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Temple Purchasing Card Program Policies And Procedures

The Purchasing Card (PCard or TPC) can be used for allowable purchases up to $5,000 per transaction. The PCard is administered and tracked by J.P. Morgan's Paymentnet system.

Obtaining a PCard

Using the PCard

 

Reconciliation and Controls

Appendix A - TPC Sales Tax Exemption Status

Appendix B - TPC Unallowable Purchases

Appendix C - Related Policies

If you have any questions about the use of the PCard, or would like clarification/approval before a purchase is made, contact PCard@temple.edu.

PCard training is provided to new card holders by invitation only. However, refresher courses are available! Email PCard@temple.edu to set up a training session.

 

OBTAINING THE TEMPLE PURCHASING CARD (TPC)

To obtain a PCard, you must complete the Purchasing Card Application form on TUmarketplace.

  • The cardholder must be the one to submit the request, or must be listed in the "prepared for" section.
  • Every fund/organization that will be utilized on the card will need to be added to the requisition.
  • The form will route through the approval process, and requires a level 1 signature.
  • Only employees at the H/T23 level or above can obtain a card. Deans/Budget Unit Heads can restrict this further.

A transaction approver must be assigned - this is the Level 1 Approver of the requesting department, and/or the additional employees that the Level 1 Approver has designated via the Purchasing Approver List Form. The Transaction Approver is responsible to approve cardholder's purchases in Paymentnet.

Once approved, the cardholder will be required to complete a WebEx training session. Upon successful completion of the training, the cardholder will receive a notification to pick up the PCard and sign the Cardholder Agreement.

USING THE PCARD

The PCard can be used for allowable purchases up to $5,000 per transaction, however transactions may not be split to avoid either the issuance of a Purchase Order or to circumvent the bid process. See Violations and Penalties.

Custom Controls - Deans/Budget Unit Heads have the ability to further restrict the use of the PCard to include monthly spend limits and limiting the number of daily or monthly transactions.

Receipt - Every single transaction must have a receipt. All receipts must be attached electronically to each transaction within the Paymentnet system. Paymentnet will store these receipts for up to 24 months. Note: UPS, ProShred and autobilling transactions do not require a receipt.

Sales Tax - Temple University is exempt from Pennsylvania sales tax, as well as sales tax in most other states (as listed in Appendix A). As such, sales tax should not be applied to any goods purchased by Temple University in these regions. The Cardholder is responsible for informing the vendor that the goods are not to be taxed at the point of sale, and is also responsible for recovering sales tax that is incorrectly charged to their PCard. Verification of sales tax exemption can be provided to the merchant upon request.

Adding/Removing FOAPALs - to add/remove FOAPALs, you must submit the Purchasing Card Application form on TUmarketplace - be sure you check the "Add FOAPALs to an existing card" or "Remove FOAPALs from an exisiting card" option. You are required to list the cardholder in the "prepared for" section. Depending on when the reqeust is received and approved, it may take an additional billing cycle to take effect.

RECONCILIATION AND CONTROLS

The billing cycle closes on the 20th of every month. At that time, Cardholders have three calendar days to review and verify PCard purchases using the J.P.Morgan Paymentnet system. Approvers have seven calendar days to examine and approve each transaction.

Cardholders - within that three-day period, cardholders must:

  • Review each transaction.
  • Ensure receipts are attached for each transaction.
  • Mark each transaction as reviewed - if you fail to mark a transaction as "reviewed," your approver will not be able to see the transaction.
  • Submit the transactions to your approver(s).

Approvers - approvers have seven days from the end of the billing cycle to examine and approve all transactions. An approver must examine each transaction to ensure it is appropriate and that proper documentation and receipts are attached. Approvers must log into the J.P.Morgan Paymentnet system and mark each transaction as "Approved."

Note: transactions are available to review and approve on a continuous basis - you do not need to wait until the close of the billing cycle to begin your reconciliation and approval.

Violations & Penalties - Purchasing audits transactions on a monthly basis. When violations are identified, cardholders, approvers, supervisors, and the appropriate university executive may be contacted by Purchasing Services and/or Internal Audit. It is your responsibility to ensure proper use of the PCard. Having a PCard means you understand and follow these policies and procedures - failure to follow these may result in suspension of the PCard, or other disciplinarian actions including termination. Accounts will be closely monitored by Purchasing for long-term inactivity. Any cards that are inactive for longer than a period of 12 months will be automatically cancelled.

Transactions are audited to detect the following:

  • Non-reviewing and non-approving
  • Failure to upload receipt
  • Sales tax paid
  • Splitting transactions (to avoid the $5,000 threshold)
  • Unallowable Purchases
  • Use of PayPal or other specified vendors without prior approval

 

Appendix A

TPC Sales Tax Exemption Status

Colorado Connecticut Florida Idaho
Illinois Iowa Kansas Kentucky
Maine Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota
Missouri Mississippi Nebraska New Jersey
New York North Dakota Ohio Pennsylvania
Rhode Island South Dakota Tennessee Texas
Utah West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

Non-Exempt States

Arizona Alabama California Georgia
Hawaii Indiana Louisiana Maryland
Montana Nevada New Mexico North Carolina
Oklahoma Oregon South Carolina Vermont
Virginia Washington Washington, D.C.

States with No Sales Tax

Alaska Arkansas
Delaware Montana
New Hampshire Oregon (tax applied to local lodging only)

APPENDIX B Unallowable Purchases Blocked Goods and Services

Purchases that are covered under any University contract or that conflict with any University policy are not permitted on the TPC. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Cash Advances of any kind (including cash equivalents such as Diamond Dollar card deposits)
  • Catering, restaurants & meals, food, alcoholic beverages and similar items
  • Computers, Monitors, Laptops, iPads (or similar devices of any brand), Site Licensed Software, Networking Cables, Wireless Routers, and Printers
  • Contributions, Donations or Sponsorships
  • Employment/Personnel Services
  • Financial Services
  • Gifts, gift certificates/cards, florists and similar items
  • Hazardous materials
  • Items prohibited under the University's Sustainability Initiative (i.e. space heaters, personal air conditioning units, hot plates, incandescent bulbs, Non-Energy Star Appliances & accessories - for additional information see https://sustainability.temple.edu/)
  • Laboratory research animals
  • Lease of equipment
  • Personal Purchases
  • Prescription Drugs
  • Services usually provided through the Office of Facilities Management
  • Temple University Departmental Charges (such as non-credit courses at TU)
  • Travel & Entertainment
  • University-wide contract services (i.e. celluar phones, fuel, cable & pagers) 
  • PayPal (or similar payment forms)

If you have an authorized need to purchase a specific commodity within one of the categories listed above, please contact the TPC Administrator, Renee Merritt.

Appendix C Related Policies

Purchasing Policies and Procedures