Chapter 1: Purpose, Scope, Definitions, Responsibilities and Delegation of Authority
 

1.1	Purpose
1.2	Scope
1.3	Definitions

Chapter 2: Charge Card Policies and Procedures for All Business Lines
 

Chapter 3: Charge Card Policy and Procedures Specific to Purchase Business Line

3.1 Purchase Authorities

Chapter 4: Charge Card Policy and Procedures Specific to the Fleet Business Line

4.1 General

5.1  General
5.2  Travel Card Use
5.3  Transactions Permitted and those Prohibited under the Travel Business Line
5.4  Claims for Travel-Related Reimbursement

Chapter 6: Billing, Reconciliation and Other Administrative Procedures

6.1 Billing
6.2 Reconciliation

Chapter 7: Revocation of Authorities, Management Controls and Attachments

7.1 Revocation of Authorities

 Appendix 1.  Reference Guide

 Attachment 1:   Hierarchy Structure for the Fish and Wildlife Service
 Attachment 2:   EAGLS Summary Desk Reference 
 Attachment 3:   Departmental Integrated Card Account Setup/Application Form 
 Attachment 4:   SF-3881 ACH Vendor/Miscellaneous Payment Form
 Attachment 5:   Fleet Card Account Setup/Application Form 
 Attachment 6:   Convenience Check Guide
 Attachment 7:   Blanket Fund Certification Form
 Attachment 8:   Regional Charge Card Coordinators
 Attachment 9:   Supervisory/Approving Official Checklist
 Attachment 10: EAGLS Cost Reallocation Desk Reference
 

Chapter 1: Purpose, Scope, Definitions, Responsibilities and Delegation of Authority

1.1 Purpose.  This chapter contains Service guidance and instructions on using the integrated charge card for purchase, travel and/or fleet related transactions under the General Services Administration (GSA) SmartPay Charge Card Program.  Under GSA's program, the Department has contracted with Bank of America to provide MasterCard (MC) as the integrated card to streamline all three business lines.  The goals of the integrated card program are to: improve mission support; streamline and standardize operations; increase card use by maximizing card acceptance in all three lines; reduce administrative costs; and outsource transaction processing.

1.2 Scope.  The Department's integrated charge card program is the mandatory program for charge card transactions in the purchase, travel, and fleet business areas.  The Bank of America MC is the only card to be used by the Department and Service for the three business lines and shall be used in accordance with the guidance contained in this document.  There are limited exceptions applicable to fleet vehicles in the GSA Interagency Fleet Management System, selected vehicles and aircraft in Canada and Mexico during the summer field season, and for certain law enforcement purposes.  Under Federal Travel Regulations, the use of the Bank of America MC is mandatory for all official travel expenses, including those incurred by infrequent travelers.  Vacancy announcements should indicate that employees must obtain the Bank of America MC if they will be required to travel as a part of their official duties.

1.3  Definitions.

A.  Agency/Organization Program Coordinator (A/OPC).  The Service's primary liaison with the Bank of America and the Department's Office of Acquisition and Property Management (PAM), the Department's Office of Financial Management (PFM), and the Department's National Business Center (NBC) on technical and policy issues. 

B. Alternate Agency/Organization Program Coordinator (Alternate A/OPC).  The Service's primary liaison with Service Regional and program offices on technical and policy issues.  The A/OPC and Alternate A/OPCs comprise the Service's Charge Card Implementation Team.

C.  Business Lines.  The charge card program is composed of three business lines:  travel, purchase, and fleet.  Charge cards may have only one business line or a combination of business lines depending on the employee's needs.

D.  Cardholder.  (1) Specific to fleet: Service-owned motorized vehicles or equipment, designated by the Service to be issued a card. (2) Specific to purchase: Any employee designated by the Service to be issued a card for payment of official purchase-related expenses in compliance with applicable regulations.  (3) Specific to travel: Any employee designated by the Service to be issued a card to pay for official travel and travel-related expenses in compliance with applicable regulations.  Some employees have been issued cards with both travel and purchase authority, as their duties require.

E.  Cardholder Account.  An account established in single or multiple business lines for an authorized employee or entity (e.g., for purposes of the fleet card line, an account is established for a motor vehicle) against which charges can be made.  All transactions made through cardholder accounts shall be for official use only and comply with Federal, Departmental, Service and Bank of America requirements.  Each account is assigned a number as an external means of identification.

F.  Centrally Billed Transactions.  All transactions made through the purchase and fleet lines are billed directly to the Service and directly paid to Bank of America by the Service.  For the travel line, all transactions for commercial transportation (such as airlines and trains), rental cars, gasoline, and parking are centrally billed to the Service and directly paid by the Service, not the individual cardholder.

G.  Convenience Checks.  These are checks written against accounts in the purchase business line and are within established dollar limits.  Convenience checks are used as a method of payment for purchase transactions where the vendor will not accept a charge card. Convenience check transactions are included in cardholder statements along with applicable fees.

H.  Electronic Account Government Ledger System (EAGLS).  This is Bank of America's web-based desktop management tool that allows authorized users to manage various aspects of the card program from their workstations.  EAGLS features a desktop organizer, program administration, on-line reconciliation, as well as query and reporting functions.

I.  Hierarchy.  This is the organizational structure of the integrated charge card program within the Service and is comprised of the following areas of responsibility: Cardholders, office administrative personnel and supervisors, program and geographic Assistant Directors or Assistant Regional Directors (ARD), Regional Budget and Finance Offices, and the Washington Divisions of Finance and Contracting and Facilities Management. 

J.  Hierarchy Structure or Hierarchy Nodes (Codes).  This refers to the organizational structure and assignment made to Departmental organizational entities by the Bank of America and reflected throughout EAGLS.  As this is the primary code by which all offices are identified within EAGLS, having the correct hierarchy structure for each office is critical.  Each Service office has a string of seven-digit hierarchy codes corresponding to that office's placement within the Department's organizational structure.  The highest organizational level (or node, in Bank terminology), level one, is the Department's code (0000003).  The second level designates the Fish and Wildlife Service (0000015).  The third level designates the Service Region or fleet national level.  The fourth level designates the ARD assignment for travel/purchase cards or the Region for fleet cards.  The fifth level designates the controlling office (such as a refuge complex) for travel/purchase cards or the ARD assignment for fleet cards.  The sixth level denotes a suboffice under a controlling office for travel/purchase cards or the controlling office for fleet cards.  The seventh level denotes a suboffice for fleet card purposes only.  While eight levels are available in EAGLS, the Service generally uses the first seven levels.  The Service's hierarchy structure reduced to the suboffice level appears as Attachment 1.  Remember that fleet hierarchies appear under the third level hierarchy under code 3201704, and will appear through the last half of this attachment.

K.  Individually Billed Transactions.  All official travel-related transactions made to an employee's travel card not connected with commercial transportation (e.g., lodging, meals, automated teller machine advances, etc.) are charged to the individual cardholder.  The cardholder must claim these expenses on his travel voucher.  The Bank of America bills the employee directly for these expenses and the employee must reimburse the Bank within the due dates indicated on his statement. Airline/train/bus tickets, travel agent transaction fees, car rentals, gasoline and parking charges are centrally billed to the Service and are not individually billed to the employee.

L.  Integrated Card.  This refers to the charge card program capability for two or more business lines to be provided via a single card and whose administrative processes are integrated, e.g., account set-up and maintenance, reconciliation, reporting, and invoicing, etc.

M.  Master Account Code (MAC).  The Bank of America term for cost structures within EAGLS.  For the Service, this data element appears as the fiscal year followed by the job number, paying organization code, and budget object classification code (i.e., 2000-1664000198350211C).

N. Merchant Category Code (MCC).  A four-digit code that classifies the nature of goods or services provided by a specific vendor.  The vendor selects this code when enrolling with the charge card program(s) in which they participate.  This selection is not controlled by the Bank, the Department, or by the Service. 

O.  Micropurchase (specific to purchase).   As defined in Federal Acquisition Regulation 2.101, micropurchases are the acquisition of supplies or services (except construction), for which the total  transaction does not exceed $2,500.  For construction, the total transaction limit is $2,000.

P.  Salary Offset.  A process to collect delinquent amounts owed on individually billed charge card accounts from future salaries paid to the cardholder.

Q.  Simplified Acquisition Threshold (specific to purchase).  As described in FAR 2.101, this means $100,000.

R.  SmartPay Program.  This is GSA's program in which contracts were awarded to six different vendors for charge card services.   From these vendors, Federal entities independently decide which contractor offers services best meeting their charge card needs for purchase, travel and fleet.  The Federal entity issues a work order to the selected vendor for the desired charge card services.  At Interior, this program is controlled at the Departmental level.

S.  Statement Cycle Date/Billing Date/Closing Date.  Each month on the statement cycle date, the Bank generates billing statements and refreshes monthly credit limits. This date,  for the Department of the Interior, is the 19th of each month.

T. Transfer Transactions.  These are transactions designed to move individually billed transactions to centrally billed transactions, or centrally billed transactions to individually billed transactions.  This is normally required when an error has occurred or a charge has been "forced" through by the Regional Charge Card Coordinator (RCCC).  Transfer transactions must be approved by the appropriate RCCC.

1.4  Responsibilities.

A.  Assistant Director - Business Management and Operations (AD BMO).  The AD BMO is responsible for charge card implementation, general oversight and program management within the Service.  This includes designating Service and Regional Charge Card Coordinators and other individuals to oversee the charge card program.  The AD BMO ensures that the Service has effective and efficient policies and procedures for account set-up, card use, security, account reconciliation and payment.  In addition, the AD BMO implements and maintains reasonable management controls for the charge card program.  The AD BMO approves all recommendations for ongoing month to month mission critical account status for cardholders less than 90 days past due.

B.  Service Charge Card Coordinator (A/OPC).  The Service Charge Card Coordinator (SCCC) is the primary liaison between the Service and the Department/Bank of America on technical and policy matters relating to the contract and Service charge card use.  The SCCC maintains the Service's charge card guidance and serves as liaison between the Departmental program and the RCCC.  To ensure overall program integrity, the SCCC is responsible for maintaining a statistically valid sampling plan and other methods of control, including exception reporting through EAGLS.  The SCCC is responsible for the conduct of charge card usage reviews as a component of the required acquisition management reviews.  The SCCC is authorized by the Department to cancel charge cards and suspend accounts as necessary, and is responsible for reporting suspected charge card fraud to the OIG and the Bank of America as appropriate upon notification by the RCCC, supervisors, or employees.  The SCCC forwards recommendations concerning month to month mission critical designations to the AD BMO (less than 30 days delinquent) or the Department (over 30 days delinquent) as required by Departmental regulations.  In EAGLS, SCCC responsibilities include overseeing the establishment of accounts, updating hierarchy structures to reflect Service organizational changes, creating and updating option sets and credit limits, the designation of the RCCC with the Bank of America, and the maintenance of master cardholder listings with related office charge limitations.

C.  Regional Charge Card Coordinators (Alternate A/OPC).  The Regional Charge Card Coordinators (RCCC) are the primary liaisons between the Regions and the SCCC and have general oversight of the charge card program within their Region.  The RCCC is responsible for conducting the monthly statistical sampling of randomly selected transactions within the Region and the subsequent evaluation of the sample results.  The RCCC is responsible for following up on any charge card usage deficiencies noted during acquisition management reviews.  The RCCC is authorized by the Department to cancel charge cards and suspend accounts as necessary, and is responsible for reporting suspected charge card fraud either through the SCCC or directly to the OIG and the Bank of America as appropriate.  The RCCC is also responsible for contacting card holders with delinquent accounts and working with the card holder and the Bank of America on account resolution.  When problems with accounts and/or payments warrant, the RCCC recommends mission critical account status (exceptions to normal delinquent account processing) to the SCCC noting the reason for this designation.  In EAGLS, RCCC’s responsibilities include overseeing the establishment and maintenance of accounts within his/her Region and the maintenance of hierarchy tables in response to organizational changes or restructuring.  New accounts containing the purchase business line must use the office address of the cardholder (See section 2.3, obtaining a Card.)

D.  Supervisors and Designated Approving Officials.  Supervisors/approving officials ensure that employees use charge cards in accordance with Service policies and procedures and only in meeting valid office needs.  This includes a monthly review of cardholder statements of account and supporting documentation to ensure that all transactions are made in the best interest of the Government, evidenced by approving signatures on the front of each cardholder's statement of account.  Supervisors/approving officials must investigate and report instances of apparent misuse to their RCCC for assistance in resolving the problem, and must counsel employees regarding possible adverse actions resulting from misuse or nonpayment of charge card accounts.  In addition, supervisors must approve all new cardholder applications and ensure that documentation for statistically sampled transactions are provided in a timely manner to the RCCC.  Supervisors must ensure that employees departing the Service surrender their charge cards, pay any outstanding balances to the Bank of America, and provide a forwarding address on the exit/clearance form (See 6.10, Employee Exit Clearance Procedures.)

To assist supervisors and designated approving officials in carrying out these duties, all supervisors/approving officials must complete the Department of the Interior Charge Card Training for Approving Officials.  Details regarding the Department's training will be received by the supervisor/approving official shortly after selection or designation.

E.  Cardholder. The cardholder will receive an activation letter that explains how to activate the charge card and a card transmittal mailing that includes the new card and the agreement between the Department of the Interior's employee and the Bank of America. Upon receiving the card, the cardholder must verify that the name on the card is correct.  A letter containing the card's ATM personal identification number (PIN) with an explanation on how to customize the PIN, if desired, should also be received, as well as a letter notifying the cardholder of his/her EAGLS user identification code and initial password.  Cardholders are responsible for ensuring the security of their charge card, using their charge card only for official purposes, reviewing their statements of account each month and paying all undisputed individually billed charges on time and requesting transfer transactions as appropriate.  Charge cards are not transferable and can only be used by the designated cardholder.

F.  Hierarchy.  These are the administrative levels the Service has established for its integrated MasterCard structure with the Bank of America.  They correspond to security levels established within EAGLS by the Department for program administration.  The responsibilities of each level are described immediately below, along with the security code within EAGLS for each level.

1.  Cardholder Level (security code AH). Within EAGLS, cardholders are authorized to make address and telephone number changes, dispute charges, change cost structures, access individual statements and request password resets.  Cardholders are responsible for collecting documentation and, as determined by each Project Leader, reconciling individual transactions to statements. Detailed instructions for account reconciliation and maintenance in EAGLS appear in Attachment 2, the EAGLS Summary Desk Reference.

2.  Administrative Level (security codes RO and AO).  The administrative level consists of office administrative personnel whose regular job duties include budget monitoring and/or other administrative activities.  Within EAGLS, designated administrative officials have the capability to reconcile individual transactions to cardholder statements for each cardholder in his/her office.  In addition, within EAGLS they are authorized to dispute charges, change cost structures through cost reallocation, access individual cardholder statements, and perform routine cardholder maintenance (address and telephone number changes, adjusting default cost structures or MACs).  Detailed instructions for account reconciliation and maintenance in EAGLS appear in Attachment 2.

3.  Assistant Regional Director (ARD) Level (security code DOI ADMIN).  This level consists of ARD administrative personnel and has the capability within EAGLS to review/query/report cardholder transactions and statements for their subordinate offices.
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4. Regional Charge Card Coordinators (security code A/OPC).  This level consists of designated personnel within the Regional Finance and Contracting and General Services Offices.  Within EAGLS they are authorized to set up accounts, accept ("force") transactions outside of internal control perimeters, and perform non-routine cardholder account maintenance such as making:

A.  Revisions/exceptions to purchase and cycle limits,

B.  Revisions/exceptions to merchant category code restrictions,

C.  Changes in centrally billed vs. individually billed transactions; and

D.  Recommends mission critical account designations to the Washington Office

They have report and query access within EAGLS to cardholder statements and transactions for their Region.  In addition, they review and analyze the statistically sampled transactions for management control purposes.

5.  Division of Financial Management/Contracting and Facilities Management Level (security code A/OPC and DBO).  This level consists of staff designated within the Division of Financial Management and Contracting and Facilities Management offices.  They have access to all cardholder data within the Service.  Within EAGLS they have report and query capability that is used for internal control purposes, procurement reviews and reporting activities.  This level also administers interface activities between EAGLS and the Federal Financial System (FFS), and the overall reconciliation of daily centrally billed payments.  Invoicing is performed at the national level and is processed through the charge card interface at the Service's Finance Center by those with DBO authority.

1.5  Delegation of Authority.  Authority to establish and maintain Service accounts and to conduct oversight responsibilities under the SmartPay Charge Card Program is delegated from the AD BMO to the Service and RCCCs. Micropurchase authority is built into the application and charge card issuance process.  Receipt of the Government issued charge card with the employee’s name embossed on it is deemed delegation of authority. 

Chapter 2: Charge Card Policies and Procedures for All Business Lines

2.1  Integrated Charge Card.   A Bank of America MasterCard account can be established in just one business line or a combination of purchase and travel business lines.  Issuance of a charge card does not imply automatic activation of multiple business lines.  If authorized, an additional function may be added to an existing MasterCard account at any time without reissuing cards.

2.2  Official Use Only.  Cardholders are to use their charge cards for official purposes only.  The card is specifically designed with "United States of America" printed next to the seal and the words "For Official Government Use Only, US Department of the Interior, Tax Exempt ID 1400001849" printed on the card to avoid having the card mistaken for a personal credit card. Supervisors/approving officials shall ensure that all travel, supplies, fuel, goods and services acquired with the Bank of America MasterCard are for official use only and shall establish administrative controls to prevent unauthorized use of the charge card.

2.3  Obtaining a Card.  An employee needing a MasterCard for travel and/or purchase purposes completes the Departmental Integrated Card Account Setup/Application Form, Part 1. Please reference Attachment 3 for a copy of the form, preparation instructions, and a copy of the cardholder agreement.   The supervisor approves the application (at the bottom of Part 1) and submits the form to the RCCC for completion of Part 2 and submission for processing to the Bank of America. The average processing time between submission of a properly prepared application and receipt of the card is usually around 10 days. Training requirements are discussed below.  Applications for travel charge card authority must also be accompanied by a completed SF-3881, ACH Vendor/Miscellaneous Payment Form (Attachment 4).  Individuals working for the Service under an IPA or on detail from another Federal agency may apply for the travel business line with supervisory approval. The supervisor must ensure that the cards issued are returned at the end of the IPA or detail. 

Due to Freedom of Information Act requirements, charge cards with purchase authority must use the office address of the cardholder on the application and within EAGLS for statement mailing. Residential addresses may be used on charge cards with only a travel business line.

A fleet MasterCard is obtained with the Fleet Card Account Setup/Application Form (Attachment 5).

Priority charge card applications requiring immediate attention should be faxed to the Bank of America at (888) 784-1039.  Both the application and the cover sheet, if any, should bear the notation "code red".  "Code red" should appear on each application as groups of applications are often broken down among several technicians for processing.  Each priority application must have a valid physical address (no post office boxes) as the card(s) will be express mailed to the address noted.  The express mail process takes 2 days to get the card to the cardholder, provided the application is received at the Bank before noon eastern time (for examples, faxes sent before noon on a Tuesday would result in cards received by express mail on Thursday; faxes after noon on a Tuesday would result in cards received by express mail on Friday.)

2.4  Training Requirements.  Prior to receiving cards, all cardholders must receive training so they have a working knowledge of the Service's charge card policies and procedures and the use of Bank of America charge card features, including EAGLS.  Those having charge card administrative responsibilities must also receive training.  This training includes the review of written materials from the Service and Bank of America, as well as completing internet-based tutorials.  Periodic refresher training may be required to provide cardholders and administrative staff with changes in Service policies and procedures, regulatory changes and Bank of America procedural changes.  Supervisors and designated approving officials must complete the Department's supervisory/approving official's training program.

For those using the purchase business line, training in micropurchase and/or simplified acquisition procedures is required.  Those who received purchase card training and certification under the previous Governmentwide Commercial Purchase Card Program are not required to repeat this initial training as the same concepts apply to the integrated purchase card.  The Department's Contracting Officers Warrant System Manual covers non-procurement personnel training requirements for simplified acquisitions above the micropurchase threshold. 

2.5  Convenience Checks.   Convenience checks are available to cardholders with the purchase business line, but should be issued only to those purchase and purchase/travel cardholders with a specific need for convenience checks.  Initial check orders must be routed through the appropriate RCCC and the need for convenience checks must be demonstrated to the RCCC prior to approval.  Because of the fees associated with convenience check use, convenience checks shall not be used where charge cards are accepted for services or merchandise.  In addition, convenience checks should not be used by individuals to write checks to themselves or to any other individual or vendor for:   (a) cash advance purposes; (b) salary payments, cash awards, or any transaction required to be processed through the payroll system; (c) travel related tickets; (d) meals, drinks, and lodging related to travel; (e) rental or lease of vehicles when in travel status; (f) purchase of telephone services; (g) repairs for GSA vehicles; (h) gas or oil for vehicles, (i) government payments, or (j) online auction sites (such as E-Bay).  The exceptions to this rule apply when emergency situations arise, such as fire suppression, search and rescue, or natural disasters, where convenience checks may be used under the same documentation criteria as the charge card (See 3.3, Transactions Permitted and Those Prohibited Under the Purchase Business Line.)  Convenience checks may also be issued as travel advances to non-employees in situations where time or circumstances do not allow offices to obtain travel advances by Treasury check through normal procedures.  A special travel advance convenience check account would need to be established exclusively for this purpose at the Regional office level.  Detailed instructions for the convenience check program appear in Attachment 6, Convenience Check Guide.

Convenience checks are accountable documents, and as such must be properly safeguarded.  Lost convenience checks should be handled in the same manner as a lost charge card (See 2.9, Lost, Stolen, Damaged or Expired Cards or Convenience Checks.) 

2.6  Unauthorized Use/Penalties.   When using the charge card for any of the three business lines (travel, procurement, and fleet), the cardholder must comply with all Federal, Departmental, and Service prohibitions, controls, limitations, and approval requirements. Intentional use of the card for other than official Government business may be considered an attempt to commit fraud against the U.S. Government and may result in immediate cancellation of the employee's card.  Further, disciplinary action may be taken against the employee under applicable Government and Department administrative procedures, including, repayment of unauthorized charges, requirements to complete remedial training, written or oral reprimands, warnings or admonishment, suspension without pay, revocation of a contracting officer’s warrant, loss of driving privileges or removal.  The employee is personally liable to the Government for the amount of any non-approved purchases and, under 18 U.S.C. 287, may be subject to a fine of not more than $10,000 or imprisonment for not more than 5 years, or both.

The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is responsible for conducting or arranging for the conduct of investigations when violations of Federal fraud statutes are suspected or alleged.  Any allegation or complaint concerning potentially fraudulent misuse of the charge card must be reported to the OIG for review and appropriate action.  Following an initial review, the OIG will either open an investigation or refer the matter back to the responsible bureau for administrative action.  The 24-hour toll free hot line to the OIG is 1-(800)-424-5081.

2.7  Separation of a Cardholder.  Upon separation of a cardholder from the Department, the cardholder must surrender the card and any remaining convenience checks, if applicable, to his/her supervisor and notify the RCCC who will close the account via EAGLS (See 6.9, Employee Exit Clearance Procedures.)  Surrendering the charge card is included as part of the employee clearance process, along with the destruction of any convenience check stock on hand for the separating employee.  With regard to the fleet business line, if an office disposes of a vehicle or other motorized equipment that has a fleet account, the individual responsible for the account must surrender the card to his/her supervisor and notify his/her RCCC who will close the account via EAGLS.  If the individual responsible for a fleet account has a change in jobs or job duties he/she should coordinate with the supervisor to notify the RCCC of a replacement. 

2.8  Transfer of Cardholder.  Under the integrated charge card program, cardholders may transfer their travel business line within their respective bureaus without having a new charge card issued to them.  Delegations of micropurchase authority is not transferable. The RCCC will deactivate the purchase business line when transferring the employee’s account.  The employee’s new supervisor must submit written approval to the RCCC to reinstate the employee’s purchase business line when transferring the account. The transfer can be completed through account changes made via EAGLS.  The cardholder is responsible for notifying his/her respective RCCC of a prospective account status change.  Employees transferring between bureaus within the Department must have their cards canceled and reissued by the receiving bureau.  A new account must not be requested until the old account has a zero balance due and has been closed.

2.9  Lost, Stolen, Damaged or Expired Cards or Convenience Checks.  If a charge card or convenience checks are lost or stolen, or the card is damaged so that it will no longer work, the cardholder must immediately notify his/her supervisor, the RCCC and the Bank of America 
1-(800)-472-1424, who will reissue the card. As a routine business practice, the Bank of America automatically reissues a card several weeks before it is set to expire.  If the cardholder does not receive a replacement in a timely manner, he/she should contact the Bank of America.

2.10  Property Issues.  Use of the charge card as a method of purchase and payment does not eliminate Federal, Department, and Service property reporting requirements.  All controlled property, i.e., personal property having an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more, plus sensitive items (i.e., laptop computers), purchased with the charge card will be reported immediately to the appropriate property officer for inclusion in the inventory system by the cardholder or the designated administrative official.  Department of the Interior Form 102 (Receiving Report) will be used for reporting this property. 

Chapter 3: Charge Card Policy and Procedures Specific to the Purchase Business Line

3.1 Purchase Authorities. 

A.  Micropurchases.  Service personnel without a contracting officer warrant may have delegated purchase authority to use the charge card as a purchase or payment method for supplies and services up to $2,500 for a single transaction.  The threshold is $2,000 for construction, and is further restricted to warranted cardholders (Contact your Regional Contracting and General Services office for further guidelines.)

B.  Simplified Acquisitions.   Contracting officers are authorized to use the charge card in the same manner as unwarranted personnel, however, they have additional spending authority to purchase supplies and services up to their warrant limit, i.e., Level IA $5,000, Level IB $10,000, Level IIA $25,000, or Level IIB $100,000 (as designated on the warrant certificate itself) and up to the Simplified Acquisition threshold, i.e.,  $100,000, when placing orders with established sources such as Federal Supply Schedules. This can be done provided the vendor agrees to the required terms, conditions and clauses for actions above the micropurchase threshold and such agreement is documented for the record.  The CO will maintain documentation, including price comparisons, best value or other determinations.  CO’s are urged to buy smart and increase their buying power to up to $100,000 per transaction by using the charge card to place orders against established sources such as Federal Supply Schedules.  CO’s will process all open market purchases between $2,500 and $25,000 through the Interior Department Electronic Acquisition System (IDEAS) and process payments through the Federal Financial System (FFS). 

3.2  Requirements for Purchases.  Federal, Department and Service micropurchase and simplified acquisition regulations apply to all non-fleet and non-travel purchases made with the charge card.   Regardless of whether the purchase is made using oral, over-the-counter, or electronic procedures, the cardholder shall:

A.  Funds Availability.  Ensure that funds are available to pay for the items being purchased before making the actual purchase. This can be done for an individual transaction or on a blanket basis where a cardholder is given pre-approved purchase authority to expend a certain amount during a certain period of time (See Attachment 7.)

B.  Small Business Requirements.  Reserve all purchases over $2,500 for small business concerns in accordance with Public Law 95-507 (FAR 13.105) unless the cardholder determines that either there are no small business firms capable of fulfilling the requirement or there is no reasonable expectation of obtaining quotations that will be competitive in terms of market price, quality, and delivery from two or more responsible small business concerns. 

C.  Required Sources.  The requirement for purchasing from small business concerns does not waive the requirement to make purchases from required sources of supply, such as mandatory Federal Supply Schedules, UNICOR, etc., before buying from a commercial vendor. If there is any question whether or not the item to be purchased is available from mandatory sources under FAR Part 8, non-warranted cardholders should consult with a warranted official in their own office or in Regional CFM/CGS before making the purchase.

D.  Competition.  Solicit competition for open market purchases over $2,500.  Such competition shall be obtained and documented pursuant to FAR requirements.

E.  Distribute Purchases.  Distribute repeat buys equitably among qualified vendors.

F.  Verify Order.  Verify that the quantity, quality, and prices of the items/services furnished by the vendor are in accordance with the sales agreement (oral or written).

G.  Discounts.  Ask the vendor for any available Government discount.

H.  Charge when Shipped.  Confirm that the vendor agrees to charge the purchase card only when shipment is made so that receipt of the supplies or services may be certified on the monthly statement.

I.  Tax Exemption.  Notify the vendor that the purchase is tax exempt and provide the Tax Identification Number that is embossed on each MasterCard (1400001849). 

J.  Splitting Requirements.  Splitting requirements to stay within the single purchase limit of an individual cardholder is prohibited.  This includes, for example, a cardholder making several purchases for the same item over a short time period; or making several individual purchases by multiple cardholders to avoid consolidating the requirements of an office into a larger procurement.

K.  No Added Fees.  Insure that any fees paid to the Bank by merchants are not added as a separate item to the price of the supplies or services purchased by the cardholder.

L.  Budget Object Classification.  Offices are reminded of their responsibility to correctly budget object classify all purchases, with particular attention paid to personal property.  An individual acquisition of personal property with a cost of $25,000 or greater should use a budget object class of 311A through 311Z: personal property below $25,000 should use a budget object class of 312A through 312X.

M.  Internet Purchasing.  Cardholders may use their MasterCard to transact official business over the Internet.  To ensure that these transactions are safe and secure, card holders must adhere to the following guidelines:

A. Know who you are dealing with.  If you have never heard of the seller, check the location and reputation with the Better Business Bureau or state attorney general's office,

B. Protect your privacy.  Provide personal information only if you know who is collecting it, why, and how the information is to be used,

C. Guard your passwords.  Use different passwords when making purchases from the one used to log on to your computer or network,

D. Order only on secure servers.  Look for an unbroken key or padlock icon at the bottom of the browser window, or for the letters "https" in the web site URL to ensure your transmission is protected.  Buy only from vendors who protect your charge card information,

E. Check shipping and handling fees.  Factor these into the cost of the order and choose the delivery option that best meets your office's needs; and

F. Track your purchases.  Keep printouts of the web pages with details about the transaction, including any return policies in the event that you are not satisfied with the transaction.  Some vendors will have different return policies for items purchased over the Internet from items purchased through more conventional sources.  Be sure the vendor's return policy will not pose problems later on.

3.3 Transactions Permitted and those Prohibited under the Purchase Business Line.  Purchase cardholders are permitted to use the charge card for all authorized purchases when the vendor accepts MasterCard. 

A.  The Service has set limitations on activities or types of goods and services acquired by cardholders based on unique procurement/property reporting requirements and acquisition procedures, i.e., “prohibited” acquisitions, or “controlled” property lists.   Refer to CFM Purchase Card Procedures, 301 FW 6, and supplemental guidance.

B.  The purchase card may be used to purchase groceries or meals for groups involved in volunteer work or for luncheons/dinners honoring volunteers.  Such expenditures must be authorized and fully documented, e.g., briefly describe the  purpose of the event for which the purchase is being made, list the recipients/attendees, include copies of any applicable travel authorizations, etc. Note that expenses for Government employees attending such a luncheon or dinner cannot be paid with Government funds.

C.  The  purchase card can also be used to rent conference space at hotels.  When expenses that  are normally travel related are obtained using purchase authority, these transactions may need to be transferred from individual billing to central billing.  These circumstances should be referred to the RCCC for correction. 

D.  The purchase card may also be used to rent vehicles for short-term, local travel such as renting a truck to move material to/from a work site.

E.  Follow GSA procedures for vehicles in their fleet management program.  The license plate number of a GSA vehicle begins with a G.  GSA provides a vehicle charge card for their vehicles.

F.  Each cardholder has the responsibility of ensuring that his or her purchases are in accordance with all current laws and regulations.  If a cardholder purchases unallowable goods or services, it is the responsibility of the cardholder to either return the items or personally reimburse the Government. If a cardholder is unsure whether a transaction is unallowable, he/she should contact the Regional Contracting and General Services office.  Following are examples of unallowable transactions:

1. The purchase of a microwave oven to use in a Government office so employees may heat their lunches.

2.  The purchase of Duck Stamp prints given as an award or in appreciation if the Service's Awards Program did not cover it.

G. Using  purchase charge card does not waive any statutory or regulatory restrictions/requirements.  Where applicable, any required waiver, approval or authorization should be obtained prior to using the charge card for a purchase.  A record of such waiver, approval, or authorization should be kept with the cardholder's record of the purchase for review by auditors or other officials requesting such information.  Cardholders should consult with a warranted Contracting Officer or the RCCC when any question exists about a potential purchase. 

Contact your Regional CGS office for regionally restricted items.

Chapter 4: Charge Card Policy and Procedures Specific to the Fleet Business Line

A.  Usage.  The Service uses the fleet business line of the charge card to obtain authorized supplies and services for motorized vehicles, groups of small, motorized equipment, boats and small airplanes that are owned or leased from sources other than GSA.

B.  Issuance.  Fleet charge cards may be issued to Service-owned motorized vehicles, groups of small, motorized equipment, boats and small airplanes.  Fleet cards must be issued with unique numbers in "last name" field.  To provide for this, the following naming convention has been adopted.  For vehicles, the "last name" field is the license tag number including the "I".   For all other cards, it is the field office organization code followed by sequential numbers or letters describing the specific location or equipment involved (i.e., 42570-001, 42570-002, etc.).

C.  Card Maintenance and Statement Approval.  The RCCC’s are responsible for card issuance, record maintenance, and establishment of transaction dollar limits for the fleet charge card line.  This authority may be redelegated to fleet alternate A/OPC's or fleet managers as appropriate. 
Supervisors or project leaders with responsibility for Government fleet vehicles or equipment must establish proper internal controls to prevent misuse of the fleet charge card (for example, use of the fleet card to fuel privately owned vehicles).  They must designate an individual or individuals responsible for the reconciliation of fleet card statements. This individual performs the functions of the cardholder or administrative official as noted in Chapter 6, below.  The fleet manager’s supervisor will be designated as the approving official with the responsibility to approve fleet statements/certifications.  The approving official must approve reconciled fleet card statements in the same manner as statements under the travel or purchase business lines.

D.  Required Records.  Utilization records on fleet management system vehicles should be recorded and reported in accordance with instructions issued by GSA Fleet Management Centers.

E.  Motor Vehicle Report.  Service personnel will use the charge card system to capture data required for the Agency Motor Vehicle Report, Standard Form 82, and Executive Order 13031, "Federal Alternative-Fueled Vehicle Leadership."

F.  Determining Information Needs.  The Washington office CFM fleet manager, in coordination with the Service Charge Card Coordinator and the SmartPay contractor, determines the information provided by the driver at the automated fueling point of sale.  This decision is based upon external reporting requirement data collection needs.

4.2 Control of Charge Cards.

A.  Single Vehicle Identification.  When a charge card is assigned to a specific vehicle or major piece of motorized equipment, the license plate or property number is embossed on the charge card so all supply and service transactions charged by the card are assigned to that vehicle/equipment.  Supervisors shall ensure that the charge card is used to purchase fuel and services for the motorized vehicle/equipment identified by the license plate/property number on the card.

B.  Multiple Motorized Equipment Identification.  It is not necessary to maintain separate charge cards for individual items of small motorized equipment, e.g., lawn mowers, chain saws, hand tractors, and compressors.  One charge card may be used to obtain fuel, lubricants and other supplies for such equipment.  In these instances, Service procedures are to be followed to obtain charge cards for this equipment, to prevent unauthorized use, and ensure controlled use of the charge cards.

4.3  Transactions Permitted and those Prohibited under the Fleet Business Line.  A fleet card is kept with the Service-owned vehicle during operation and is used for payment of various gas, oil, service and repair expenses.  Fleet cards established for other motorized equipment, e.g., boats, airplanes, lawnmowers, chainsaws, etc., are for obtaining fuel, lubricants and other supplies.  Note that gas, oil, service and repair costs for vehicles leased from GSA are not covered, unless under agreement with GSA, the Department and Bank of America.  These vehicles have their own GSA provided fleet cards that are to be used.

Chapter 5: Charge Card Policy and Procedures Specific to the Travel Business Line

5.1 General.  The Bank of America MasterCard for the travel business line is used to pay for travel and transportation-related expenses incurred by Service employees while on official travel. Commercial transportation tickets (airlines, trains and busses), travel agency transaction fees, car rentals, gasoline, and parking charges are centrally billed (CB) and paid by the Government.  All other travel expenses are billed to and paid by the employee. Transactions made under the travel card shall comply with the Federal Travel Regulations (31 CFR 300-304), as well as Departmental and Service policies and procedures issued within, and separately from, this document. 

5.2 Travel Card Use.  In accordance with the Travel and Transportation Reform Act, employees who travel must obtain a travel card and use it for as many official travel expenses as are feasible, including airline tickets, lodging and car rentals.  Service vacancy announcements should indicate that all employees who may travel will be required to obtain and use a Government issued charge card. The following are exceptions to the mandatory use policy:

A.  Expenses incurred at vendors who do not accept MasterCard,

B.   Laundry and dry cleaning,

C.   Parking at other than airports,

D.   Local Transportation and Taxis,

E.   Tips,

F.    Meals, where the use of the card is impractical (group meals);

G.   New appointees (for a period of 30 days after appointment) and employees who have an application for the charge card pending, and

H.   Invitational travel and travel expenses for interviewees.

I.   Commercial transportation tickets for official travel should be purchased only from travel agencies under GSA contract, i.e., Travel Management Centers, using contract airline and rail passenger services.  As required by Governmentwide regulations, employees shall obtain authorization before travel arrangements are contracted and travel initiated.

J.   Employees who lose their charge card privileges (either through suspension or cancellation) due to account delinquency or misuse will be required to use their personal funds to finance expenses 
in connection with official travel, except that transportation tickets must be ordered through the corporate account at the Regional office. The same is true for employees who refuse to accept the Government charge card.

K.  Many travelers obtain travel advances prior to departure.  The Automated Teller Machine (ATM) feature of the travel card may be used within 3 days of the start of travel to obtain limited cash advances for financing incidental travel expenses.  ATM cash advances should not exceed the expected local allowance for Meals and Incidental Expenses (M&IE), including expected 
out-of-pocket expenses, e.g., local transportation and parking.  ATM access fees are a reimbursable expense and may be claimed on travel vouchers. ATM cash advances cannot be obtained after the travel has taken place.   Bank of America ATM terminals do not charge an ATM terminal or access fee when using their MC.  These ATM terminals can be located by calling the Bank at 1-(800)-472-1424 or on the Internet at http://www.bankofamerica.com/govtservices.

L.  Above all, observance of the "prudent person" rule is required at all times with regard to travel card use.  If a traveler incurs charges that are not reimbursable by the Service, e.g. entertainment, extra meals, he/she is personally responsible for payment of all such charges incurred.

M.  On occasion, Service offices may have a need to purchase airline tickets for individuals who do not have a MasterCard.  This may include interviewees, employees serving without an appointment and individuals who are traveling on invitational authorizations.  As a means of purchasing transportation tickets to meet such needs, offices may use Government Transportation Requests (GTRs) or Regions may open MasterCard corporate accounts for this purpose.  If a Regional account is established, a specific individual shall be designated as responsible for managing and reconciling the account on an ongoing basis with periodic reviews by the RCCC.  Transportation tickets purchased with GTR’s or with the Regional corporate account shall comply with all applicable Federal Travel Regulations.  Corporate accounts shall be used only for purchasing transportation tickets.

5.3  Transactions Permitted and those Prohibited under the Travel Business Line.    The following transactions are permitted for the traveler while on official travel only; all other uses are prohibited. 

A.   Cash advances;

B.   Airline, bus, train or other commercial travel-related tickets and travel agency transaction fees;

C.   Meals, drinks, lodging or other travel or subsistence costs;

D.   Commercial vehicle rental/lease for individuals on travel status; and

E.   Gas/oil for commercial rental vehicles.
 
 

5.4  Claims for Travel-Related Reimbursement. 

A.  When to File a Travel Voucher.  Employees are required to file travel vouchers within 5 days after the completion of travel to allow sufficient time for the National Business Center (NBC) to process vouchers and reimburse employees via electronic funds transfer before MasterCard bills are due.  Travelers on continuous travel status should file travel vouchers at least once every 30 days. 

B.  What to Include on the Voucher.  When completing a travel voucher, employees should claim M&IE, lodging, ATM fees, and other miscellaneous expenses that will be individually billed (IB).  Those items centrally billed (i.e., airline/train/bus tickets, travel agency transaction fees, car rentals, gasoline and parking charges) ARE NOT TO BE CLAIMED FOR REIMBURSEMENT by the individual traveler, but should be listed in "BLOCK 12" of the travel voucher with the annotation "CB" (Centrally Billed).  The date, purpose and amount of each CB item should be included and this serves as a record of the cardholder's CB expenditures.  All CB receipts, all lodging and other IB receipts greater than $75 should be attached to the original voucher and forwarded to the NBC.

C.  How to Deal with Personal Travel Expenses.  Since transportation, rental car charges, gasoline and parking charges are centrally billed, employees must exercise care to ensure that only official, reimbursable expenses are charged on his/her MasterCard.  Charges resulting from personal and/or unofficial use must be billed separately to a personal charge card or paid by other means.  For example, if a traveler keeps a rental vehicle an additional day for nonofficial purposes, the traveler must pay for the additional costs for the nonofficial travel expenses in some manner other than his/her Bank of America MasterCard.  The Bank of America charge card is for official travel expenses, personal travel expenses must be paid with personal charge card or some other means.

D.  Who to Contact for Questions.  Employees should consult their respective RCCC for any additional requirements associated with the preparation/review of travel vouchers, or regarding Service specific requirements related to use of the travel card.  (See Attachment 8, RCCC, for specific addresses and telephone numbers.)

5.5 Timely Payments or Loss of Card.

A. Cardholder Responsibilities.  Cardholders must pay the Bank of America for individually billed items within 30 days of the billing statement date.  Payments should be sent to the Bank of America, PO Box 53139, Phoenix, AZ 85072-3139.  Charges that remain unpaid for 61 calendar days from the billing date will result in suspension of card privileges.  If delinquent charges remain unpaid for 96 days, the card will be canceled and information forwarded to the national credit bureaus at the Bank's option.  Two suspensions in any 12-month period related to payment issues will also result in cancellation of the card.  In addition, any attorney fees or court costs incurred by the Bank of America in the collection of past due amounts can be collected from the cardholder.  By accepting the Government travel charge card, the employee automatically provides consent to the disclosure of account information to an outside attorney, collection agency, or credit bureau, if referred.  In addition, travelers should be aware that suspension or cancellation of travel card privileges also results in the loss of purchase business line privileges, as applicable.

B. Lost of Cash Withdrawal Privileges.  In cases of extreme hardship, supervisors of employees who have lost charge card privileges may request written approval for a travel advance on a trip-by-trip basis from the AD-BMO through the Division of Financial Management.  Consideration of such requests will be made on a case-by-case basis, and approval should not be assumed.  All requests should provide an explanation as to why charge card privileges were lost, and what actions have been taken to restore the charge card privileges.  The request should be submitted at least 20 days in advance of scheduled travel.  After-the-fact approvals will not be granted.

C.  Salary Offset.  The Bank of America may request collection assistance from the Department on accounts 61 or more days past due from the date on the statement of account on which the charges first appeared.  Upon written request from the Bank, the Department's National Business Center, Payroll Operations Division (POD), will notify the employee in writing of the Bank's request for collection assistance and inform the employee of his or her due process rights relating to the Bank's claim.  If the account balance is not satisfactorily resolved within 60 days of this notification (i.e., by the 120th calendar day following the date of the statement of account where the charges first appeared), salary offset will automatically begin.  Salary offsets will not be initiated if the cardholder notifies the POD in writing that he or she has not been reimbursed for a timely and properly filed travel voucher covering the period of the original past due amount.  This claim will be verified by POD contact with the cardholder's immediate supervisor or travel approving official.

D.  Charge Card Reinstatement.  These steps must be followed to reinstate charge card privileges.  Accounts reinstated due to delinquency problems can only have a travel/fleet option set.  RCCC's are encouraged to manage the account with an option set that does not allow cash advances in the event that the cardholder's history indicates abuse of this privilege.

1. Any existing individual account balance must be paid in full;

2. The cardholder must reapply for the charge card on a limited use basis;

3. The cardholder's supervisor must approve the application;

4. The RCCC must indicate on the application that the account will be for limited use and indicate when the first use will occur (if known);

5. The Bank will re-open canceled accounts (or create a new account in the event that the prior account was charged off) and mail a new card to the cardholder; and

6. The RCCC must specify a date for the card to allow new transaction activity and specify a date to deactivate the account on a trip-by-trip basis and place a lower spending cap on the cardholder's account as necessary.  It is the cardholder's immediate supervisor's responsibility to notify the RCCC prior to each trip and provide a copy of the travel authorization in order to activate the limited use option. The RCCC may establish limited use/restricted option cards by contacting the Bank's Government Card Services Unit (GCSU) by telephone or fax.

The cardholder's account must be in good standing for 1 full year, with no late payments, before the limited use basis can be removed and purchase authority, if applicable, reinstated.  Requests to reinstate cards with a purchase business line must be submitted to the Director, Office of Acquisition and Policy Management, for approval through the appropriate Regional CGS office and the SCCC.  The request must include a statement of need for procurement authority and background on the specific circumstances surrounding the original cancellation.  The request must have the concurrence of both the Regional CGS office and the SCCC prior to submission to the Director, PAM.

5.6  Errors in Centrally vs. Individually Billed Transactions.  Cardholders should monitor their monthly statements to ensure that errors do not occur in the individual and central billing of transactions particularly if a cardholder has both travel and purchase business lines.  If an error occurs, the cardholder should notify the RCCC immediately and request a correction(Refer to Section 6.2 entitled Reconciliation for additional guidance.)

5.7  Credit Limits.  Generally, the monthly credit limit for travel charged to the MasterCard is $10,000, that includes both individually billed and centrally billed transactions, i.e., airlines/train/bus tickets, travel agency transaction fees and car rentals. The limit also includes ATM cash advances up to $250/day or $500/week, whichever is less. This limit may be increased in special circumstances by contacting the RCCC.  Cards can also be established with smaller credit limits for employees with limited travel responsibilities. 

5.8 Late Payment, Returned Check and Collection Fees (individually billed accounts).  In accordance with the GSA master contract, a late payment fee of $20 will be assessed by the Bank of America against individually billed (travel business line) transactions which remain unpaid 120 days after the date of the first statement on which the delinquent charges appear.  Employees are responsible for paying the late payment fee, unless they can show that their travel voucher was filed within 5 working days after the conclusion of travel, and payment was not made by the NBC in time to avoid the late payment fee.  In such instances, the Service will reimburse the employee for the late payment fee when claimed on a properly executed SF-1164 (Claim for Reimbursement of Expenditures on Official Business).  Employees are also responsible for this fee in the event an incorrectly individually billed item is not called to the attention of the RCCC and corrected to centrally billed within 90 days.  If the Bank fails to move these charges, employees may claim the late payment fee by an SF-1164 as previously discussed.

The Bank of America charges a $20 fee for returned checks.  This fee is not reimbursable.  If the Bank refers the account to any attorney for collection, the cardholder is responsible for attorney's fees, if any, not to exceed 25 percent of the account balance plus all other costs of collection and court costs except where prohibited by law.

5.9  Delinquency Management.  At the midpoint in each statement cycle, around the 4th  of each month, the SCCC will distribute to the RCCCs the midcycle delinquency report.  This report will reflect all accounts that will be 60 or more days past due at the end of the statement cycle if no further action occurs on the account.  The RCCC will contact the potentially delinquent cardholder or cardholder's immediate supervisor when necessary and attempt to resolve the past due balance.  At the end of each cycle, the SCCC will distribute the final delinquency report for that statement cycle, listing all accounts suspended or canceled due to nonpayment.  A copy of this report will be distributed to the RCCCs and the AD BMO, for distribution to the ARDs.

Chapter 6: Billing, Reconciliation and Other Administrative Procedures

6.1 Billing.  Bank of America posts transactions to EAGLS on a daily basis and bills the Service daily for all centrally billed transactions.  Individually billed travel transactions are billed to the cardholder on a monthly basis.  Billing statements are generated by the Bank of America on the 19th of each month and should be received shortly thereafter.  If statements are not received by the end of the month, the Bank should be contacted at 1-(800)-472-1424 and a duplicate statement requested.  Non-receipt of statement does not exempt the cardholder from timely payment of amounts owed to the Bank.

6.2  Reconciliation.  The Department has approved FastPay as a payment mechanism for the Service to avoid Prompt Payment Act penalties and to generate an increase in contractor rebates. A timely and complete review of billing statements by cardholders or administrative officials is required.  This review is performed in two stages: reconciliation of all charges and transaction receipts to the entries on the cardholder statement or transaction listing from EAGLS and the reconciliation of all transactions on the statement/listing to the cost records appearing in FFS. If the cardholder performs the reconciliation from the statement, he/she must sign a copy of the statement showing agreement with the statement entries and attach supporting documentation for each centrally billed transaction.  If the cardholder has no statement activity for this period, he/she must submit a copy of the "Account Inquiry/Maintenance" screen from EAGLS, which will show under the last statement date the last time the cardholder had account activity.  This statement is then submitted to the administrative office for reconciliation with Service cost records in FFS.  If an administrative official performs the transaction reconciliation from transaction listings from EAGLS, he/she must provide a transaction list to the cardholder.  The cardholder will review the list, accept or dispute each transaction, and sign the list.  The list should then be returned to the administrative office for reconciliation with Service cost records within EAGLS.  The cardholder is ultimately responsible for all transactions regardless of who reconciles the statement. Monthly, the cardholder or administrative official is responsible for reconciling all centrally billed charges from the information on his/her statement or obtained through EAGLS transaction listings.  This includes:

A.  Matching Documentation and Routing of Statements with Purchase Transactions.  Match original itemized receipts to open items on the statement/listing to ensure that price, quantity, and all other aspects of the transaction are accurate.  If the cardholder does not have an original receipt for a purchase transaction to include with the statement, he/she should try to obtain a duplicate copy from the vendor, and as a last resort, from Bank of America.  The circumstances surrounding the submission of a copy of the receipt in lieu of the original must be fully explained in an attachment to the statement/listing.  If the cardholder cannot obtain a duplicate, he/she should write an explanation that includes a description of the item, date of purchase, merchant's name, and the reason there is no receipt.  This should be signed by the cardholder's supervisor and attached to the statement.  Statements/listings with complete documentation should then be certified by the cardholder and forwarded to the administrative official for reconciliation with Service accounting records. Cardholder review and administrative reconciliations must occur within 5 workdays of receipt of the statement or the end of the billing cycle, whichever is later.  Once this reconciliation is completed, original statements with attached documentation are to be reviewed, approved, and signed by the cardholder's supervisor/approving official.  Approval of the statement indicates that the charges appearing therein are proper expenses of the Government and that the appropriate funding sources were applied to each transaction.  Supervisors/approving officials must complete the approval process within 5 workdays of receipt of the statement/listings from the administrative office/cardholder.  Supervisors/approving officials will then return the original statements to the local administrative office and/or the Regional office for record retention.  To assist in this review, a supervisory/approving official checklist is attached as Attachment 9. 

B.  Billing Errors and Disputes.  When a billing error or problem is discovered, the first approach should be to contact the vendor in an effort to work out the error or problem.  Only if the vendor is unwilling or unable to correct the error should the charge be disputed with the Bank of America.  Disputed charges with the Bank should be filed using the form on the back of the Bank's billing statement.  The form may be faxed or mailed to the Bank as per the instructions therein.  Charges must be disputed in writing within 60 days of the original statement date where the incorrect transaction first appears.  Disputes may also be filed by phone to the Bank's GCSU at 
1-(800)-472-1424 or through EAGLS.  If these methods are selected, a separate claim form will be mailed to the cardholder requesting the same information as would be included on the form on the back of the Bank's billing statement.  Failure to return the Bank's claim form within 25 days will reverse the process and the disputed charge will appear on the cardholder's next statement.

1.   Item Receipt.  The cardholder will determine whether or not items have been received.  If the item has not been received within 30 days, it should be disputed.

2.  Accuracy of Transaction.  Depending on office policy, the cardholder or administrative official will check each purchase on the statement to verify its accuracy.  If an item has been returned and a credit voucher received, the cardholder will verify that the credit is reflected on the statement.  If the credit does not appear within 1 month from the date of the transaction, the cardholder will dispute the transaction to resolve the discrepancy.

3.  Dispute Follow-up.  Depending on office policy, the cardholder or administrative official is responsible for checking the status of all disputes and making sure that all credits have been received.

4.  Acceptance and Cost Structure Adjustments.  If the goods or services have been received and the individual transaction is correct, the cardholder or administrative official makes any needed adjustments to the cost structure data (organization, subactivity and project numbers; fiscal year and budget object classes), and changes the status field of the transaction to accept.  Then the transaction posts in the FFS as a charge card adjustment.  After one adjustment is made in EAGLS and it has been accepted in FFS, no further adjustment in EAGLS can be made.  At that point, any additional cost structure changes are made in FFS with a redistribution.  Detailed instructions on the use of EAGLS for cost structure adjustments appear as Attachment 10, EAGLS Cost Reallocation Desk Reference.

5.  Time Limitation for Cost Structure Changes.  All adjustments to cost structures must be made within 90 days from the date the transaction appears in EAGLS.

6. Centrally and Individually Billed Transactions and Routing of Statements with Travel Transactions.  Employees should carefully monitor their monthly statements to ensure that errors do not occur in the billing of transactions on their statements; particularly if an employee has purchase line privileges in addition to travel.  For example, if an employee makes a purchase transaction that should be centrally billed, he/she must review the monthly statement to verify that it was centrally billed and not individually billed. If such an error occurs, the cardholder or administrative official should notify the RCCC immediately to request the error be corrected.  Copies of statements requiring transfer transactions with a short explanation of the reason for the transfer should be forwarded to the RCCC through the administrative office to ensure that inappropriate charges are corrected.  Late fees incurred as a result of the cardholder's failure to give timely notification to the RCCC of problems with individual billings will be paid by the employee. 
6.3  How to Handle Improper or Unauthorized Transactions.  Questions regarding the propriety of a purchase or a fleet card transaction will be referred to the servicing CGS office.  Refer questions regarding the travel business line to your servicing RCCC.  If it is determined that a cardholder made an unallowable transactions, the cardholder is responsible for correcting the error by returning the merchandise and obtaining a credit to the account or by reimbursing the Government from personal funds. 

A.  When reimbursement is necessary, a check made payable to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service should be given to the local Collection Officer who prepares a Collection Transmittal Form.  The Collection Officer transmits this, along with the check and statement showing the unauthorized transaction, to the FWS Lockbox, P.O. Box 840114, Dallas, TX 75284-0114.  The cardholder is responsible for any improper transactions made by other employees using his/her card unless the card was lost or stolen.  No one other than the cardholder is authorized to use his/her card.  If travel is involved, attach a copy of the Collection Transmittal to the travel voucher.

B.  In addition to the repayment of unauthorized or unallowable transactions, misuse of a charge card may also result in suspension or cancellation of charge card privileges, written or oral reprimands/warnings/admonishments, requirements to complete remedial training, revocation of contracting officer warrant authority pursuant to the Departmental Contracting Officer's Warrant Manual, or other measures at the Service's discretion including suspension, reassignment, reduction in pay or removal from Government office.  Supervisors should consult with their servicing personnel office when considering the appropriate action.  Deciding officials should ensure, to the extent possible, that employees committing similar offenses are treated consistently.  If, following discussions with the employee and the review of factual information regarding the incident, the supervisor has reason to believe that the misuse was fraudulent in nature (i.e., intentional misuse resulting in loss to the Government), he/she must contact the SCCC and the RCCC immediately.  The SCCC is responsible for notifications to the Bank and the OIG as appropriate.  Employees wishing to remain anonymous may call the OIG hotline at 1-(800)-424-5081.
 

6.4 Charge Card Abuse by Vendors and Third Parties

Card holders should be aware of possible charge card misuse by vendors or other parties and should immediately report these instances to the appropriate authorities as noted below.  Some indicators of possible charge card misuse or fraud by vendors or other parties include:

A. Unsolicited telephone calls or offers by individuals who request your charge card account  number or social security number;

B.  Unsolicited or unannounced calls from individuals claiming to represent the Bank of     America that request account, social security, or other information.  The Bank of America will always announce any such requests for information formally and in advance or will coordinate requests for information through your RCCC; and

C. Unexplained or improper charges made to an account not initiated by the cardholder.

D. Suspected charge card abuse should be reported immediately to the OIG at 1-(800)-424-5081.  Retain any information regarding the suspect incident (billing statements, telephone records, transaction records and/or EAGLS reporting data) for submission to the OIG or further action as determined appropriate.  Suspected abuse by vendors and improper charges should also be reported to the Bank of America at 1-(800)-472-1424.

6.5  Payment.  The Service makes payments for centrally billed transactions on a daily basis in accordance with FastPay procedures. 

6.6  Reports.  The Service provides a Charge Card Detail Report on a monthly basis that lists all transactions that were paid during that month.  All charge card transactions, including redistributions, will be posted to all applicable monthly financial reports. 

6.7  Backup for Staff Absences.  If appropriate staff is unavailable to perform the required reconciliation, the Project Leader is responsible for having another individual designated to perform the above tasks.

6.8  Project Leader Review.  Project Leaders review the Charge Card Detail Report each month to ensure that all transactions are valid and if not, that corrective action is taken. 

6.9  Documentation and Record Keeping.  Stations and/or the Regional offices should keep the original documentation for all fleet and purchase transactions, and a copy of centrally billed travel transactions/travel vouchers. The administrative officer  will file the original receipts in order by transaction date and grouped by cardholders on a monthly basis.  Copies of travel vouchers should include both a listing of all centrally billed transactions and a copy of the centrally billed travel documentation. Program offices must keep the original documentation for the current and the two previous fiscal years until December/January following the close of the fiscal year, then send the oldest fiscal year's records to the NBC at mail stop D2730, 7301 W. Mansfield, Denver, CO 80235 for archiving.

The RCCC will keep the original charge card applications and records of cardholder training.

6.10  Employee Exit Clearance Procedures for the Charge Card.  Employees transferring within the Service may retain their cards for future use.  It is important that the RCCC be informed of these transfers as soon as possible to allow for adequate time to transfer the account from the transferring office to the receiving office.  Arrangements should be made with the Bank to cancel cards issued to employees leaving the  Service, and transferees into the Service from other bureaus within Interior will have to apply for a new card upon arrival at their new duty station.  The RCCC should verify that the transferee charge card issued by the transferring bureau has been canceled prior to approving the application for a new card under the Service hierarchy.  Employees performing the clearance confirmation process must inform the exiting employee that if he/she has a charge card balance, the Bank of America will be notified of his/her departure and his/her forwarding address.  The employees providing the confirmation will need to follow through by notifying the Bank of America directly either through EAGLS, by phone to the Bank at 1-(800)-472-1424, or through their RCCC.

Chapter 7: Revocation of Authorities, Management Controls and Attachments

7.1   Revocation of Authorities. 

A. Cardholder.   If, in the opinion of the RCCC, ARD, or AD BMO, a cardholder fails to follow the acquisition regulations or the policies and procedures in utilizing the card, his/her charge card will be immediately canceled.  This includes unauthorized purchases, delinquent payment of travel charges, purchases for personal use, failure to make restitution for unauthorized purchases, and failure to reconcile statements with proper documentation in a timely manner. Delinquent payment of travel charges will result the in loss of both travel and purchase card privileges.

B.  Regional Charge Card Coordinator.  If the RCCC fails to carry out his/her 
responsibilities, the ARD will designate a new RCCC.

7.2    Management Controls.  To ensure program integrity and proper use of all cards in the charge card program, the Service maintains a number of reasonable, cost effective, internal controls.  These include the following:

A.  Project Leader Review.  Project Leaders are provided a Charge Card Detail Report each month which lists all transactions for the month.  Project Leaders review this detailed report to ensure that all transactions are approved, proper and support the Service in carrying out its mission.

B.  Statistical Sampling and Transaction Reviews.  The Service has statistically validated sampling plans that randomly select cardholders for detailed review periodically.  These plans are administered by the RCCC and are tailored to meet Regional needs. The cardholder or administrative official must send the approved statement/listing and original receipts of transactions for selected cardholders, or in the case of a travel transaction, a copy of the travel voucher, to the servicing RCCC within 48 hours after receiving the request.  The local office should retain copies of the documentation forwarded as a result of the statistical sampling process. Results are compiled and analyzed to identify potential problems or undesired trends.  Any needed corrective actions are taken so that charge card program integrity is maintained. 

Periodically, the SCCC will conduct statistically sampled transaction reviews or transaction reviews based on EAGLS exception reports to ensure program integrity.  The SCCC will send an e-mail message to the RCCC identifying the transactions being reviewed.  The RCCC will provide the 
requested documentation within 5 workdays of receiving the request.  Again, local offices should retain copies of any documentation forwarded for review.

C.  Acquisition Management Review.   Each acquisition management review at the Regional office and field station level contains an evaluation of the purchase card usage.  This includes reviewing statements to determine that regulations, policies, and procedures are being followed in the acquisition process; that credits and disputes are properly handled; and that reconciliations are performed in a timely manner.

7.3 Attachments, Appendices and Forms.  The following forms are referenced in the Service Charge Card Guidance and are included as attachments:

Appendix 1. Charge Card References

Attachment 1.   Hierarchy Structure for the Fish and Wildlife Service 
Attachment 2.   EAGLS Summary Desk Reference
Attachment 3.   Departmental Integrated Card Account Setup/Application Form 
Attachment 4.   SF-3881 ACH Vendor/Miscellaneous Payment Form 
Attachment 5.   Fleet Card Account Setup/Application Form 
Attachment 6.   Convenience Check Guide
Attachment 7.   Blanket Fund Certification Form
Attachment 8.   Regional Charge Card Coordinators
Attachment 9.   Supervisory/Approving Official Checklist
Attachment 10. EAGLS Cost Reallocation Desk Reference
 

Appendix I
Charge Card References

Additional guidance concerning charge card use is set forth in the following regulations/policy/ guidelines: