The System Office Procedure can be found here: System Procedure 7.3.3.
There are two situations where employees at Metro State can be issued a University Purchasing Card, travel or individual cardholder.
- Travel: Travel cards are issued to employees who will be in travel status, for the purpose of booking airfare, paying conference registration fees, lodging and other travel. Employees complete a Spend Authorization in Workday to obtain a travel purchasing card. These cards have a credit limit specific to the travel instance. After travel is over, the credit limit is removed, disabling the credit card. Travelers should keep the credit card in a safe place, as it can be used for future travel, with the submission of an additional Spend Authorization. See the University Travel Protocol for further instructions related to travel.
- Individual cardholders: Employees must complete an application justifying need for a credit card with a constant credit limit. The application must be reviewed and approved by the employee's supervisor and the VP of Finance & Operations. The employee must have Delegation of Authority on file with the President’s Office. Individual cardholders will be reviewed every six months to ensure compliance with the program and necessity for the employee’s continued use of the credit card.
Purchasing credit cards may be used if the vendor is unable to be set up as a MN State vendor and as a last resort to make a purchase. It is not intended to be used as a work around from the standard purchasing process in Workday.
TAX EXEMPT
- Metropolitan State University is exempt from MN sales tax (with the exception of lodging under 30 days, meals, waste collection, disposal services, and purchases or leases of motor vehicles). Remind vendors that they should not charge tax when you use the purchasing card. The sales tax exemption form may be found at https://www.minnstate.edu/system/finance/taxinformation/salestax/form_st3.html. Scroll down the list to Metropolitan State University. If your account is charged sales tax, you may have to pay that back to the University.
Process
What You Can't Buy with a Purchasing Card
Travel, Meetings, & Special Purchases
Special Rules for Certain Purchases
Reconciliation
Card Holder Agreement and Annual Review
Process:
1. Employee and supervisor determine a business related need for a purchasing card. The employee completes a Pcard application in BP Logix. The application will route to the employee's Supervisor and the VP of Finance and Operations. The form will also route to the President's Office to ensure appropriate Delegation of Authority is on file. Financial Services will request the Pcard from US Bank once all approvals are complete.
2. The employee will complete the New Card Holder Agreement in BP Logix. When the Pcard arrives, Financial Services will contact the employee via the Service Portal. The cards will be available for pickup during the IET Service Center business hours. Click the link for current hours.
- The Service desk will verify cardholder ID, using a valid Driver's License or a Metro State ID card.
3. The employee must activate their credit card via phone call. Information for activating purchasing card:
- The billing address: is 700 East 7th Street, Saint Paul, MN 55106.
- The phone number associated with your Pcard is the phone number listed on your approved Spend Authorization
- The social security number associated with your Pcard is 123-45-xxxx (the last four digits of your true social security number).
4. The employee is responsible for obtaining itemized receipts to document Pcard purchases and completing the reconciliation process. Please refer to the Reconciliation section below.
Metropolitan State has an Amazon Business Prime Account. If there is a business need for your department to have access to the Amazon Account, email purchasing@metrostate.edu.
5. The employee and their supervisor will complete an annual renewal of the terms of the purchasing card. This renewal takes place on an annual basis, and will likely not align with the anniversary of receipt of the credit card.
What You Can’t Buy with a Purchasing Card
Do not use the card for:
- Food or drinks for yourself
- Alcohol (unless part of approved academic coursework)
- Cash or cash advances
- Personal items
- Employee relocation costs
- Travel expenses that must be reimbursed (like gas for personal vehicles)
- Sensitive items (unless specifically allowed)
- Weapons
- Services that require 1099 reporting (e.g., consultants, trainers, entertainers, notary fees, software royalties)
- Purchases from foreign vendors
- Items not related to college, university, or system office business
Travel, Meetings, and Special Purchases
You may use the card for these purchases if they follow system policies and any grant rules:
- Travel for employees (except food/drinks). Allowed expenses: airfare, hotel, rental car gas, parking.
- Travel arrangements for others (transportation or lodging)
- Conference and seminar registration fees
- Food and non-alcoholic drinks for business meetings (must follow system guidelines)
- Food and non-alcoholic drinks for student activities and athletic teams
- Entertainment and recreation only for student or academic purposes
Special Rules for Certain Purchases
- Third-party payment services (e.g., PayPal, Venmo): Only use if absolutely necessary. Documentation must:
- Match the exact vendor price
- Be a one-time purchase
- Include receipts from both the payment service and the vendor
- Alcohol for academic use: Allowed only if part of approved coursework
- Cash equivalents (e.g., gift cards, bus passes): Must be purchased through Finance. Contact purchasing@metrostate.edu.
Reconciliation
Purchasing card transactions show up in Workday 3-4 days after the transaction is made. The employee is responsible reconciling unexpensed transactions by creating an expense report in Workday. Consult with your Office Managers to determine if they assist with this process for your department.
- Transactions must be reconciled by the 15th of each month, even if travel has not yet occurred.
- Reminder: Purchasing card transactions should be on a separate expense report from personal reimbursement requests.
- Refer to the Job Aid Employee Expenses and P-card Transactions, beginning on page 10.
- Use this video as guidance for unexpensed transaction reconciliation.
- To locate Pcard transactions in Workday, search for the "Create Expense Report" task, and scroll to the bottom to view unexpensed transactions.
- Every transaction should include a program, project, or grant (formerly cost center), spend category, brief description of the purchase, and sufficient documentation. Without these items, the transaction will not pass audit, and will not be approved by Financial Services.
- If you are charged sales tax on a transaction where sales tax is not allowed, you will need to complete the Sales Tax Charge to Purchasing Credit Card form, and then follow the instructions to pay back the University.
Card Holder Agreement and Annual Review
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Card holders make financial commitments on behalf of Metropolitan State University. The University will be liable for all authorized charges made with the Purchasing Card. All incorrectly charged items will be addressed on an individual basis and Metropolitan State University will be reimbursed accordingly.
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Card holders must strive to obtain the best value when purchasing merchandise and/or services with the Purchasing Card.
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Card holders should use the Purchasing Card only for authorized purchases and in an appropriate manner
If the purchasing card is used for travel, card holders must only charge expenses approved on the spend authorization form. Meals and gas if no rental vehicle must be paid by the employee and reimbursed. Travel insurance and any type of airline upgrades or hotel incidentals cannot be charged to a p-card and will not be reimbursed by Metro State.
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Metropolitan State University is exempt from MN sales tax (with the exception of lodging under 30 days, airfare, and catered food services).
It is the card holder's responsibility to remind vendors that they should not charge tax when using the purchasing card, and provide the Tax Exemption Certificate, if necessary.
If sales tax is charged, the card holder must request reimbursement from the vendor, or the card holder will be expected to pay the sales tax charge back to Metro State.
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Improper or fraudulent use of the Purchasing Card may result in revocation of the credit card and disciplinary action including restitution to the University for unauthorized purchases, possible card cancellation, and termination of employment at Metropolitan State University and criminal prosecution, as well as reimbursement of the unauthorized use.
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Pyramiding is NOT allowed (pyramiding is multiple card transactions to cover a purchase that exceeds the card transaction limit).
Card holders agree to maintain expenditures within their respective department’s budget.
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The University’s Financial Management department will monitor and audit Purchasing Card transactions.
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Card holders must reconcile each transaction via Workday by the 15th of each month, This requires including all required documentation.
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The University may terminate a card holder's right to use the Purchasing Card at any time for any reason. The card holder must return the card to the University’s Financial Management department immediately upon request, upon termination of employment, upon retirement, or reassignment to another position.
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If the card is lost or stolen, the card holder must contact U.S. Bank Customer Service at 1-800-344-5696. Immediately after contacting U.S. Bank, notify Metropolitan State University Financial Services.
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Failure to comply may result in revoked privileges, with, or without, warning.