• Section 1 - Introduction
• Section 2 - Responsibility
• Section 3 - Obtaining a Card
• Section 4 - Use of the Card
• Section 5 - Card Maintenance and Cancellation
• Section 6 - Card Record Keeping
• Section 7 - Lost or Stolen Cards
• Section 8 - Card Expense Queries

Section 1 - Introduction

(1) The University uses the National Australia Bank (NAB) Visa Purchase Card to assist with the undertaking and administration of incidental expenditure, largely while on University business travel.

(2) The card should not be used to circumvent procurement procedures and in particular, to purchase goods or services where the University has preferred supplier arrangements in place.

Section 2 - Responsibility

(3) Chief Financial Officer (CFO) - Responsible for overall administration of the card program, including approval and cancellation of cards. The CFO may determine, set, and amend credit and transaction limits for individual cards as deemed appropriate.

(4) Executive/Senior Executive – Responsible for recommending the issuance of cards and ensuring staff compliance with the relevant policies and procedures.

(5) Cardholders - Responsible for using assigned cards in accordance with policy, accurately reconciling all transactions, and uploading appropriate documentation for auditing purposes.

(6) Supervisors - Responsible for reviewing and approving cardholder transactions within the FlexiPurchase system, ensuring adherence to financial controls and policy requirements.

Section 3 - Obtaining a Card

(7) Finance and Planning is responsible for the operational management of the card program, including issuing and cancelling cards, administering the Flexipurchase system, and providing support to the cardholders as required.

1. Request for cards must be made via Service Central. The ACU Purchase Card Application Form will need to be    completed.
2. Only staff members directly appointed by the University can apply for a card. All other persons (including staff contracted via an agent) will need to provide additional reasoning for the request to the Chief Financial Officer for consideration and approval.
3. Finance and Planning will apply to NAB for a card and arrange for the card to be forwarded to the cardholder.
4. The cardholder upon receipt of the card acknowledges that they are aware of the ACU Purchase Card Policy, responsibilities and restrictions on the use of the card and are responsible for the security of the card and must not allow the use of the card by others.

Section 4 - Use of the Card

(8) The card may only be used for authorised official University purposes.

(9) On receipt of the goods or services the user should obtain a Tax Receipt voucher, and itemised tax invoice if available from the supplier, the invoice must be uploaded into the Flexipurchase system

(10) Where a card is used to pay for entertainment and hospitality expenses, it is the responsibility of the most senior staff member present to  use their card

1. The card should not be used to circumvent procurement procedures and in particular, to purchase goods or services where the University has preferred supplier arrangements in place.
2. The card cannot be used in an ATM and must NOT be used to obtain cash advances. One exception to this may be overseas travel where the card can be used to withdraw cash in the foreign currency only and not Australian Dollars. If this is required, application for approval should be directed to the Chief Financial Officer. An acquittal must be completed and forwarded to Belinda Madeira at Belinda.Madeira@acu.edu. Any leftover foreign currency must be converted to Australian Dollars (AUD) and deposited directly into the University’s bank account. Where a staff member has used personal funds for any University expenditure, a staff reimbursement form can be submitted.
3. The card should not be used for the purchase of IT equipment (including mobile phones) as these items should be purchased via the IT procurement process.
4. The card is not to be used to purchase goods for personal use.
5. The card may be used for taxi expenses where public transport and Uber services are not availabl
6. The card must not be used to set up direct debits

(11)   g. The card must not be used for subscription payments.

(12)   The card must not be used for local airfare or accommodation bookings, as these must be made through the FCM Portal as mandated in the ACU Travel Policy.

Section 6 - Card Record Keeping

(17) It is mandatory that evidence of each transaction and authority to incur the expenditure is obtained.            

(18) A copy of the tax invoice and receipt must be obtained as evidence of the transaction and uploaded into Flexipurchase. A tax invoice is required to ensure that GST can be claimed from the Australian Taxation Office by the University.

(19) The information coded in FlexiPurchase against each transaction will be used for journal entry into the finance system. The account will be suspended if transactions are not completed by the due date.

(20) A period close off is made on the 20th of each month for the previous month (with the exception of the December statement which is closed in line with year-end deadlines). Transactions are uploaded into Techone.

(21) For FBT entertainment, expenditure must be split between ACU staff and non-staff by completing the Entertainment screen accordingly.

(22) Transactions must be authorised by the supervisor in FlexiPurchase. The supervisor will receive a prompt notifying them of transactions requiring approval at the end of the statement period.

Section 7 - Lost or Stolen Cards

(23) If at any stage a card is lost or stolen, the NAB must be advised immediately on their 24 hour, 7 days a week toll free number 1800 033 103.

(24) It should be noted that until the bank is notified all unauthorised purchases made on the card are the responsibility of the University. To this extent, notification must occur immediately after the card is lost or stolen. Further notification, in writing, must be given to the Chief Financial Officer. This notification must include the details concerning the card's disappearance.

Section 8 - Card Expense Queries

(25) Where a card holder has a query on their Statement, the first contact should be with the supplier. If the supplier agrees that the charge is incorrect, they must organise for a credit to be issued. The cardholder is responsible for this enquiry and to ensure that credits, where agreed, ultimately appear on the statement.

(26) Where an agreement cannot be reached with the supplier, the transaction should be marked as a disputed transaction in FlexiPurchase and a Disputed Transaction form, available from the NAB Transaction Dispute website, is to be completed and returned to the NAB who will take up the complaint with the supplier.

(27) If any transaction appears to be fraudulent, the cardholder must contact the NAB Fraud team immediately on 1300 622 372 who will take all necessary actions in cancelling and replacing the card and organising a chargeback.