The Procard Speed Chart/Account & Lines of Authority

Policies & Procedures

The University of Massachusetts Procurement Credit Card Program (UMass Procard) has been designed by your administration to accommodate low dollar value purchases of consumable supplies. Credit cards are a straightforward method of purchasing supplies that takes advantage of today's technology. Card use eliminates most of the paperwork that is required to buy and pay for something, and it is as easy to use as a personal credit card. This program is beneficial to the entire University System. See Chapter 1, Benefits of Card Use.

A major objective of the University's Procard Program is to move the University from a highly centralized, highly controlled environment to one that is more decentralized, with control and authority vested at the unit level. One way to accomplish this is to assign as much purchasing authority and responsibility as possible to the individual who makes the purchases, while maintaining the existing lines of authority.

To this end, the responsibility for the proper use of the card rests first with the Cardholder; second with the Account Administrator of the speed chart assigned to the card (if other than the Cardholder); and third with the next higher level of authority to the Account Administrator (usually the individual to whom the Account Administrator reports), hereinafter referred to as the "Reporting Authority." This chain of responsibility runs concurrently with the existing lines of authority.

Each Procard will have a default speed chart/account code assigned to it by the issuing department at the time the Card Application form is prepared and approved by the Account Administrator. If the prosective cardholder is also the Account Administrator for the funds the card will attach to, then the application must be signed off by the Reporting Authority. The Reporting Authority is often the Department Head.

• The Card Account:

The speed chart/account code will be assigned directly to the card, and when supplies are purchased using the card, that speed chart/account code will be charged automatically unless the charge is reallocated. Authorized individuals ("reallocators") in each cardholding department will have 30 days from the date that the transaction is fed to the University's PeopleSoft System to go into the system to move those charges to other departmental speed chart/account codes. See Chapter 5, the Procard Reallocation Program.

If charges remain on the card speed chart/account code, there must be sufficient funds in the speed chart/account to cover them, the charges must be appropriate for the speed chart/account, and the speed chart/account must be active. Should one or more charges on the card speed chart/account not meet these criteria, the Reporting Authority will be notified that (s)he has 15 calendar days to identify another speed chart/account that can appropriately accept the charge(s).