P-Cards to become standard for purchases
Utah State University’s current system of using a number, called an A-Number, for on-campus purchases will soon be switched to the purchase card system (P-Card), an electronic system for payments.
“This impacts every unit on campus,” said Barbara White, the vice president for information technology services said at the Board of Trustees meeting on
April 9.
Switching from a manual system to an electronic system will make all financial data available in real time, said Rory Weaver, project manager for Banner implantation.
This change is a small part of Banner, a large program consisting of changes to better the university, Weaver said.
The business process analysis initially decided to make the change along with a team of subject matter experts and university personnel, Weaver said.
The cards will be used in many centers throughout campus and off campus because they are university-issued Visa cards, Weaver said.
“We can control these cards a lot better,” said director of purchasing Bud Covington.
P-Cards are a lot safer because they won’t work if accounts have been closed, while A-Number purchases could be made without knowledge of account closure, Covington said.
“It will save the university in the long and short run,” Covington said.
This change won’t cost anything other than the basic conversion and will save money for the school, Covington said.
Purchases between departments and organizations will have to be done in person with a P-Card beginning July 1, Weaver said. The P-Cards have been used for off-campus transactions since 1999, Covington said.
On-campus purchases are currently verbal and all someone must do is tell an account number to a cashier and it will be charged to that particular account, where with the new system, the card must be used. Security will be enhanced and accuracy will be improved, Weaver said.
“We have good, honest people working. We didn’t find a major issue with inappropriate use of university funds [with A-Numbers],” Weaver said.
“The P-Card may be less convenient but [it] provides accuracy, efficiency and security,” Weaver said.
Weaver said it is important to keep costs in line and to offer the best value to students and to benefit faculty and staff.
People aren’t having to fill out forms and wait for invoices with P-Cards, Covington said.
The P-Card is better suited for appropriate use of university funds, Weaver said.
This change won’t influence purchase volume, just the method of payment will be changed, Weaver said.
“Like any other big changes there are questions and concerns, but overall it has been accepted really well,” Covington said.
-amysueh@cc.usu.edu