Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is a Procurement Card (PCard)?
The Procurement Card, also known as a PCard, is a MasterCard credit card used to purchase low dollar business-related expenses within a department, replacing the paper based Small Purchase Orders and low dollar requisitions.

2. Will my personal credit history be checked when I apply for a Procurement Card?
No. Your personal credit history will not be checked or affected when applying for or using the Procurement Card. The personal information on the application will only be used for identification purposes when activating your card for the first time.

3. Can I use the Procurement Card to make purchases on the Internet?
Yes. Make sure that you use secure web sites, and that the commodity being purchased is allowed according to Vanderbilt University Procurement Card Policies and Procedures.

4. Do I have to keep the credit card receipts for my purchases and how should they be filed?
Yes. Every Procurement Card transaction REQUIRES a detailed invoice or receipt of what was purchased, in accordance with the Vanderbilt University Procurement Card Policies and Procedures. All original documentation must be maintained in the department and kept on file according to the University Document Filing and Record Retention policy.

5. What is PaymentNet?
PaymentNet is an Internet Application designed and managed by JP Morgan Chase that lists all procurement card charges you make. The PaymentNet system allows you to make changes to current month's transactions by changing the account and budget centers from a drop down list before posting to the general ledger.

6. If I don't review my transactions in PaymentNet or my Manager does not approve them in the system, will the merchant still be paid?
Yes. The bank pays the merchants within a few days of the transaction date. At the end of the month, when the export file is sent to the general ledger, it will include all transactions whether or not they have been "approved" in the PaymentNet system. The transaction will post to the default account and budget center number. Note: Procurement Card Policy states that both the Cardholder and Manager must review and approve the transaction in PaymentNet. Failure to review and approve transactions in PaymentNet may result in loss or suspension of Cardholder and/or Card Manager rights.

7. Can I use my PCard for travel?
Yes. When you fill out the procurement card application, check the box that allows you to use the PCard for travel. Your Dean or Administrative Officer will approve and sign the application allowing you to use the PCard for travel. If you already have a PCard, your Dean or Administrative Officer will need to send an email to pcard@list.vanderbilt.edu in order to add travel to your card.

8. Why do I have to record my Travel Authorization number on every Internet travel transaction and record the business purpose in the transaction notes field in PaymentNet?
Typing in your Travel Report number in PaymentNet will provide a cross-reference for your expenses and your business trip. By including this in PaymentNet, it will satisfy the IRS requirement that the travel is business-related and therefore, not taxable to the individual traveler.

9. How long do I need to keep my travel receipts and trip related documentation?
All Departments/Divisions will maintain records of each procurement card transaction and the supporting documentation in an auditable state for the current fiscal year and seven complete prior fiscal years for expenses excluding federal grants or awards. All records pertinent to a federal grant or award must be retained until three years after the date of submission of the final expenditure report in compliance with granting authority regulations. Procurement Card transaction documentation and monthly reconciliation's will be subject to audit by the Procurement Card Office, the Department of Finance and/or Internal Audit.

10. What happens if someone intentionally misuses the PCard for personal expenses?
Any misappropriation of Vanderbilt funds, by PCard or otherwise, is grounds for performance improvement counseling, up to and including termination.

11. Can another employee in my department use the Procurement Card that is issued to me, if I am unavailable?
No. The Procurement Card is non-transferable. The only person that may use the card and number is the person whose name is embossed on the card.

12. Can a Procurement Card transaction be stopped?
No. Once the charge has been made your credit card will be billed. The cardholder would need to make arrangements directly with the merchant to obtain a credit, which would be processed through the card.

13. Will merchants know what a Procurement Card is?
No. Tell merchants you are tax-exempt and that you will be purchasing with a corporate MasterCard. Show them the tax-exempt number on the card or provide a copy of the Sales Tax Exemption. (For a copy of the Tennessee State Sales Tax Exemption form, contact the Procurement Card Office at 322-299 Ext 6)

14. Who can see my transactions in PaymentNet?
At a minimum, the Cardholder, the Manager, the Procurement Card Administrator, and Internal Audit can see a Cardholder's transactions. In many cases, the Administrative Officer, Directors and other financial individuals may have the authority to view the Cardholders transactions too.

15. Can I split charges if they are to be redistributed to different accounts and budgets centers?
Yes. The PaymentNet application allows you to split your transaction up to 25 splits.

16. How do I add or delete budget centers in PaymentNet?
The Procurement Card Administrator (PCA) is the only one who can add or delete a center number in PaymentNet. This is done after the PCA receives an e-mail from the Dean/Administrative Officer or designate requesting the change.

17. If my volume of spending exceeds my current Procurement Card transaction or monthly limits, can the limits be increased?
Yes. The Procurement Card Administrator (PCA) should receive an e:mail from the Dean/Administrative Officer or designate, who has signature authority on the requested center, requesting the change not to exceed $3,000 per transaction. The e-mail request should be sent to pcard@list.vanderbilt.edu.

18. Can I use my PCard to pay for some of my travel expenses related to this upcoming trip?
No. Pre-existing travel plans on travel advance forms must continue to conclusion using the current process. Start using your PCard on your next trip using the green Travel Report Form.

19. How can I calculate the total cost of my trip upon return?
The reason that the green Travel Report Form number is included in the "Travel Authorization Number" section of PaymentNet is so that a query can easily be run on that number and all travel expenses located.

20. Does this mean travel costs will be unsupervised?
The PCard requires on-line approval by the Manager for each transaction. In addition, PaymentNet offers reporting features that would allow managers to see all travel charges by traveler for a specified period of time.

21. If I use my card to book a hotel room for someone in my department, what happens when the hotel requests to see my card at the time of check in?
If you are booking a hotel room for another individual, tell the hotel personnel this when making the reservations. They will fax a form to you that you will have to sign stating that it is OK to bill the room charge, meals and taxes directly to your card. Any other expenses would need to be paid personally by the traveler. They may also request that you photocopy your card and fax it to them too. It is OK if the hotel asks the traveler for an additional credit card at the time of check in. That is a formality in case there are other charges, telephone, movies, etc. that will need to be paid for personally or for reimbursement.

22. If I want to watch a movie or use the laundry services at the hotel, can that be charged to my PCard?
No. If you have personal charges on your hotel room bill, pay for them using your own personal credit card at the time of check out. It is against policy to use the PCard for personal expenses.

23. Are we exempt from sales tax in other states?
Yes, in certain states we are exempt from sales tax. If you are traveling and would like a tax exemption form for the state(s) in which you are traveling to, contact the Office of Financial Affairs at 343-6601 and they will fax you an exemption certificate. Please note, we are not exempt from hotel occupancy taxes or other entertainment taxes, only sales tax.

24. How do I get reimbursement for expenses I paid for myself and where should I file my PCard expenses for travel?
Travel expenses that need to be reimbursed should be submitted within 10 days of the end of the trip. If the traveler has used the PCard for their travel and just has incidental expenses to be reimbursed (such as tips, taxis, or meals) the traveler must submit the yellow Accounting form along with the 1 Vanderbilt Transaction Detail Report. In this case, the Travel Report number (in the right hand corner of this form) should be noted in the Travel Authorization number field in PaymentNet. The 1 Vanderbilt Transaction Detail Report can query the travel information using the search criteria Travel Authorization number. This report will provide a grand total of charges placed on the PCard. The total must be listed on the yellow Accounting page under Total PCard Transactions. After appropriate signature approvals, the yellow Accounting page in the green Travel Report Form and attachments should be submitted to Department of Finance (for the Medical Center employees), or Disbursement Services (for University employees). Do not send any PCARD receipts, only receipts that need reimbursement. Attach all your receipts for the trip to your Travel Report Authorization Form and file with your monthly PCard transaction logs or bank statements, as appropriate. You should check with your department administrator, however, to determine if additional departmental filing requirements exist.

25. I use a Travel Agency to book my business trips, can I use the PCard to pay for those expenses?
Yes. The travel agencies will accept the PCard, as well as your personal credit card.

26. How can I get travel added to my PCard?
Your Dean or Administrative Officer must e-mail the Procurement Card Administrator in Purchasing to allow you to be set up for travel. Even if you don't have travel, you may still continue to make business purchases with your card.

27. I don't currently have a PCard, but would like to get one now that we can use for travel. What should I do?
Complete an application and mark on the form that you would like to include travel. After your Dean or Administrative Officer has approved the form, you will forward it to the Procurement Card Administrator and wait to be trained. It generally takes 3-4 weeks to process your application, schedule training and receive your card.

28. How do I get information about the American Express Corporate Card Program?
For more information about the American Express Corporate Card please click here.