The University uses procurement cards issued by US Bank. Cardholders are required to take online training, to follow purchasing rules and adhere to the procurement card handbook. The cardholder is ultimately responsible for following the rules and this includes ensuring all appropriate documentation is maintained.
Procurement card transactions are processed in the online expense system called Concur Travel and Expense System. Cardholders or their expense delegates prepare reports monthly to identify an expense type, business purpose, and allocate those transactions to the Finance system.
Cardholders must certify and submit their own reports. An Approving Official (AO) is assigned to each cardholder. AOs are also required to take online training. AOs review transactions, request additional justification when warranted, and approve their cardholder reports.
A key piece of advice is to be familiar with the list of prohibited transactions as well as our Sensitive Expenses policy to ensure due diligence on the front-end of a purchase.
Each Monday you will receive a list of the previous week’s transactions for your cardholders to help you maintain control over purchasing. Employees and non-employees may participate in the program.
If the applicant (Cardholder Approving Official or Expense System Delegate) is not an employee, the sponsoring department must first obtain a Person of Interest/POI # at the Type 15 level (Security Access) from the HRMS System for that individual.
Please note students and temporary personnel are not authorized cardholders. Refer to the PSC Forms page to download cardholder applications, approving official applications or update forms.
1Before
you affix your signature on a contract…Even though the Procurement
Service Center may tell us we can sign contracts up to $5,000, our
campus does not follow this blanket practice. Determining who can
execute a contract depends on the dollar amount, type of contract, and
whether particular language and terms are included. Be sure you are properly delegated in writing or even legally permitted to sign a contract.
Terms in procurement contracts that should be reviewed by legal counsel:
- Arbitration
- Attorney’s Fees
- Choice of Law State other than Colorado or International Law
- Confidential Information
- Colorado Open Records Act
- HIPAA
- FERPA
- Exclusive Purchase Agreements
- Indemnification
- Insurance Requirements – Additional Insured
- Intellectual Property – Name, logo, trademark, etc.
- Limitation of Liability
- Work for Hire
Never sign these kinds of contracts:
- Real Estates Leases (including storage lockers)
- Procurement of Legal Services
- Personnel Service Contracts (Scope of Work)
- License Agreement (Right to use property for a specific period of time)
Please refer to the following resources for more information.
Procurement Contracts =< $5,000 (Powerpoint Presentation by UC Denver Finance and University Counsel)
APS – Contracting Authority
Campus Policy
Campus Policy – Contract Matrix
Campus Policy – Appendix A
2Campus departments should forward invoices to APinvoice@cu.edu for
processing. Be sure to reference the vendors’ name and the
corresponding CU Marketplace purchase order number so payment processing
is assigned the appropriate technician.
Occasionally, you will need to research a purchase order, invoice,
and payment voucher or expedite a payment. Basic information can be
gleaned by reviewing the order in the CU Marketplace. More detailed
assistance can be obtained by contacting Payables Services. A List of Reviewers shows
who pays what assigned by a vendor’s initial or person’s last name. The
technicians’ assignments change from time to time.
3University-wide procurement, travel and payables functions are
managed centrally for all campuses. The University of Colorado, as a
public institution of higher education of the State of Colorado, is
exempt from all federal excise taxes and from all Colorado State and
local government sales and use taxes.
Our fiscal year runs from July 1st through June 30th each year. There
will be end of fiscal year deadlines that are crucial to successfully
closing out transactions and funding or carrying business forward for
the next fiscal year. It is important to sign-up for newsletters and
distribution lists to keep abreast of changes in procedures and upcoming
timelines.
4The university is permitted to use
these agreements with
vendor permission and as long as they do not conflict with state
agreements. Click the blue arrow on the web page to expand/collapse the
section.
6The
Policy Search tool is a useful for keyword searches and finding related policies. Procurement policies are called
Procurement Procedural Statements (PPS) and
typically work in conjunction with other University policies. Forms
used for the procurement card program, honoraria, recognition reporting,
scope of work, official functions (alcohol approval), study subject
payments, and non-employee reimbursements are available from the PSC
Forms page.
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