Currently, eight steps, which include five transactions plus use of inner-institutional and U.S. mail are required to process a prepayment request with an average turnaround time at about five to ten days. With the procurement card the turnaround time is almost instant using a telephone call or fax. Department administrators feel they are in control with the current procurement system and many are concerned the procurement card would diminish control. We believe we can demonstrate the card actually provides more real control. However, use of the procurement card is a sharp change from traditional purchasing and accounts payable procedures.
Control is achieved through spending limits on individual cards and by monitoring the account.
There are a variety of administrative reports that can be used to track and reconcile group and individual purchases, and to monitor activity. Summary Initially, the Procurement Card was mildly received by our customers. Even though we had customers involved from the beginning, we later found many did not share our vision. When it came time to implement, except for those who participated in the pilot program, the buy-in was slow. Since we have changed our approach, we are seeing an increase in the numbers of applicants for the card.