Employees

Credit Cards

The following important points should be reviewed before using the purchasing card:

• Your purchasing card is issued in your name. You are responsible for the security of the purchasing card and the transactions made with it. If you do not follow these guidelines when using the purchasing card, you may receive disciplinary action, up to and including termination.
• You can use the purchasing card at any vendor or service provider that accepts MasterCard and is pre-approved by Purchasing.
• The purchasing card may only be used to purchase items that are included in a currently approved budget line item.
• You may use the purchasing card to purchase supplies and service less than your transaction limit.
• Cardholders must reconcile Cardholder Account Statement reports for accuracy. The Cardholder Account Statement reconciliation MUST be completed by the 10th of each month. Notice will be made on the 11th of non-receipt. Failure to properly reconcile your statement by the 15th may result in suspension of your account.
• The purchasing card is not intended to avoid or bypass appropriate purchasing or payment procedures as outlined in Board Policy or the Financial Information Resource Manual. This program complements the existing options available.

Duties and Responsibilities

Program Administrator
The Purchasing Agent is designated to answer questions, address issues and oversee the administration of the program. The Purchasing Agent has a direct relationship with Bank of Montreal. All purchasing card requests must go through the Program Administrator (Purchasing Agent).

Cardholder
A cardholder is designated by the Dean or Budget Manager to utilize the purchasing card for purchasing small dollar supplies and materials. The cardholder is responsible for following the guidelines for purchases, selection of vendors, security of card and monthly reconciliation.

Purchasing Agent
The Purchasing Agent, in conjunction with the Dean, is responsible for designating cardholders and for reviewing monthly purchasing card statements of cardholders to ensure they are within District policy. The Purchasing Agent will also assist in assigning cardholder spending limits and monitoring adherence to purchasing card regulations. The Purchasing Agent, in conjunction with the Human Resources Officer, is responsible for retrieving purchasing cards in the event of termination or change in the employment status of a cardholder.

Bank of Montreal Customer Service
The purchasing card program is serviced using a team approach with Bank of Montreal Customer Service Center. The center is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to assist the cardholder with general questions about the purchasing card account. If a card is lost or stolen, Customer Service should be notified immediately. The Customer Service number is: 1-800-263-2263. For questions regarding details online access, ID/password or functions, please contact purchasing at 281-425-6320.

Purchasing Card Controls

Credit Limits
All purchasing cards have monthly cardholder spending limits. Limits may vary for each cardholder and will be established by the Purchasing Agent. These limits automatically “refresh” three weeks after the monthly close. The credit card month is from the 4th to the 3rd. Therefore, the refresh happens on or about the 24th. Your limit should cover your expenditure for approximately seven weeks.

Each cardholder will be given information on the limits of his/her card upon signing up for the program. In order to change limits on any card, your Dean should forward a request in writing to the Purchasing Agent. Upon approval, the Purchasing Agent will then forward the request to Bank of Montreal for processing. *Please allow 6 to 7 days to process any change*. Emergencies can be handled much faster.

Transaction Limits
Your purchasing card may have a single transaction limit. This is the amount available on the purchasing card for a single purchase. A transaction includes the purchase price plus freight. A cardholder should not attempt to make a purchase greater than his/her approved amount. The Purchasing Agent must also handle changes to the transaction limit.

Restricted Vendors
The purchasing card program may be restricted from use with certain types of suppliers and merchants. If you present your purchasing card for payment to these vendors (i.e. liquor stores), the authorization request will be declined.

Purchasing Card Receipts
Always obtain a receipt when using the purchasing card. It is every cardholder’s responsibility to ensure there is a receipt for each purchase. Detailed receipts must be presented for all meal reimbursements – the credit card charge slip is not considered adequate documentation. The cash register tape itemizing the meal will be required. The purpose of the business meal and the names in attendance must be indicated on the receipt.

These receipts will be each cardholder’s documentation for the monthly purchasing card charges. Upon reconciliation of charges at the end of each cycle, the receipts should be forwarded to the Purchasing Department for audit along with a copy of the cardholder account statement. If a receipt is lost or stolen, the cardholder should obtain duplicate copies of the receipts whenever possible. An Affidavit must be submitted for missing or lost receipts.

Cardholder Responsibilities
At the end of each billing cycle, every cardholder will download a cardholder monthly statement, which lists purchases made to that account. Upon printing this statement, the cardholder should reconcile the statement with the purchasing card receipts. Then the cardholder should enter the accounting information and description of the purchase into the online credit card system. After attaching all documentation and indicating the account number to be charged on the face of the reconciliation, the report should be forwarded to Purchasing. Cards that have outstanding reconciliation reports may be suspended.

After reviewing the information sent by each cardholder, the Purchasing Dept. will forward the documentation to the Accounts Payable Department. Accounts Payable will then verify that the cardholder monthly statement is consistent with the statement memo summary detail received from Bank of Montreal for the District’s files.

Sales and Use Tax
The Lee College District is a tax-exempt entity and does not pay Texas sales tax. The cardholder should present a sales tax exemption form when making a purchase. Online purchases must be Texas sales tax exempt.

Security of the Purchasing Card
The cardholder is responsible for the security of the card. Guard the purchasing card account number carefully. It should not be posted in a work area or left in a conspicuous place. It should be kept in a secure location.

The only person authorized to use the purchasing card is the cardholder whose name appears on the card. The card is to be used for business purposes only and may not be used for personal use. Personal purchases will be considered misappropriation of District funds, a criminal offense, and will be reported to the proper authorities. Card privileges will be suspended and disciplinary actions may be taken.

Employee Termination
The purchasing card must be returned to the Purchasing Agent or Director of Human Resources upon termination from employment with the Lee College District.

Lost or Stolen Cards
If a purchasing card is lost or stolen, immediately contact Bank of Montreal Customer Service at 1-800-263-2263. After contacting Bank of Montreal, notify the Purchasing Agent. Prompt action can reduce the District’s liability for fraudulent activity.