Program Overview

The Johns Hopkins University Procurement Card Program is one of the University's two recommended methods for making small dollar purchases of urgently needed supplies and services. The Procurement Card Program is designed to provide authorized faculty and staff with a cost-effective and convenient method of procuring and paying for, small dollar purchases of regularly consumed supplies and services. The University Procurement Card is a MasterCard obtained from Citibank, and should be accepted by any supplier that accepts MasterCard cards.

Each card is assigned a default general funds account number and object code in the University accounting system. These defaults may be changed when approving transactions. Payments for all transactions made with Procurement Cards are made directly to suppliers by Citibank. The University subsequently makes a single monthly payment to Citibank.

The Procurement Card Program is not intended to supplant the University's purchase order system. It is intended to broaden the University's portfolio of procurement methods. The Procurement Card is to be used for the purchase of supplies and services less than $2,500 in value. Items valued at more than $2,500 should be procured through the issuance of a University purchase order. The Procurement Card program is also not intended to be used for travel/hospitality expenses. These types of services should be procured through the University American Express travel card program (administered by the Controller's Office, Travel Section).

The maximum single transaction limit for Procurement Card purchases is $2,500. Cardholders may charge up to $10,000 in a single month. Individual Cardholders will be extended monthly credit limits based upon their needs.