Procurement Cards

 

Western Michigan University employees and departments are eligible to obtain a University Procurement Card to be used for departmental purchases. The Visa card can be used for authorized items on phone, fax or pick-up orders. See the Procurement Card Program Handbook for complete details and the list of items that are prohibited to be purchased using the Procurement Card.

For Travel Card information please visit the website here.

 

  • Procurement Card Types, Uses, and Limits
      • Department Procurement Card

        • Issued in unit or department name and administered by a designated cardholder.
          Please note: Bank of America requires that cardholders calling to dispute a transaction be listed on the first line of the card. If the caller is not listed, Bank of America will not be allowed to speak with the caller. Please consider this when requesting a departmental procurement card.
        • Default Limits: $5,000/transaction and $5,000/cycle
        • Shared use within department permitted
      • Individual Procurement Card

        • Issued in the cardholder’s name
        • Default Limits: $5,000/transaction and $5,000/cycle
        • Shared use not permitted
  • Applying for a Procurement Card

    To request a new Procurement Card, the following steps must be completed:

    1. If you are a first time cardholder, consider watching all the training modules that provide detailed information about the Procurement Card, the WORKS system and the reconciliation process.
    2. Review the following resources to ensure you uphold the responsibilities associated with a Procurement Card including the Procurement Card Handbook and the Allowable Transactions Form. All Procurement Cardholders must ensure that applicable policies are followed when using the card.
    3. Complete the Procurement Card Application Form and submit electronically to the acnt-procard@wmich.edu email box. Cards will arrive within 3-5 business days.

    Key Reminders:

    • Issuance of a Procurement Card is limited to employees of Western Michigan University. Students and student employees are not eligible for procurement cards.
    • Additional approval is required from the WMU Grants and Contracts department for Procurement Cards requested using grant funding. Grants and Contracts require the designation of a reserve account. Charges will only be made against a reserve account if a card transaction cannot be documented as a reasonable and allowable charge against a budgeted grant category. See the Grants and Contracts Website for additional policies and procedures for the use of grant funded Procurement Cards.
    • The Verification ID that will be required to activate the card will be the cardholder’s WIN number. This should be designated on the application form.
    • All new applications for a Procurement Card will be available for in-person pick-up at the Payroll & Disbursements office located in the Seibert Administration building 4th floor. The department will notify the cardholder listed on the application by email with pick-up instructions. The cardholder will also receive a welcome email at this time to sign up for the WORKS system if you are a first time cardholder. 
    • Procurement Cards that need to be routed to out-of-town recipients must be requested after this initial correspondence.
  • Changing an Existing Procurement Card

    To request a change to an existing Procurement Card account, the following steps must be completed:

    1. Determine type of change needed:

    • Limit Increases: Requests to temporarily increase the transaction limit or monthly cycle limit must include a justification for the increase (including payee, anticipated amount of transaction, cause/reason for increase) and specified duration (typically less than 30 days). When requesting a temporary increase to the transaction limit, please make sure to include approval from Purchasing for an over $5,000 purchase and also consider an increase to the cycle limit to cover transaction spend for the billing period. Monthly limit increases may be permanent with proper approval and business purpose.
    • Cost Center Changes: Requests to change the default cost center associated with the card or to add a cost center to the approved list to allocate to in the WORKS system.
    • Temporary Hold Requests: Units may request when use of the Procurement Card is suspended temporarily (e.g. budget restrictions or temporary leave).
    • Card Cancellation: Procurement Cards must be cancelled if the cardholder’s employment is terminated, transfers to another unit/department or assumes different duties that do not include management or use of a Procurement Card.
    • Adding Secondary Users: Additional staff members may be added to the cardholder's card as secondaries. Their name, WIN, and WMU email are required. 
    • Phone Number Changes: If the phone number for the cardholder needs to be changed, please include the previous number and the new number.

    2. Complete and submit the Procurement Card Maintenance Form to the acnt-procard@wmich.edu email box with the designated changes needed.

    Key Reminders:

    • Depending on date/time of submission, most changes will be in effect within 24 hours (exceptions may apply during high volume periods) – a confirmation email will follow completion of maintenance request.
    • Urgent requests should be noted and will be expedited based on critical need.
  • Transaction Disputes

    Transactions that are not considered legitimate or authorized by the university should be disputed with Bank of America. The Cardholder is responsible for initiating the dispute by doing one the following:

    1. For Individual Procurement Cards, the cardholder must contact Bank of America’s Fraud department at (866) 500-8262, and a representative can open a dispute and replace the card if necessary.

    2. For Department Procurement Cards, the cardholder will need to contact the Procurement Card Administrator at acnt-procard@wmich.edu or (269) 387-4253 for further instructions.

    3. The cardholder can also select the “Dispute” option found in their WORKS transactions list to open a dispute process with Bank of America. BoA will send a letter requesting additional information to go forward with the dispute process and will credit the fraudulent transaction and issue a new card if necessary.

    NOTE: The dispute notification must be received by the bank within 30 days of the transaction post date to ensure the transaction can be properly credited.

  • Lost or Stolen Cards

    Accountholders are required to immediately report any lost or stolen Procurement Card to BAML toll-free at 1-888-449-2273 (24 hours a day, 365 days a year). The Accountholder must also immediately notify their Program Administrator and Business Manager/Department Head about the lost or stolen card at the first opportunity during normal business hours. It is extremely important to act promptly in the event of a lost or stolen card, to avoid company liability for fraudulent transactions.

    You will no longer be able to use the account number after notifying the bank of a lost or stolen card. BAML will automatically reissue a new card, and the Program Administrator will notify you as soon as the new card is received. A card subsequently found after being reported lost should be sent to the Program Administrator.

Procurement Card Forms & Policies

TitleDescription
Procurement Card Application FormForm to request new Procurement Card. Send to acnt-procard@wmich.edu email after completion
Transaction Log FormForm used to track Procurement Card transactions during the month. Can be used interchangeably with the Monthly Statement in the WORKS system for audit purposes
Procurement Card HandbookProcurement Card policy managed by the Payroll & Disbursements office
Procurement Card Allowable ChargesA sample list of allowable and non-allowable charges that can be placed on the Procurement Card (NOTE: this is not an exhaustive list. Please contact the Procurement Card Administrator with any questions)
Procurement Card Maintenance FormForm to request a change to an existing Procurement Card. Send to acnt-procard@wmich.edu email after completion

Training Modules and Job Aids

The Procurement Card training modules are suggested to be completed for first time cardholders before their cards are issued, but they also detail critical WORKS functions that may be useful for current cardholders. There is also a list of detailed job aids in PDF form that can be found below.

TitleDescription
Running Monthly StatementsHow to create monthly statements in the WORKS system that run automatically each month as well as on demand.
Running Specific Month StatementHow to pull a statement for a specific month. 
Allocating and Signing Off TransactionsHow to access the transactions screen in WORKS, allocate funds to the proper fund & cost center combination and sign off on transactions monthly.
Uploading Receipts to TransactionsHow to attach electronic receipts to transactions in WORKS for audit purposes.
Allocation Error WorkaroundsHow to navigate around an occasional system error that prevents cost center information from being entered on the allocation screen in WORKS.
Procurement Card FAQsA list of commonly inquired questions pertaining the Procurement Card, WORKS system and cardholder responsibilities.