What problem does it solve? For small purchases only - define the threshold to a standard policy level statewide * Direct cost-savings for the State - costs less to electronically approve and process * A more efficient process that results in a reduction of staff time - cuts down on number of people who handle purchase orders, expense reimbursements, travel vouchers, etc. * A more effective outcome that increases the positive impact of an existing service or program - faster acquisition of items purchased & competition. What is your solution and who does it apply to? Utilize standard business credit cards and online systems (like CONCUR) to allow authorized small purchases, employee reimbursements and travel expense reimbursements to be processed electronically rather than via current paper process. Applicable to all State Departments and Agencies. What is the anticipated impact? Cost Savings, consolidated tracking of items (aligned with B2B procurement process like ARIBA, for example) to generate future cost savings based on overall large recurring purchases, paperless approval process; faster payments to vendors. Options can include purchasing cards/travel cards which are coded to either obligate the state or the employee - customizable to the work the employee is performing or other criteria. Large volume (based on the number of employees issued cards and the establishing of a contract with the credit card vendor) may include cash back to the State for further cost-savings.
I don't believe there are any regs blocking the state now - I think some departments are using purchasing cards - but more as a fall-back for purchases that cannot go through our normal (and heavy processing burden) Purchase Order system.
Benefits include: less paperwork, reduction of cash exposure, faster processing time, & consolidated invoicing. Drexel U. reined in out-of-control purchase costs by using purchasing cards from a bank. Cards have pre-assigned spending limits & there is no need for requisitions or check requests. Daily updates from the card issuer are fed directly into the financial database for near real-time cost control.
Any state or fed regulations blocking purchasing cards?
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