Commonly Questioned Items

To comply with various policies, statutes, and regulations, departments must obtain prior approval when purchasing certain products and/or services. Please see Purchasing Services' Special Approvals List (PPP4).

Alcohol

Alcohol is only allowable when purchased for resale or when hosting a conference dinner. The complete guidelines for alcohol purchases can be found at the following address, http://www.bussvc.wisc.edu/bursar/nothost2.html.

Appliances

Appliances (including refrigerators, microwaves, coffee makers, toasters, egg poachers, etc.) purchased for personal use by UW faculty and staff members are not allowable on the purchasing card. All break room appliances must be purchased with personal funds. Appliances purchased for reception areas open to the general public are allowable on the card. 

Capital Equipment Purchases

Capital Equipment and capital equipment components must be purchased on a requisition so the information can be captured and sent to Property Control. Failure to follow the proper procedures compromises the integrity of the Capital Equipment tracking system. If the cardholder has delegated purchasing authority, the purchase is allowed, however, the cardholder must follow the reporting procedure at: http://www.bussvc.wisc.edu/acct/propcont/prophome.html

Catering

The decision to have food at a UW event, either on or off campus, presents a number of concerns including the safe and proper handling of the food, adequate insurance coverage and business procedures that meet the purchasing and accounting processing requirements. The University has established written policies that must be followed when catering food. The guidelines can be found at the following website address, http://www.bussvc.wisc.edu/purch/ppp10.html.

If the outlined requirements are met, the catering may be paid with a purchasing card. All of the required documentation, including a copy of the vendor’s current insurance certificate that has been approved by Risk Management, must be attached to the cardholder log.

Cell Phones

US Cellular is the mandatory contract vendor for cell phone services. US Cellular orders and payments are handled by DoIT and are therefore not allowable on the card.

Special requests for services not offered by US Cellular must be submitted in writing, along with a letter of justification, to Susanne Matschull in Purchasing Services. Vera will review the requests and forward them on to DoIT for approval. If upon review DoIT finds the service to be justifiable and unavailable through US Cellular, the request will be approved and at that time the charges may be billed to a purchasing card. A copy of the approval must be attached to the purchasing card log.

Copiers

The state contract for copy machines is a mandatory contract. All copying needs are to be addressed through the contract vendor regardless of the unit price and whether or not it is a used piece of equipment.

Fines

Fines, including parking tickets on and off campus, are not payable on the card.

Flowers/Decorative Items

The purchase of decorative items (plants, paintings, flowers, etc.) from University-administered funds is allowable only if the items are placed in a general reception area frequented by students and/or the general public. Additionally, decorative items may be purchased for an event if the participant’s fees cover payment for the items. The purchase of items placed in employee lounges, assigned offices or other work areas are not allowable on the card.

The purchase of holiday decorations from University-administered funds is allowable only if the decorations are placed in open public areas, such as a student union, student dormitory, student health center or an educational conference center such as UW Extension facilities.

Food Purchases

Individual meals are not payable on the card. Events that meet the “Headquarters’ City” requirements are payable on the card. To correctly handle expenses associated with a conference or event, the appropriate event form is to be completed and attached to the log/statement. All policy requirements are addressed within the form for your convenience. For further information see Events/Food.

Fuels

External reporting requirements do not allow for the purchase of gasoline on the card; however, gasoline for a rental vehicle is acceptable. The card cannot be used for car fleet fuel purchases. The Voyager Card is provided for that purpose. Fuel purchases for personal vehicles used in lieu of fleet vehicles are included in the established mileage reimbursement rate and as a result are not payable on the card.

Gift Cards

Purchasing cards are not to be used to purchase gift cards, in lieu of cash, for Human Subjects or other service payments. Per the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), gift cards are considered equivalent to cash and are therefore handled as tax reportable payments to individuals. Follow the Cash Advance policy and procedures (301) for Temporary Cash Advances if gift cards are required. If 133, 142, or 144 funds are used, RSP must approve the gift card purchase. An e-mail correspondence noting the approval must be attached to the Cash Advance in order for it to be processed. Please see the Cash Advance policy at http://www.bussvc.wisc.edu/acct/policy/ca/capol.html and also review the policy and procedures associated with Payments to Human Subjects Studies (103) at http://www.bussvc.wisc.edu/acct/policy/human_subjects/humanpol.html.

Gratuity

Gratuity within reason for a Headquarters’ City conference or event is acceptable on the card if the majority of attendees are not UW employees. If the event consists of mainly UW employees, the gratuity must fall within the individual meal limits.

Greeting Cards

Greeting cards of any nature are not allowable on the card.

Ineligible Vendors

A vendor’s eligibility to do business with the University is contingent upon their compliance with s.16.765, Wis. Stats., which imposes requirements for affirmative action employment. Each vendor must also comply with s.77.66, Wis. Stats., tax laws. Purchasing Card Program Staff will update the Ineligible Vendor Lists quarterly and send the updated list to all campus Site Managers. Cardholders should either reference our website or contact their site manager for the most current Ineligible Vendor Lists.

Insurance

Insurance is not an acceptable card purchase. All insurance must be processed through Risk Management, including payments for SHIP.

Meals

Individual meals are not allowable on the standard purchasing card nor are they allowable on a purchasing card that has been approved for travel. The individual must personally pay for all meals and request reimbursement on a TER or the e-Reimbursement system (see Travel and Expense Reimbursement).

Online Auction Purchases

The Purchasing Card may be used to purchase items from an online source such as EBay provided the risk of loss has been minimized to the maximum extent possible and State procurement rules are met. Since there are no refunds when purchasing from an online auction site, cardholders should do everything possible to determine the true condition of the item being purchased. When purchasing an operating piece of equipment, it is expected that an independent person or company be used to validate the operating condition. Cardholders are encouraged to contact the Purchasing Agent that handles the particular commodity prior to making an online auction purchase.

Printing

Printing under $49.99 is allowable on the card. Printing over $49.99 must be ordered through the UW Madison Division of Information Technology Printing Services through an established contract or a competitive bid for custom printed materials, quick copy/duplicating, photocopying and direct digital printing. Faculty and staff are NOT authorized to directly purchase printing over $49.99 from outside vendors.

DoIT Printing Services will purchase all printing for UW-Madison offices, except offices with limited delegation authority such as University Publications Office and UW Press. For further information on DoIT Printing Services, visit their website at http://www.doit.wisc.edu/printing/.

Registrations, Subscriptions and Membership Renewals

Registrations, subscriptions and membership renewals are allowable on the card. The initial membership fee must be processed on a requisition or submitted as a direct charge to allow for approval by the Pre-Audit staff. Once the membership has been approved as a valid UW charge, subsequent renewal payments may be processed on the card.

Services

All service vendors must be incorporated and have a valid insurance certificate on file before work commences on campus. Cardholders may use the insurance certificate tool at http://riskinfo.bussvc.wisc.edu/Certs/Certs_Main_Menu.aspx to check for vendor certification or contact Purchasing Services for assistance. Payments to an individual are 1099 reportable and should not be made on the card.

Stamps

Postage stamps may be purchased with the card.

Supplies

Campus is encouraged to use the MDS Ordering System when purchasing supplies that are carried by a prime vendor. Ordering through MDS ensures the state contract prices. For all other supply orders under $5,000 the card is considered to be the “best practice” purchasing method.

Tax Reportable Payments

Purchasing cards are not to be used to process tax reportable payments. These transactions are identified by SFS Account Codes which are listed at http://www.bussvc.wisc.edu/acct/tax/1009tax.xls. In order to obtain and record the information necessary to satisfy the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and other Tax Reporting requirements, the tax reportable transactions must be paid through regular payment processing methods (PIR, DP, etc.)

Tax reportable transactions include all services (Professional, Educational, or Vocational) performed by an Individual, Sole Proprietorship, Partnership, or Limited Liability Company (LLC). Corporations are not reportable.

Travel

The Department of Administration has approved the use of the Purchasing Card for three travel related expenses: airfare, hotels and state contract car rental. Individual meals are not allowable on the card. Approval to use a card for travel related expenses is granted by the respective Dean’s Office on an individual basis. Once a cardholder is given permission to use the card for travel, a Travel Agreement Form must be completed and signed by the Department and Dean’s Office representatives and sent to the Purchasing Card Manager for processing. The cardholder and Site Manager are then required to attend a travel training session that covers the travel restrictions and documentation requirements.

Purchasing Card Index


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