Placing an Order with the Purchasing Card

For the purposes of efficiency in administration and management, approved and trained departmental PCardholders are authorized:

  • To make purchases of goods, materials, and supplies not exceeding $20K.
  • To pay for approved services not exceeding $20K.
  • To pay for professional conference registrations/memberships and professional subscriptions.
  • To purchase travel expenses.

University Departments that have been issued a PCard do not have to use the service of the Purchasing Department for these small purchases. If the department wishes to process the purchase through the Purchasing Department, normal procedures for processing a requisition should be used.

  1. Procedure for Placing an Order for Goods
  2. Procedure for Placing an Order for Approved Services

Procedure for Placing an Order for Goods

The order may either be placed in person by presenting the PCard to the vendor, by telephone, or online for Internet orders.

If the vendor requires your billing address in order to obtain an authorization, provide your mail stop code and department name as assigned by UNM Postal Services.

Advise the vendor that the order is tax exempt. Do not proceed with the purchase until you are certain that the tax will not be assessed. If tax is assessed, you will be required to obtain a credit from the vendor.

All deliveries should be made to the Cardholder at a University address so that the Cardholder can confirm receipt of the order and secure supporting documentation (paid invoice, packing slip, register receipt, etc.). Orders should never be shipped offsite unless special approval is granted by Purchasing.

A detailed business purpose will be required for each item purchased (enough information for the reviewer to determine if the expense is reasonable, allowable, and allocable). How does this purchase benefit the University?

  • For more business purpose information click here.
  • The purpose for items purchased on restricted accounts must explain how the purchase is related to the contract/grant or how it is allowed in the specific contract/grant
  • For items that are usually considered unallowable on a contract/grant (office supplies, admin charges, clerical charges, etc.) attach justification showing that it is allowed in the contract/grant

Identify the Index and Account code to be charged (splits may not exceed 10 Index/Account codes per transaction)  

Procedure for Placing an Order for Approved Services

The PCard may be used to pay for approved services.

The order may either be placed in person by presenting the PCard to the vendor, by telephone, or online for Internet orders.

Vendors who perform services on campus must have current insurance certificates on file. Information about insurance requirements can be found at the links below. For the purposes of the following documents, contractor means any vendor that performs services on campus.

When paying for an order that includes both goods and services, advise the vendor that the order is tax exempt for goods purchased.

All deliveries should be made to the Cardholder so that the Cardholder can confirm receipt of the order.

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