The small purchase charge card – or P-Card – provides Mason employees with the opportunity to streamline procedures for procuring and paying for small-dollar goods and services by eliminating vendor invoices and consolidating payments.
Who can apply? Only full or part-time employees are eligible for a P-Card. Contract workers and student workers are not eligible.
How to Apply? Before a P-Card will be issued, the employee must complete the Purchasing Made Easy – Access-Based Training. Once this has been completed, fill out and submit the P-Card Application.
Purchasing Office. The Purchasing Office’s webpage provides detailed information when making a purchase on behalf of George Mason University. It is very important that you review this page and the available links for information on what is an allowable purchase (Can I Purchase…?), considering mandatory and specialized purchases, and available institution contracts among many other helpful resources.
P-Card in Mason Finance Gateway
The transition from Bank of America Works to the Mason Finance Gateway for P-Card allocations and approvals will go into effect starting Monday, July 17.
- All transactions posted prior to, and including the July statement period (June 16 – July 15) will STILL be allocated and approved in Bank of America Works.
- Transactions with a posting date of July 17 (the beginning of the August billing cycle) and all future statement periods, will be allocated and approved through the Mason Finance Gateway.
Training Requirement for Mason Finance Gateway System Access
All employees are required to complete the Mason Finance Gateway Navigation training prior to receiving access. This 30-minute online training provides users with an understanding of how to navigate the new system. To access the training go to https://masonleaps.gmu.edu/ and login with your NetID and password. Locate the training under the “Required Training” tab. Please refer to the Training Guide for assistance.
Quick Links
P-Card Allocation in MFG Quick Guide
P-Card in MFG First look and information session
The video above provides a walkthrough of the new P-Card integration with Mason Finance Gateway (MFG) and a demonstration of P-Card allocation. Please note, the demo portion of the video starts at timestamp 18:26, and for those concerned with time, you can speed up the video to 1.5x.
To Complete a P-Card Purchase through eVA
- Register the P-Card with eVA (see P-Card Manual).
- Identify an eVA vendor that sells the required good or services and accepts a credit card as a form of payment.
- Create a requisition in eVA for the items desired. Select the P-Card as the payment method and enter the Allocation information in eVA.
- Save a copy of the eVA order (PCO) and retain it with other original documentation such as receipts, packing slips, etc.
- Sign in to Mason Finance Gateway and allocate the transaction to the correct fund/org and account before the monthly deadline. Enter the full PCO#.
- Ensure that the P-Card Supervisor approves the transaction in Mason Finance Gateway before the deadline.
Purchase Directly with the Vendor
A cardholder may pay for goods/services directly with the vendor using their P-Card. In cases where a vendor’s website contains essential ordering details making it a more efficient method of purchasing, cardholders may place the order directly with the vendor at their place of business, over-the-counter, over the phone, or through the vendor’s website’s secure payment portal.
- Inform the vendor that you are purchasing on behalf of the university and are tax-exempt.
- Retain receipts for the purchase.
- Sign in to Mason Finance Gateway and allocate the transaction to the correct fund/org and account before the monthly deadline.
- Ensure that the P-Card Supervisor approves the transaction before the monthly deadline.
Lost or Stolen P-Card
If the card is lost or stolen, immediately notify Bank of America at 1-888-449-2273 so that the compromised account will be closed.
The cardholder must also notify the P-Card Administrator to have a new card generated.