PCARD Regulations

  • P-card holders and approvers are required to complete PCard and ROPPA training prior to obtaining a P-card.
  • Make allowed purchases only! The P-card must be used only for direct University business expenses within pre-approved spending limits:
    • Allowable expenses: P-cards are generally used for low-dollar, high-volume, non-travel business expenses that can't be purchased via B2P.
    • Prohibited purchases:
      • Personal purchases of any kind
      • Split transactions to circumvent the single transaction limit
      • Gift cards/gift certificates of any amount
      • Travel and entertainment costs
      • Cash advances and travelers checks
      • Prescription drugs and controlled substances
      • Hazardous materials
  • Transactions must be reviewed regularly as they become available in Concur
  • Attach all transaction receipts, regardless of dollar amount, to your statement in Concur
  • Make sure the object code is accurate for the transaction.
  • The business purpose must list when, where, why, who and what the expense was for.
  • Do not share your P-card with others in the lab. Each person placing orders should have his/her own P-card.
  • Sales tax should not be charged on the P-card. Be sure to check your receipts for such charges.
  • If your purchase is made via Amazon.com, you are required to submit both the order confirmation page (price must be indicated) as well as the original packing slip if included in the shipment.
  • Please familiarize yourself with the Harvard's P-card policy: http://policies.fad.harvard.edu/pages/purchasing-card

Purchasing Card Policy and Application

Obtaining Proof-of-Purchase Documentation

P-Card holders must obtain all original proof-of-purchase documentation from the merchant when making a purchase, including recurring or standing-order purchases. BCMP requires original proof-of-purchase documentation for all purchases.

  • The original proof-of-purchase document must include the following information:
    • name of merchant
    • location of merchant
    • date of transaction
    • dollar amount
  • Examples of original documentation include:
  • detailed cash or sales receipts
  • packing slips with a dollar amount
  • subscription or dues forms
  • conference registration forms
  • statement-of-work reports from suppliers
  • photocopies of software mail-order forms
  • For purchases where no receipt is generated (e.g., a recurring subscription expense), cardholders must retain a copy of the associated monthly cardholder statement along with a complete explanation of the expense.
  • A Missing Receipt Affidavit (MRA) must be completed for lost receipts equal to or greater than $75 if charged to non-sponsored funding source. BCMP requires a MRA for charges under $75 if charged to sponsored funding source.
  • Following a purchase, cardholders must promptly upload required proof-of-purchase documentation in Concur.

Cardholder Review of P-Card Transactions and Submission of Concur Report

P-card holders must:

  • periodically review all P-Card transactions and provide detailed business purposes for each transaction in Concur. Business purposes must include the following information:
    • who incurred the expense or who benefits (specific names of individuals or groups are required)
    • what the expense entailed (e.g., item purchased or activity conducted)
    • why this is a Harvard expense (i.e., specific reason, purpose)
    • when the event or activity occurred (if not apparent in transaction detail or receipts)
    • where the event or activity took place (if not apparent in transaction detail or receipts)
  • the following are three examples of acceptable business purposes:
    • Toner cartridge for Controller’s Office third floor copier
    • Sam Jones and Kris Doe 1.2.09 lunch at John Harvard’s in Cambridge to discuss Oracle project
    • Purchase of custom oligos for the NIH Translation R01 project
  • confirm the general ledger coding of all transactions in Concur and change if necessary, or let your P-Card reviewer know to which fund/grant project the cost belongs by entering comments in the Comment Section of the Concur report.
  • attach all required proof-of-purchase documents (i.e., receipts) to the relevant P-card transactions in Concur.
  • Submit your monthly Concur P-card reports on or shortly after the 14th of each month. While you can review, attach receipts, and enter business purpose for transactions that are available in Concur prior to the 14th, you will not be able to submit your report until the 14th or 15th of each month.

Lost, Stolen, or Damaged PCards

  • In the event of a lost or stolen PCard, please contact Citibank Customer Service (found on the back of your card) immediately, and notify HMS PCard administrator.
  • If your card is damaged, contact HMS PCard administrator and request a new card with the same account number as the damaged card.
  • As of January 1, 2023, HMS PCard administrator is Casey Dziuba (Casey_Dziuba@hms.harvard.edu)