Responsibilities of Cardholders, Reviewers and Updaters

Cardholder’s Responsibilities
Reviewer’s Responsibilities
Procedures for Electronic Signoff
Updater’s Responsibilities

There are several roles associated with the purchasing card program at the department level. The department head approves cardholder agreements and any financial changes associated with the purchasing card. The cardholder is responsible for making purchases and completing required documentation. The reviewer is responsible for reviewing the appropriateness of the charges and ensuring proper documentation is received from the cardholder. The updater, usually the department’s business manager, is responsible for assuring the charges are posted to the correct account. The responsibilities of the cardholder, reviewer and updater are outlined below.

Cardholder’s responsibilities
The cardholder is responsible for
- Making only authorized purchases
- Obtaining a detailed receipt for each purchase
- Completing the transaction log with a brief description justifying the purchase
- Reconciling the monthly Visa statement
- Resolving any discrepancies
- Ensuring credits are received
- Documenting furniture and food purchases as required
- Signing the log
- Passing the paperwork to assigned Reviewer for approval
Note: Reallocation of charges may be the responsibility of the cardholder but this decision is made at the department level.

Reviewer’s responsibilities
Reviewers are required to ensure that charges are authorized, within UM Purchasing Card policy and procedures, and appropriately documented. The Reviewer is the cardholder’s immediate supervisor or someone within the cardholder’s chain of command. Exceptions are allowed when justified and approved. A reviewer may not review his/her own transactions. The Reviewer signs the monthly transaction log for all cardholders for whom they review certifying all transactions are authorized and that policy and procedures have been followed. The Reviewer then electronically signs off verifying the review has been completed (see procedures below), files the records in chronological order in the department’s business office, and maintains the files.

Procedures for Reviewers’ electronic signoff:
Please note that this function IS required. This electronic signoff is the Delegated Purchasing Team’s verification that the review has been completed at the department level.

Cardholders for whom the reviewer is responsible will continue to submit the monthly purchasing card records for review and approval. The reviewer will review to ensure compliance with policy and procedures and sign the transaction log indicating that the review is complete. On or before the fourth Friday of the month following the end of the billing period, beginning with the billing period ending 10/25/04, the reviewer will indicate completion of the review by performing the following steps:

1. Activate browser (Internet Explorer works best);
2. Type in URL: https://was-1.umd.edu/pcard/ to bring up the Purchasing Card Management System. You may want to save this site to your Bookmarks or Favorites.
3. Log in using the same ID and password used in ARES;
4. Click on the Reviewer Menu located on left-side of the screen;
5. Choose the billing period from the drop down box; and
6. Choose the cardholder(s) from the list.
You will have two options:
1. If the review is complete without need for comment, then click the “reviewed” box located to the left of the cardholder’s name. A check will appear in the box. Complete the review by clicking on “Submit for Review” button located at the bottom of the screen. You may simultaneously complete the review for as many cardholders as indicated by checking the “reviewed” box.
2. If you need to make comments regarding the review, then click on the cardholder’s name. This will bring you to the View Transaction page listing all the cardholder’s transactions; a comment box is located at the bottom of the screen. Insert comments into this box; once complete, click on “Reviewer Sign Off”.
3. Should you wish to include and save comments but not sign off yet, then click the update button. Once the review is complete, click on the “sign off” button.
4. Sign the transaction log submitted to you by each cardholder. Your original signature is still required on the paper document.

This will be an additional step in our monthly process, and although it will require some time and effort on the part of the reviewers, it will place the University in compliance with the new State requirement. Reviewers are the control point for the integrity of the purchasing card program; they provide protection of the University’s budget through the review of the cardholder’s monthly transaction log, supporting documentation and the Visa statement. The electronic notification indicating reviews have been completed will ensure our controls are working. A reminder email, prompting the Reviewer to verify that the review is complete, will be sent to each Reviewer prior to the fourth Friday of the month.

Updater’s Responsibilities
The updater is usually the department’s business manager and is responsible for assuring the transactions are posted to the correct account by either allowing the charges to remain on the default FRS or subcode or reallocating the charges and/or subcodes. This person has access to cardholder accounts within their designated department and may perform the reallocation function or may just review to ensure that the cardholder has reallocated to the correct account. An Updater gains access to cardholder accounts in PCMS by completing an “Applying for Updater Access” form located in the UM User’s Guide and on the Procurement and Supply website at www.purchase.umd.edu, click on Forms, then click on “Applying for Updater Access” (appendix K). Note that this form requires department head approval. Departments decide whether or not an Updater is needed as some departments assign reallocation responsibilities to the cardholder.

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