Three state agencies, in addition to the contract holder, have specific involvement in the initiation and/or implementation of the county purchase card program.

The State Auditor and Inspector (SA&I)

The State Auditor and Inspector have the following responsibilities:

• Provides procedures, forms, and guidance
• Performs audits to ensure compliance
   

The Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES), Central Purchasing Division

The OMES, Central Purchasing Division, provides administration and management of the state purchase card program.

The County Training Program (CTP)

The County Training Program provides training prior to the use of the purchase card, as well as two- year continuing education training.

The Contract Holder (Bank of America)

Bank of America, the contract holder, implements the terms of the state contract, issues purchase cards, and provides training for their system.

Roles and Responsibilities in County Government

The following county officials and county employees have roles and responsibilities in the county purchase card program:

• Board of County Commissioners
• Purchasing Agent/Purchase Card Administrator
• County Clerk
• Purchase Cardholder
• County Treasurer
• Requisitioning Officer
• Receiving Officer

The specific duties of each of these positions are outlined in the following sections.

Program Initiation

The Program Initiation section outlines the steps necessary to initiate a county purchase card program at the county level by the board of county commissioners in conjunction with the State Purchase Card Administrator at OMES and the contract holder, Bank of America.

The Board of County Commissioners

The board of county commissioners submits a signed, written request on county letterhead to the State P- Card Administrator to join the state purchase card program. The request must contain the name of the primary contact(s). The request should be emailed to pcard@omes.ok.gov.

The Office of Management and Enterprise Services

OMES forwards the county's written request to the contract holder, Bank of America.

The Bank of America

The Bank of America (BOA) requests the following documents from the board of county commissioners:

• Linking agreement
• Financial statements
• Tax commission letter or IRS determination letter

BOA also approves (or declines) the credit based on the documents provided by the board of county commissioners.

The Board of County Commissioners

The board of county commissioners completes the BOA questionnaire and BOA card account worksheet.

The Bank of America

BOA submits county documents for credit approval and implementation.

Program Implementation

The program implementation section outlines the steps necessary to implement the purchase card program at the county level by the board of county commissioners, the purchasing agent, and the purchase cardholder.

The Board of County Commissioners

The board of county commissioners is responsible for the management of the county purchase card program through the following responsibilities:

• Must adopt SA&I’s Purchase Card Policies and Procedures Manual to establish a county purchase card program
• Must adopt a travel policy for participation in a county purchase card program
  • SA&I’s Travel Policy may be adopted if the county does not have a travel policy.
• Determine the card limits for purchase cards based on the county need or past usage
  • Per the Oklahoma Statutes, the individual transaction dollar amount may not exceed Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) unless exempted by statute. Refer to “Exceptions to Limits” as outlined under “Card Holder Purchases.”
    74 O.S. § 85.5a(D)(2)
• Single Purchase Limit - Maximum spending limit authorized in a single transaction
  • • The board of county commissioners may set the single purchase limit for a purchase cardholder at any amount up to the Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) limit (for example: $500, $1,000, $2,000, or $5,000).
  • Total Credit Limit - Maximum amount that can be spent during a monthly cycle
• Approves the Designation of Purchase Cardholders (SA&I Form No. 431), which determines the county employees who are issued a purchase card and their total credit limit.

Note:
The manual and travel policy are available on the SA&I website.

The Purchase Cardholder

A purchase cardholder (county official and/or employee) is an “individual designated by the county to utilize a purchase card.”
19 O.S. § 1505(J)

A purchase cardholder must meet the following requirements:

• Must be a permanent employee (not temporary or non-employee).
• Must attend the required initial purchase card training provided by the County Training Program prior to card use
• Must attend the required training provided by the County Training Program every two years from the date of last training
  19 O.S. § 1505(J)
• Must sign the County Purchase Card Employee Agreement prior to the issuance of the purchase card
• Must sign the Receipt for P-Card acknowledging receipt of the card
  19 O.S. § 1505(J)
   

The Purchasing Agent (Purchase Card Administrator)

Per state statute, the purchasing agent serves as the purchase card administrator for the county purchase card program.

The purchasing agent has the following responsibilities:

• Serves as the administrator for the online electronic transaction system for the contract holder (BOA)
• Attends the required training every two years from the date of last training
• Submits applications for purchase cards as designated by board of county commissioners
• Issues the County Purchase Card Agreement (OMES CP 059) to the designated purchase cardholder
• Issues the Receipt for P-Card (OMES CP 059) to the designated purchase cardholder

Note:
Purchase cards are issued in the name of the county and include the cardholder’s name, department, and a unique account number.

• Provides the verification ID to the purchase cardholder to activate the purchase card
• Tracks the purchase cardholder training
   

The Purchase Cardholder

The purchase cardholder activates the purchase card immediately and registers the card on the BOA website.

The state of Oklahoma authorized Purchase Card (P-Card) is a Visa Purchase Card issued by Bank of America. The purchase card is a chip and pin card, and the chips are encrypted to create a unique transaction code that cannot be used again.

Note:
It is the purchase cardholder’s responsibility to ensure that any credit card purchase made with county money complies with the county purchasing laws in the Oklahoma Statutes. For example, any funds on deposit with the county treasurer, such as county sales tax and ad valorem, highway, and grant funds, are considered county funds.

The County

The county has zero liability for unauthorized charges or for lost or stolen cards provided the Bank of America is notified within 24 hours.