Inside This Issue
- Expanded Distribution Of P-Cards
- More P-Cards to make procurement easier.
- New Rules For In-State Travel
- A new, less burdensome process for in-state trips.
- Let’s Talk About Travel Upgrades
- Do not get stuck with non-reimbursable expenses. Read about upgrades.
- Expense Reimbursement
- Learn what is and is not allowed for personal reimbursement.
- Licenses, Certifications, And Membership Dues
- A direct comparison of how each should be paid.
- A Note From The Director
- Director Suzanne Homsley talks about efforts to improve your experience with Procurement Services.
Expanded Distribution of P-cards
You voiced your frustrations, and we heard you. Procurement Services is issuing new P-cards to departments across UAMS. The goal for this wider distribution is to make it easier for departments to procure the resources they need for their daily operations.
Of course, these cards come with great responsibility. As a P-card holder, you are responsible for ensuring that Arkansas procurement laws and UAMS policy are adhered to for all purchases. Non-compliant cardholders will have their card placed on a freeze.
Procurement Services will reach out to new cardholders to schedule them for a brown bag training session to learn all the rules and regulations related to allowable purchases, reconciling your monthly statement, and safe handling of the P-card.
Based on the performance of the expanded P-card program, Procurement Services will develop a plan for expanding T-card distribution. Our target rollout date for the expansion of the T-card program is July 2023.
New Rules For In-State Travel
Spend Authorization And Travel Approval
- Spend authorization no longer required
- Memo approving travel should be saved for internal department records
- Travel approval does not need to be submitted to Procurement Services
- Expense report must include all available business documentation (e.g., agenda, brochure)
The Exception: Official Functions
- Spend authorization is required, no change to previous procedures
- This applies whether travel is in-state or out-of-state
Note About Out-Of-State Travel
- Spend authorization is required, no change to previous procedures
In-State Travel Process Flow
Speaking of Travel…Let’s Talk About Travel Upgrades
Recent audits of multiple state agencies have resulted in uncovering numerous procurement law violations. The violations are all related to the purchase of class/fare upgrades and seat upgrades.
Please be reminded that upgrades are not a covered expense. If a traveler opts-in or otherwise purchases some form of travel upgrade, the traveler will only be reimbursed at the rate for base/main cabin travel modes. In other words, the cost of upgrade will come out of the traveler’s pocket.
Keep a close eye on your selections. Most upgrade offers include words like “plus,” “comfort,” “premium,” or “select” in the title.
Expense Reimbursement
When is expense reimbursement permitted?
Personal reimbursement for non-travel expenses is only allowed for emergency situations. Personal reimbursement for non-emergent expenses will not be approved.
- Emergency situations are characterized by impending threat to property
- Emergency situations are not characterized by temporal urgency
- Non-emergent expenses should be procured through a requisition
- A typical requisition takes 3-5 business days from submission of requisition to delivery of goods/services
Good News! Beginning May 1, a dedicated team of Reimbursement Specialists will process reimbursement requests. This will decrease the time it takes for reimbursements to be issued.
License/Certification Exception
A singular exception exists for licenses and certifications because clinical staff cannot legally perform their jobs without their respective license/certification.
- License/certification may be paid by reimbursement, supplier invoice request (SINVR), or with a departmental P-card
Membership Dues
Membership dues should be paid with a SINVR or with a departmental P-card. For both forms of payment:
- Membership Justification Form required
- Invoice required (attached to P-card verification)
The table below summarizes permissible payment forms for licenses, certifications, and membership dues.
| Licenses, Certifications | Membership | |
| Expense Reimbursement | ✓ | |
| Supplier Invoice Request (SINVR) | ✓ | ✓ |
| P-Card | ✓ | ✓ |
A Note From The Director
I hope you found our inaugural newsletter helpful. As we start the final quarter of Fiscal Year 2023, I want to extend my thanks to the Expense Data Entry Specialists, Requisition Requesters, Business Managers, and others for reaching out with feedback because your input helped us identify inefficient process workflows within our department.
Together with the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Supply Chain, Mike Goings, we have identified areas for improvement.
Over the coming months, Procurement Services will implement operational changes that will improve the way our team communicates with each other and how we communicate with you, our customers.
For starters, I am reactivating the Procurement Services inbox, procurement@uams.edu, so that customers have a central point of contact for questions and concerns. A manager will determine the appropriate team member to address the inquiry and notify the team member directly. This will eliminate inquiries going to the wrong team members or otherwise being “lost” in an inbox, which frequently left customers with unanswered questions. Please note the inbox is for general questions; if you are already working with a team member on a particular transaction, please reach out to them directly for follow-up or questions.
The Procurement inbox also gives us a communication medium to send out important notices, updates, reminders, and newsletters like this one. You can look forward to a newsletter on a bimonthly basis.
Another very important change, but one which will take a little longer to implement, is the revamping of our website. I have a vision for an interactive tool on our website that will help customers know the exact process flow for all transaction types. This tool will present users with visual aids, form links, and Workday instructions. To get the website updated, however, we must map out all the of processes that Procurement Services is involved with (and there are MANY) – an undertaking that I have started with my team and cannot wait to finish!
Many other changes are being developed and implemented, but the bottom line is that I am committed to improving your experience with Procurement Services by improving communication, customer education, and resources available on our website.
If you have any suggestions for our ongoing improvement project, please send an email to procurement@uams.edu with the subject line Suggestion Box. I am looking forward to working with you.
Respectfully,
Suzanne Homsley
Director, Procurement Services