Office of Procurement Services

P-Card Roles and Responsibilities

Both Cardholders and Reviewers share equal accountability for P-Card purchases. Signing off on a charge in Works is a formal statement that you have verified the transaction and its documentation are in full compliance with VCU policy.

Warning: Approving a non-compliant charge can result in violations for both the Reviewer and the Cardholder.

1. Cardholder responsibilities

The P-Card is strictly for valid VCU business purposes. Cardholders must manage their accounts with high integrity and security.

Core duties:

  • Compliance: Ensure all purchases follow VCU policies and use only allowable expenditure categories.
  • Limits: Operate within established single-transaction and monthly credit limits.
  • Reconciliation: Complete monthly online reconciliations by the billing cycle deadline.
  • Asset reporting: Report any tangible items (furniture, computers, etc.) over $10,000 to VCU Fixed Assets.
  • Disputes & fraud:
    • Contact CorpCard to file a vendor dispute with Bank of America if a charge is incorrect and the vendor won't fix it.
    • Immediately notify CorpCard and Bank of America (1-888-449-2273) if you suspect fraudulent activity.

Strict prohibitions:

  • Personal use: Never use the card for non-business purchases.
  • Split orders: Do not split a single purchase into multiple transactions to bypass spending limits.
  • Card security: Never photocopy your card or share your full 16-digit account number via fax, scan, or email.

2. Reviewer responsibilities

Reviewers act as the primary line of defense for fiscal compliance.

Core duties:

  • Documentation: Verify that every charge has detailed original receipts and matching documentation.
  • Contract compliance: Ensure office and technology supplies are bought from contracted vendors.
  • Tax oversight: Confirm Virginia sales tax was not charged. If it was, ensure a refund was processed and documented.
  • Refund verification: Ensure returns are not exchanged for store credit.

Flagging transactions: 

If a charge has a transactional or shipping error, Reviewers should Flag the transaction in Works. This sends it back to the Cardholder's queue for correction.

Note: Flagging must not be used to hide missing documentation. Signing off on a transaction before obtaining proper receipts is a violation.

3. Compliance "watch list"

Reviewers and Cardholders should stay alert for these common issues:

Late reconciliation

Must be finished by the closing date of the following month's cycle.

Prohibited items

e.g., purchasing flowers for employees or their families.

Card sharing

Sharing a card with supervisors or co-workers is strictly prohibited.

Security lapses

Account numbers sent via email/fax or left in conspicuous places.

4. Security & suspension

Securing the card

  • Non-transferable: Only the named cardholder may use the card. If a cardholder is away for an extended period, a colleague should apply for their own card.
  • Online safety: Only use websites with SSL security (look for https:// in the address bar).
  • Card loss: If lost/stolen, notify corpcard@vcu.edu and Bank of America immediately.

Grounds for suspension

Privileges may be suspended (up to 3 months) or permanently revoked for:

  • Missing original documentation or failure to reconcile on time.
  • Inappropriate use or card sharing.
  • Failing to respond to audit/compliance requests.

5. Financial posting & billing

  • Department charges: Total balances are paid by Accounts Payable. Charges post to the department's default index listed on the Employee Agreement.
  • Corrections: If an index number needs to be changed, the department must handle it via a Journal Voucher.
  • Default account: Account 620002 is used for most expenditures unless specific merchant categories (like printing) dictate otherwise.