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University Purchasing Services receives award for program

A Palmetto Leadership award was presented to MUSC by the Bank of America in recognition for outstanding performance in the State of South Carolina Purchasing Card Program for 2002. 

The success of the University Purchasing Card Program at MUSC directly relates to the performance of the ‘program’s administrator, Sharon Ford. She has monitored the program for MUSC University Purchasing Services since 1999.

The conclusive findings of the February audit performed on this program by MUSC Internal Auditing notes the following: “We extend a special thanks to Ms. Sharon Ford, purchasing card coordinator, for her help throughout this review. She has been very instrumental in bringing about the success of the purchasing card program, and continues to provide excellent resources and information to liaisons and cardholders throughout the institution as well as the state. We believe the University Purchasing Card Program operating under Sharon Ford to be outstanding.”

The Purchasing Card Program has seen substantial growth since its inception in 1999. Total transactions for fiscal year 1999 were 4,876 with a dollar volume of $1,420,912. MUSC University’s small purchase limit is $1,500 per transaction servicing 154 departments with 507 active cardholders. Fiscal year 2002 completed with 54,420 transactions and a dollar volume of $14,856,511. 

The purchasing card program has reduced the tremendous amount of paperwork, faxes, telephone inquiries, checks processed and other administrative expenses while maintaining the highest level of accountability in the expenditure of public funds.  The Purchasing Card Program has also simplified the purchasing process for managing low dollar supply purchases with vendors receiving immediate payment from  BankofAmerica within 48 hours after the transaction has been processed.  MUSC then processes one payment to Bank of America at the end of each billing cycle. 

Based on the number of transactions for FY02, MUSC did not have to process 54,419 checks to vendors. 

The projected transactions figure for FY03 is 87,857 transactions with a dollar volume of  $24,058,242.  The Purchasing Card Program has proven to be an extremely efficient and  cost effective payment mechanism for the State of South Carolina.

Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.