FOR AGENCIES

Purchasing Card Program

Allowing designated employees to use a credit card issued in the name of the Commonwealth to pay for goods and services.

About Our Purchasing Card Services

Background

The Office of the Budget administers the Commonwealth Purchasing Card Program, which allows designated employees to use a credit card issued in the name of the Commonwealth to pay for goods and services. All purchases made using one of these credit cards, commonly called "P-Cards," must comply with the provisions of the Commonwealth Procurement Code and Manual 215.3, The Procurement Handbook.

Current Use

The Commonwealth has approximately 3,900 purchasing cards in 43 agencies in use that charge approximately $228 million annually. The Commonwealth receives a rebate from the credit card issuer, currently US Bank, based on the quantity of purchases made using P-Cards.

Policy

Management Directive 310.23, Commonwealth Purchasing Card Program (PDF) establishes the policy, responsibilities, and procedures that govern the operation of the program.

Dashboard Available

In an effort to efficiently assist with managing the purchasing card program and to mitigate associated program risks, a dashboard was developed that provides the following information and is updated on a monthly basis:

inactive cards (cards that are open but haven't been used within the past 22 months);
open cards assigned to withdrawn employees; and
a list of transactions posted after the cardholders' withdrawn date.

Card status and transaction information is obtained from Access Online, US Bank's online card management system, and employee information is obtained from SAP, the Commonwealth's enterprise resource planning system.

Agency coordinators are only able to see data for their specific agency. The P-Card Agency Dashboard is available in the Resources section on this page.