ACCEPTABLE USE OF COUNTY PCARD FOR AGENDA.PDF

Maricopa County — Formal (2020-12-09)

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Maricopa County Policy Change Transmittal Letter 
11/18/2020 
Policy Number: TBD 
Title: Acceptable Use of County Purchasing Card 
Type of change 
Edit/Update ☐         New ☒   
   Rescind ☐ 
Owner of Policy 
Department Name:  Procurement Servcies 
Point of Contact for Revision 
Name:  Kevin Tyne 
Email:  Kevin.Tyne@maricopa.gov 
Collaborating Department(s) 
Name(s):  Internal Audit, MCSO, MCAO
Executive Summary: OPS requests approval of this policy as a Countywide policy as part of fiscal 
responsibility required of all departments, including appointed or elected officials.   
Stakeholder Review & Approval 
Owner of Policy ‐ Appointing Authority 
Name:   Kevin Tyne 
Date:  11/10/2020  
Signature: ____see email__________ 
Assistant / Deputy County Manager 
Name:  Valerie Beckett 
Date:   
Signature: _____ __________ 
Internal Audit 
Name: Mike McGee 
Date:  03/16/2020 
Signature: ____see email__________ 
Maricopa County Attorney's Office 
Name:  Randall Pennington 
Date: 11/18/2020 
Signature: ___see email____________ 
Clerk of the Board of Supervisors 
Name: Fran McCarroll
Date:  
Signature: ______________________ 
 , COB, DOF
County Manager / Board of Supervisors 
Name: Joy Rich, County Manager 
Date:  
Signature: ______________________ 
11/13/2020
see email
11/23/2020
see email

MARICOPA COUNTY INTERNAL POLICY 
Policy Title: 
ACCEPTABLE USE OF COUNTY 
PURCHASING CARD 
Policy Number: 
N#### 
Current Adoption 
Date: 
MM-DD-YYYY 
Current
Implementation Date: 
MM-DD-YYYY
Approved by: 
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS 
Board Agenda 
Number: 
C-##-##-###-#-## 
Original Adoption 
Date: 
MM-DD-YYYY 
I. 
PURPOSE 
The purpose of this policy is to define the minimum acceptable standards for use when making purchases 
using a County Purchasing Card (PCard).  
II.
AUTHORITY
The Office of Procurement Services (OPS) is responsible for administering this policy. Appointing Authorities
and other supervisory personnel are responsible for assuring compliance with this policy. Violation of County
provisions and policies may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination.
III. APPLICATION
This Policy applies to all Maricopa County elected offices and appointed departments as well as the Flood
Control District of Maricopa County, the Maricopa County Library District, and the Maricopa County Stadium
District (Special Districts). The Board of Supervisors is authorized to jointly adopt policies applying to the
Special Districts under the Intergovernmental Agreement, C-06-18-393-6-00, approved on April 11, 2018.
IV. DEFINITIONS
A. Account Types
1.
Fuel Card: These cards are restricted to purchases for fuel for County vehicles, or rental vehicles
on official County business only.
2.
Ghost Account: Assigned to users for specific use with a particular County vendor. No physical
card is issued as vendor accounts are established based on a username and password.
3.
Purchase Card: Issued to Certified Agency Procurement Aides (CAPA) and may be used to
purchase goods and approved services in compliance with all Procurement Code requirements, and
subject to transaction and monthly Cardholder limits. Cardholders who are not CAPA certified will be
issued cards with single transaction limits no greater than $1,000, and monthly transaction limits no
greater than $5,000.
4.
Travel Card: Used to purchase hotel, airfare and other expenses incurred when an employee travels
on County business, in accordance with Travel Policy A2313.
B. Appointing Authority: An elected official, the single administrative or executive head of a 
Department/Special District, or the designated representative authorized to act in this capacity. 
C. Cardholder: Individual responsible for and named on the PCard.

Policy Title: 
ACCEPTABLE USE OF COUNTY 
PURCHASING CARD 
Policy Number: 
N#### 
Current Adoption 
Date: 
MM-DD-YYYY 
Page 2 of 6 
D. Cardholder Agreement Form: A form signed by the Cardholder, Supervisor of the Cardholder, and the 
Appointing Authority, acknowledging that the Cardholder has had adequate training, understands the 
PCard policies and procedures, and accepts responsibility for compliance with all policies and 
procedures. 
E. Cardholder Application Form: A form filled out by the requesting department that initiates the PCard 
issuance process. The form will include Cardholder specific information (NO personally identifiable 
information other than name), requested monthly and single transactions limits, and default accounting 
string information. 
F. Cardholder Transaction Detail: The system generated report used to reconcile proof of purchase to 
billed transactions. 
G. Department: Refers to the department, office, or agency under budgetary responsibility and oversight 
of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and the Maricopa County Special District(s) Board of 
Director(s).  
H. Department Coordinator (DC): An individual designated by the department to perform reconciliation 
and reallocation activities on other cardholder accounts.  
I. 
Disputed Transaction: A disagreement between the merchant and the Cardholder where the 
Cardholder is asking for the PCard Providers assistance. 
J. Employee: A person paid a wage, salary or stipend from public monies in accordance with official entries 
on County payroll. This includes all classified, unclassified, temporary, and contract employees.  
K. Fraud: The unauthorized use of a PCard resulting in charges which will be reported to the PCard 
Provider for investigation, reimbursement, and card cancellation and re-issue when appropriate.  
L. Monthly Purchase Limit: The maximum dollar amount permitted for a transaction cycle. 
M. Official Use: Payments made by a Cardholder on behalf of the County as permitted by law and PCard 
Policies and Procedures.  
N. PCard Coordinator: The individual designated by larger departments to coordinate the PCard activities 
within the department.  
O. PCard Provider: The financial institution providing PCard services to the County.  
P. PCard Program Administrator: A designee serving as the single point of contact between Maricopa 
County and the PCard Provider for administration of PCard program. 
Q. Purchasing Card (PCard): A payment account issued to approved County personnel, to facilitate the 
purchasing process for official County use.  
R. Receipt: An itemized document indicating the vendor, item description, price per item, and the total 
amount charged in a transaction. 
S. Reconciliation: The process of matching purchase documentation to the financial institution statement 
of activity to verify all account activity is authorized. 
T. Reconciliation Report: Documentation showing that the charges processed for payment match the 
cardholders supporting documentation, and that all purchases were authorized and made in accordance 
with applicable policies and procedures.

Policy Title: 
ACCEPTABLE USE OF COUNTY 
PURCHASING CARD 
Policy Number: 
N#### 
Current Adoption 
Date: 
MM-DD-YYYY 
Page 3 of 6 
U. Transaction: The payment for goods and services received. 
V. Transaction Cycle: The period of time from the 7th of the month until the 6th of the following month in 
which purchases are made.  
W. Signature: A person’s electronic or handwritten identification indicating approval or authorization.  
X. Single Purchase Limit: The maximum dollar amount permitted for a single transaction. 
V. POLICY 
A. Conditions for Use 
1.
The PCard may only be used to pay for goods and services in accordance with the Maricopa County
Procurement Code and all applicable policies.
2.
Cardholders, their Supervisor and Department Coordinators must complete required in person or
online training and submit the PCard application with required approvals prior to being issued a card.
Retraining must occur every four years.
3.
PCards are valid for a period of four years and are not automatically reissued. Required retraining
must be completed and a new application submitted prior to receiving a new card. Training shall be
available and tracked through the County’s Learning Management System.
4.
If a card is unused for longer than 18 months, the financial institution will suspend the account and
the card will not be reissued after expiration.
5.
Whenever practicable, Cardholders shall purchase from contracted vendors. Cardholders are
responsible for ensuring contract pricing and applicable discounts are received. Items not on contract
shall be purchased using such competition as is required under the Procurement Code.
6.
Dividing purchase transactions to circumvent aggregate purchase limits, single purchase limits, or
monthly limits is prohibited.
7.
The PCard may not be used to withdraw cash from ATMs or to purchase traveler’s checks, gift cards,
reloadable VISA or MasterCard’s, or other negotiable tender. Exceptions may be made for specific
grant funded programs with approval from the Chief Procurement Officer. The PCard may not be
used for personal purchases, gambling, alcoholic beverages, illegal substances, or other purchases
which do not exclusively benefit Maricopa County.
8.
PCard privileges may be cancelled or revoked at any time, without prior notice, for any reason, by
department management or the Office of Procurement Services.
9.
Cardholders will immediately notify the PCard Provider at 800-344-5696 and the Office of
Procurement Services at pcardadmin@maricopa.gov if a card is lost or stolen.
10. Cards shall be surrendered by Cardholders to Supervisors upon termination, administrative leave,
reassignment to another department, or upon request by Cardholder’s Supervisor or the Office of
Procurement Services. It is the Department’s responsibility to immediately notify the PCard
Administrator of these conditions for card suspension or cancellation.
11. Agencies will notify the PCard Administrator of Cardholders on leave or vacation for more than 30
days, or a lesser time if appropriate, or if any cardholder is placed on administrative leave or
disciplinary leave for any period of time. These accounts will be suspended until appropriate
notification is received by the Office of Procurement Services.

Policy Title: 
ACCEPTABLE USE OF COUNTY 
PURCHASING CARD 
Policy Number: 
N#### 
Current Adoption 
Date: 
MM-DD-YYYY 
Page 4 of 6 
12. Departments shall identify and track asset purchases in accordance with the Maricopa County
Capital Asset Policy #A2507 and manual, including those under $5,000 as applicable.
B. Applying for a Card 
1.
All prospective Cardholders must:
a.
Complete the appropriate online or in person PCard training and pass the course assessment
with 93% or greater.
b.
Submit a PCard holder application approved by the Cardholder’s Supervisor and the Appointing
Authority. Cardholders may not approve their own application.
2.
Cardholder Supervisors must:
a.
Complete required training and assessment before approving a card holders application.
b.
Approve cardholder application.
C. Account Reconciliation 
1.
Cardholders or Department Coordinators will maintain monthly Reconciliation Reports to include at
a minimum:
a.
A Transaction Cycle Statement: Cardholders must use the Transaction Detail Report or
Cardholder Activity report from the PCard Provider. Forms or reports generated outside of the
online system are not acceptable for transaction reconciliation.
b.
Purchase Documentation: Itemized receipts for all transactions within the cycle and any
additional documentation, which may include credit statements, Travel Authorization and
Expense Report forms, emails or other supporting documentation. Unmatched receipts will be
maintained until those charges appear on a future statement.
c.
Approval: Cardholder and their Supervisor will sign indicating transactions have been
reconciled, reviewed, and approved, before the close of the following cycle. If transactions are
reconciled by a Department Coordinator (DC), the DC must indicate this on the signature page
of the Cardholder Activity report.
2.
Any alternative Reconciliation procedures must be approved in writing by an Appointing Authority
and the Chief Procurement Officer.
D. Transaction Reallocation: 
1.
Transactions must be reallocated in accordance with the published PCard Cycle Calendar.
2.
Transactions not reallocated before the payment file is received by Maricopa County may post to the
default accounting string associated with the account.
3.
Corrections must be made through a journal voucher in the financial system.
4.
Transactions which are tied to a contract should reference the contract in the accounting string.
5.
Transactions which do not include a contract or purchase order reference should include one of the
following notations in the transaction COMMENTS section:
a.
LQ – Low Quote

Policy Title: 
ACCEPTABLE USE OF COUNTY 
PURCHASING CARD 
Policy Number: 
N#### 
Current Adoption 
Date: 
MM-DD-YYYY 
Page 5 of 6 
b.
Bidsync Quote#
c.
SS – Sole Source
d.
CI – Competition Impracticable
E. Records Retention 
1.
Records may be retained electronically in the County’s approved EDMS (OnBase) or in paper format.
2.
Reconciliation Reports shall be maintained for all cycles, even when there is no account activity.
3.
All records must be retained by the department for the period defined by State of Arizona General
Retention Schedules for Counties.
F. Program Administration and Compliance 
1.
Departments shall perform periodic compliance audits on a random sampling of cardholder
transactions and reconciliations to ensure all purchases comply with PCard and related policies, and
that reconciliations are being performed as required. Audits shall be performed at least annually and
shall include:
a.
Downloading PCard transactions from the card provider and analyze the data to help identify
unusual transactions or patterns.
b.
Selecting a sample of transactions and reviewing the supporting purchase documentation for
compliance.
c.
Reviewing a random sampling of Cardholder Monthly Reconciliation Reports to ensure
cardholder and supervisor review is performed per policy.
2.
All requests for changes to accounts must be submitted in writing and approved by the cardholder’s
supervisor or Department Coordinator.
3.
OPS will review the managing account program controls, including Single and Monthly Purchase
Limits, Merchant Category Codes, and authorized user permissions, annually and adjust as
appropriate.
4.
OPS will compare cardholder accounts with active employees monthly to ensure terminated
employees accounts do not remain active.
5.
OPS will receive electronic notification of changes in card holder’s supervisors. If a supervisor has
not completed required training, they must do so within 15 days. Failure to complete training may
result in account suspension.
G. Additional Guidelines for Board of Supervisors 
1.
All cardholders who are members of the Board of Supervisors will file reconciliation reports including
all supporting documentation in compliance with Section (C) - Account Reconciliation, with the Clerk
of the Board’s office within 30 days of cycle close.
H. Additional References 
For additional guidance and procedures see the Procurement Guide & PCard Procedures at 
http://mymc.maricopa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1331/Procurement-Guide-PDF?bidId=

Policy Title: 
ACCEPTABLE USE OF COUNTY 
PURCHASING CARD 
Policy Number: 
N#### 
Current Adoption 
Date: 
MM-DD-YYYY 
Page 6 of 6 
Revision History 
Version 
Revision Date 
Description of Revision 
1 
MM-DD-YYYY 
Initial version. (C-##-##-###-#-##)