8.12.1 PCard Program
Policy Statement
The University of Illinois Purchasing Card (PCard) is a charge card University of Illinois System employees use to make qualified purchases. Emburse Enterprise is the software product used to document, reconcile, and approve PCard transactions.
All PCard purchases must comply with system procurement, allowable expenditure and funding, as well as with state and federal law. Cardholders who misuse or fraudulently use the PCard are subject to investigation, disciplinary action, termination of employment, and may also be subject to criminal prosecution. The system can deduct any personal or unauthorized PCard charges from the cardholder's wages.
Reason for the Policy
Employees requesting a PCard must understand how to make purchases in compliance with University of Illinois System policies and state and federal law, as well as the penalties for misuse or fraudulent use of the PCard.
Applicability of the Policy
All PCard requestors and holders.
Procedure
Requesting a PCard
Employees who participate in the system PCard program assume significant fiscal and ethical responsibilities. To request a PCard, the PCard Authorization Agreement and Application Information form must be completed and digitally signed by the applicant, then submitted for approval to the unit head. The applicant must also complete the PCard web-based training and pass the certification quiz (see 8.12.2 PCard Roles and Responsibilities).
To request a PCard:
Consult How to Request a Card.
PCard Roles
All units with one or more issued PCards must designate specific employees to function in the following roles discussed in greater detail in 8.12.2 PCard Roles and Responsibilities:
- Department Card Manager (DCM)
- Cardholder
- Manager Reviewer*
- Charge Code Reviewer (CCR)*
- DCM Delegate (optional role)
*The department’s Unit Security Contact (USC) establishes these roles in Emburse Enterprise via the Security Application (SecApp).
All employees identified by their units as Cardholders, Department Card Manager (DCM), or as a DCM Delegate must complete the PCard training and pass the certification quiz prior to being assigned a role(s) in CMP. It is strongly encouraged that Manager Reviewers and Charge Code Reviewer (CCR) also complete the PCard Training.
Note: Students, including graduate students, cannot be given access to CMP, receive or use a PCard, or be assigned the role of Manager Reviewer, CCR, DCM, or DCM Delegate.
Definitions
Billing Address—The university United States Postal Service (USPS) address where the PCard is mailed.
Billing Cycle—The revolving period of time established for a Cardholder to obtain products and services with a PCard from the 25th of the month to the 24th of the following month.
Card Limits—Dollar amount set on a Pcard to regulate charging ability of a Cardholder during the billing cycle. The system has a single transaction limit (STL) of $7,500 and cycle limit (CL) of $35,000. An approved PCard exception request form is required for limits above the $7,500 STL and / or $35,000 CL.
CMP—The CMP is a web-based system used by the DCM to manage all University payment cards.
PCard Exception Request Form—Document used to obtain approval to use the PCard for an expense that is normally prohibited or is above a Cardholder's single transaction limit (STL) or monthly cycle limit (CL).
Contact
UPAY Card Services manages the system's PCard program. Contact UPAY Card Services for additional information about PCard training, compliance, prohibited and restricted purchases, exceptions, and auditing or issues of inappropriate / fraudulent PCard use, at: 217-333-6583, 888-872-9953, or email obfscorporatecardoff@uillinois.edu.