Procurement Card Guidelines

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 and Accounts Payable Office with a Purchase Requisition. Questions about equipment should be directed to Chris Tucker, Property Control Manager.

Please call ext. 2488 immediately upon receipt of equipment items that have not been ordered through the Purchasing and Accounts Payable Office to ensure that they are recorded in the Property Control System and tagged.

Application for the Procurement Card (PDF)

Cardholder Quick Reference Card (PDF)

Certifying Procurement Card Instructions

Procurement Log (PDF)

Purchasing Card Program - Cardholders Manual (PDF)

IT-related purchases (technology hardware; software; and any cloud or externally hosted systems, software as a service) need the review and approval of the Office of the Associate Vice President and Chief Information Officer or designee. 

As a general rule, IT purchases will be placed by Information Resources on behalf of the University. This ensures compatibility with existing campus systems and standards.

Please see the Information Technology Purchasing Policy.

• 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

• All shipments must be delivered to a valid campus address, preferably Central Receiving and must be clearly labeled “VISA”.  Documents should indicate the department's name to ensure proper on-campus delivery (deliver to 32 Stratton Drive).  Any shipping charges over $100 must be accompanied by not only the vendors invoice, but the shipping invoice also.
• The State of New York is committed to doing business with Minority and Women-Owned Businesses. Cardholders should place orders for goods and services with Minority and Women-Owned business enterprises whenever possible. Prudent spending on commodities is also strongly encouraged and pricing consistent with State contracts is expected.
• It is the responsibility of the cardholder to ensure that department funds are available for each transaction processed on their Procurement Card before the purchase is made.  
• Contracts or written agreements need to be reviewed by a representative of the University – please contact the Purchasing and Accounts Payable Office at ext. 2305, for further information.
• Card-sharing is expressly prohibited and may result in revocation of card privileges. Accidental personal use of the card should be reported immediately to the P-Card Administrator who will advise you of steps to rectify the error. Suspected fraud or misuse of the card must be reported immediately to the Administrator as well as to your supervisor as soon as the situation is discovered.
• Participation in the Procurement Card program is a privilege and can be withdrawn.
  • If improper use is detected, the cardholder will be advised to use the card for official purposes only.
  • The cardholder will also be advised that all Procurement Card privileges will be suspended permanently if further violations occur.
  • The cardholder will be personally responsible for reimbursing the State for any improper and/or any unauthorized purchases.
    • A department may implement further disciplinary actions if necessary.
• New York State is liable for all charges to the Procurement Card except for fraudulent use of the card by a supplier and/or an employee, or cardholder.
  • You must be able to show business purpose for the purchase. New York State will not be liable for any charges incurred by non-employees. Therefore, it is important to report immediately any lost or stolen Procurement Card. Failure to comply with this notification process may result in the cardholder becoming personally liable for the fraudulent use of the card.
• Failure to send proper documentation, as well as, using the card inappropriately may result in liability for your purchases and permanent revocation of the card. 
  • Please contact the P-Card Administrator if proper documentation is not available, and certain purchases may require additional documentation if the purchase appears personal in nature.

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.

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

The cardholder is responsible and accountable for all procurement card transactions. The cardholder must provide the business purpose for each purchase. Use of the card for personal items, cash advances, and business travel is prohibited. If you have questions regarding the appropriate use of the Procurement card, contact the Program Administrator at ext. 2407.

The Procurement Card may NOT be used for the following:

• Orders requiring advance payment, these are purchases in advance of when the item is available.
  • Exceptions: Dues, memberships, conference registrations & subscriptions are acceptable.
• Orders placed from home computers, as well as, orders for delivery to homes (you may be 100% liable for purchases for non-adherence).
• Alcohol, flowers, gifts, gift cards, gift certificates, jewelry, gaming software, etc.
• Meals off-campus (this includes all restaurants)
• Refreshments (ASC is acceptable as long as it’s an on-campus learning event). 
  • Documentation of the event is required whenever purchasing refreshments. 
    • Documentation includes: event announcement (flyer), list of attendees, business purpose and/or program, and copies of any advertising mediums.
• Payment to a state employee or any other person.
• Transactions exceeding YOUR per transaction limit.
  • Request a limit increase if the situation warrants.
  • Split ordering is expressly prohibited (2 or more partial payments for the same order).
• Rental of space, vehicle rental or equipment rental**
• Equipment leases, insurance
• All travel expenses: lodging, airfare, gasoline, metro cards, parking & taxi fees, etc., are explicitly prohibited without the prior approval of the NYS Comptroller’s Office.
• Reimbursable and personal expenses: airfare, gasoline, hotel accommodations, entertainment, meals and other out-of-pocket expenses

NOTE: Cardholder should not exceed more than 5% or $25 in credit card fees for a payment (whichever is less).

**If you need to rent a piece of equipment or rental space, please contact the Purchasing and Accounts Payable Office at ext. 2407 or ext. 5454, prior to doing so for proper approval.**

• The Program Administrator is the liaison between the University, JP Morgan Chase, and SUNY.
• The Program Administrator will setup the cardholder on the SUNY Network requesting the Visa card and provide training for all campus employees authorized to use the Procurement Card.
• The administrator will audit and retain monthly certification documents as well as scan and index documents within OnBase for electronic viewing.

Both the Procurement Card Administrator (Danielle Lewis) and the Director of Purchasing and Accounts Payable (Melissa Fox) are available for assistance regarding the Procurement Card Program at ext. 2407 and ext. 2305 (respectively).

“The Office of the University Auditor and the New York State Comptroller 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.” SUNY Office of Internal Audit

• 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 his/her departmental manager certification via the SUNY network, sign and date the Procurement Log supplied by the cardholder, and forward them with all attachments to the Procurement Card Administrator.