Overview

Overview:

The Purchasing Card Program, supported by CT General Statute 4-98(c), is co-sponsored by the Department of Administrative Services Procurement Services and the Office of the State Comptroller. It is designed and intended to effectively meet your agency’s purchasing and travel needs. It streamlines and simplifies the purchasing and accounts payable functions by eliminating waste and low value activities, ultimately, reducing transaction costs, and improving vendor relations. The Purchasing Card (P-Card) is a tool that facilitates the timely acquisition of materials, automates data transactions for accounting purposes, supports travel services and offers flexible controls to help ensure proper usage. 

How it Works:

The P-Card is a MasterCard issued by JPMorgan Chase Bank. It works much like a personal credit card. However, it is a commercial card and each card has custom designed features, with pre-set controls built into the magnetic strip, to meet the specific needs of the cardholder and the agency. 

The P-Card simplifies the procurement and disbursement process by facilitating point-of-demand purchasing. Purchasing authority is delegated to the ordering departments enabling the authorized cardholders to place orders directly with the suppliers. 

Who is the Agency P-Card Coordinator?

The Agency P-Card Coordinator is the person at each agency that is responsible for card applications and issuance, card cancellation, card limits, entering cardholder information into Core CT, reconciling the accounts, reviewing cardholder authorizations, paying the bill and communicating with the Program Administrator. 

Agency P-Card Coordinators use Core-CT and Payment Net for managing their agency’s cardholders. 

Benefits to the Agency:

• Only one (1) monthly statement will be received for verification and reconciliation. 
• Reduces the need to prepare and obtain approval signatures on internal order forms. 
• Receive orders immediately or within days instead of weeks.
• Monitor transactions online within 24 hours.