should select reputable vendors to make purchases from.

The term “misuse or abuse” refers to using the P-Card outside of authorized parameters, including, but not limited to:

• Using the card in a manner that violates established P-Card Program, State, SUNY, or University guidelines.
• Using the card for prohibited purchases (e.g., personal expenses, travel-related expenses).
• Splitting orders to remain within the transaction limit.
• Sharing your P-Card with anyone else.

In all cases, the cardholder must reimburse the university for any unauthorized purchases.

The general disciplinary procedures are outlined below. Based on the severity of an offense, the university reserves the right to advance the disciplinary process to the appropriate stage and require retraining of the cardholder as necessary.

1st Offense:

• The cardholder will be notified of the infraction and advised to use the P-Card only for official purposes, in accordance with NYS and J.P. Morgan Chase guidelines.
• The cardholder will be informed that further violations may result in suspension of P-Card privileges.
• The cardholder is personally responsible for reimbursing the state for any unauthorized purchases.

2nd Offense:

• All P-Card privileges will be suspended for one (1) month.
• The cardholder’s supervisor and the Associate Director of Purchasing & Accounts Payable will be notified of the violation and suspension.
• At the end of the suspension, the cardholder’s supervisor may elect to reinstate privileges with approval from the P-Card Administrator.
• The cardholder remains personally responsible for reimbursing the state for any unauthorized purchases.

3rd Offense:

• Use of the P-Card will be permanently suspended.
• The cardholder is personally responsible for reimbursing the state for any unauthorized purchases.

Note: Departments and offices may implement additional disciplinary actions as deemed necessary.

Cardholders are notified by J.P. Morgan Chase via email when a new statement is available and ready to print. Do not certify your P-Card until you receive an email from the P-Card Administrator instructing you to do so and indicating the deadline for completion.

First-time certifiers will attend a second training session with the P-Card Administrator on the certification process when their first statement becomes available. Detailed instructions for certifying and printing your statement can be below under Certifying Your P-Card Instructions.

Cardholders who fail to certify or submit their packet by the deadline without notifying the P-Card Administrator will have their P-Card suspended until the certification and P-Card packet, including all original signatures, are submitted and reviewed.

Once certification and the P-Card packet have been received and audited by the P-Card Administrator, the card will be reinstated.

Note: Multiple infractions may result in revocation of P-Card privileges.

Preparing a Digital P-Card Packet

• Ensure files are legible and clear for auditing purposes.
• Confirm all documents are oriented correctly (right-side up).
• Scan both sides of any two-sided documents and remove blank pages.
• Log and certification sheets must have original signatures (see Signature Types for further guidance) before scanning.
• Save files using the following naming convention:
  [year (YYYY).packet month (MM) – Last name.First name]
  • Example: August 2024 packet for Casey Avery → 2024.08 – Avery.Casey

Additional Information:

• How-to Video: How to Create a Digital Packet