U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BANKCARD HANDBOOK
403-7-H
Prepared by the Office of Acquisition and Federal Assistance
May 1997
FOREWORD
This Bankcard Handbook (403-7-H) supplements SM 403.7, Commercial Purchase Cards (Bankcards). The previous edition of this Handbook dated March 1996 is hereby superseded.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
BANKCARD HANDBOOK
1. PURPOSE
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is a participant in the commercial credit card program administered by Rocky Mountain BankCard System (RMBCS). Use of the card simplifies and streamlines the acquisition process for many official purchases made by USGS employees who have been selected to participate in the program. This handbook is the USGS supplement to the RMBCS Cardholder Instructions booklet that RMBCS provides for each card holder. It follows the same general format as the RMBCS booklet (sub-divided into the same ten sections), but adds local guidance in order to comply with Department of Interior and USGS regulations. The supplemental guidelines set forth herein should provide valuable assistance to individuals in identifying restrictions that apply to card usage; since many rules and limitations set forth in the Federal Acquisition Regulations are still applicable to bankcard purchasing. The two booklets should always be kept accessible for quick reference.
2. GENERAL INFORMATION
A. Each employee who is issued a bank purchase card is authorized to use the card within the limits stated in his/her Delegation of Authority Memorandum. Each card is to be used only by the individual whose name is embossed on the card. USE OF THE CARD MAY NOT BE RE-DELEGATED TO ANYONE OTHER THAN THE CARDHOLDER.
B. Protecting the card from loss or theft is the responsibility of the Cardholder.
The Government bankcard should not be routinely carried with any other
personal credit card. A safe place should be used to keep the card, and
frequent checks should be made to ensure that the card is still there.
C. The following definitions apply throughout this instruction handbook:
Agency Program Coordinator - Where the RMBCS Cardholders Instructions or this Handbook directs the reader to the Agency Program Coordinator (APC), those matters should be referred to:
Margaret Seaboy
USGS Office of Acquisition & Federal Assistance (OAFA)
205P National Center
Reston, VA 20192
Phone: 703-648-7350
Fax: 703-648-7901
E-Mail: mseaboy@usgs.gov
Approving Official - The individual responsible for assigned cardholders' compliance with rules and procedures. Each cardholder has an approving official who reviews the cardholder's monthly statement and insures that the required information has been added and that there is no misuse of the card. A cardholder cannot be his/her own approving official.
Billing Cycle - The thirty day billing period which reflect all charges made between the 14th of one month and the 13th of the following month.
Business Account Summary - The consolidated monthly invoice, sent to a bureau's Finance Officer by the bank, listing bureau-wide activity.
Finance Office - The USGS Office of Financial Management (OFM), Commercial
Payments Branch, 270 National Center, Reston, Va 22092. All certified
cardholder statements and business account summaries/invoices are sent to
OFM for payment.
Master Accounting Code - A default financial account, usually the office
overhead account or a project account, which will be used by OFM to pay the
charges on a statement.
Office Limit - This is a cumulative limit for all transactions accomplished within a calendar month by the group of cardholders assigned to a single approving official.
Single Purchase Limit - This is the maximum dollar amount which a cardholder
can spend in a single purchase transaction. A single purchase may consist of a
number of items handled as one charge action. The maximum single purchase
limit for each cardholder is specified in his/her Delegation of Authority
Memorandum.
Thirty Day Limit - This is the total amount each cardholder may spend in a calendar month. The limit is established by the approving official based on anticipated usage and budgetary considerations and is identified in the cardholder's Delegation of Authority Memorandum. The 30 day limit now starts over with a zero balance on the first of each month (rather than on the 14th after the monthly invoice is issued).
A. Written Nomination.Use of the bank purchase card is voluntary for
individuals. Management may nominate an employee to receive and use the
bank card if the employee has a need to make small dollar purchases on the
Government's behalf at least 15-20 times per year, and can be expected to
responsibly follow procedures. Cards may be issued only to regular, permanent
employees, to employees under term appointments of 1 year or more, and to
Student Cooperative Education Program (SCEP) employees. They may be
issued to part-time employees, as long as they are in permanent, career-type
positions. Except for SCEP employees, cards may not be given to temporaries
or employees under special or other non-career (such as student)
appointments. USGS bank purchase cards also may not be issued to
contractor employees.
Management may select a candidate as an approving official if the individual is
attentive to details, is knowledgeable about the type of items that the
cardholder will buy, and is willing to pursue explanations if questionable items
are purchased. Managers who wish to nominate employees for bankcard
program participation are required to send the following information to the
APC.
Cardholder Nomination Data: Name, office address, and office phone number of nominee.
Approving Official Nomination Data: Name, office address and phone number
of nominee, and the office limit (see p.2).
Requests to add participants may be made by memorandum, fax or E-mail to the APC.
B. Pre-participation requirements. Before being allowed to participate in the bank purchase card program each nominee must read and understand this supplemental handbook along with the Cardholder Instructions booklet that will be provided by RMBCS. They contain general guidance, samples and specific instructions to help a nominee use his/her card successfully. They also contain lists of specific items and services for which card use is prohibited or restricted. Each nominee must certify that he/she has read and understands the information provided in the handbooks and will perform the duties in accordance with the instructions provided. To certify, each nominee must sign either the cardholder portion or the approving official portion of the "Cardholder/Approving Official Certificates" form and return to the APC.
C. Account Set-Up Forms. Each nominee must complete either a Cardholder Account Set-Up Information form or an Approving Official Account Set-Up Information form. Certain portions of the forms have been completed in advance, other portions require additional input. Instructions for completing the Account Set-Up Form will accompany each form.
D. Receipt and Acknowledgment of the Card.
(1) The new card will be sent by the bank directly to the cardholder. When
the new bankcard is received, the cardholder must verify the accuracy of
the information that appears on the card and on the transmittal
document. If there are errors, the Cardholder Account Maintenance form
(provided with the card documents), must be completed and sent to the
APC. The Agency Program Coordinator will make changes in the USGS
data base and then forward the form to the bank.
(2) The card cannot be used until it is activated. To activate the card, the cardholder must call the toll free number provided with the card and confirm receipt of the card (see Procedures, 3A, page 2 in the RMBCS Instruction Booklet).
A. Conditions For Use.
(1) Use of the card. The card is to be used in transactions conducted over
the telephone, by mail, or in person in a store. The card should not be
used in Internet or other electronic ordering systems, unless you are
certain the system provides secure communications. It is used in much
the same way as personal credit cards are used, with the following
exceptions:
YOUR BANKCARD MUST NEVER BE USED FOR PERSONAL PURCHASES.
YOUR BANKCARD MUST NEVER BE USED BY ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL.
The card, like a driver's license, cannot be given or loaned to another
individual. All transactions pertaining to that card must be conducted by
the individual in whose name the card was issued. Care must be taken to
ensure that the Government card is not kept with other personal credit
cards and accidentally misused. Use of this card for other than official
Government business is an attempt to commit fraud against the U.S.
Government. Penalties for misuse include cancellation of the card and/or
disciplinary action against the Cardholder under applicable Department or
Government-wide regulations. The Cardholder will be personally liable to
the Government for the amount of any non-approved/improper purchases,
and may be subject to a fine of not more than $10,000 or imprisonment
for not more than five years, or both under 18 U.S.C. 287.
(2) Regulation governing use of the card. Use of the card does not relieve the
Cardholder from the responsibility of observing Agency or Government-wide regulations applicable to the acquisition of goods or services from
the private sector. All records associated with bankcard purchases (such
as shipping and/or receiving documents, packing lists, cash register
receipts, signed hand receipts, the monthly statements, special
justifications, acquisition logs, records of questioned items, etc.) are
subject to review by the Approving Official, OFM staff, USGS-OAFA staff,
or other reviewing authorities.
(3) Electronic Approvals. The bank has established an authorization process
which occurs each time the card is used. The merchant will use an
electronic or telecommunication method for obtaining an authorization on
each purchase. Such authorizations insure that the cardholder is within
the single purchase and monthly purchase limits, and that the approving
official's cumulative, monthly limit has not been reached. These various
limits are contained in the bank's authorization database. The
authorization also verifies that the vendor is in a category covered by the
cardholder's Merchant Activity Code.
(4) Funding Availability. All Cardholders are responsible for insuring that
sufficient funds are available before a bankcard transaction is made. Fund
verification for individual purchases is not needed if funds equal to the
monthly limit have been reserved for such purchases. Warranted
Contracting Officers purchasing against project accounts outside their
control, must have a signed requisition with budget approval for all
purchases made with the card.
(5) Transaction Log. Each bankcard user should maintain a log of all transactions made with the card, whether in person, by mail, fax or over the telephone. Each bankcard transaction should be entered in the log at the time the order is placed. The purposes of the log are to track individual and cumulative cost of orders in order to ensure that the delegated monthly limit is not surpassed, to have a record of charges against which monthly billings can be checked to recognize duplicate billings and outstanding orders, and to provide a paper trail requested by the Inspector General. A sample log sheet is provided with this handbook. Use of electronic logs or other alternate documentation methods serving the same purposes, including a clear record of all outstanding (unbilled) orders, are permitted.
(6) Purchasing Conditions. The use of the card is subject to the following
purchasing conditions:
- The total of any single transaction cannot exceed the authorized
delegated single purchase limit stated in the Delegation of Authority
Memorandum.
- Orders cannot be split in order to stay below that limit. Continuing service requirements are valued based on the annual expenditure and may not be divided into separate monthly transactions to circumvent the call limit and regulatory thresholds.
(7) Mandatory Sources of Supply.
a. Cardholders are required to seek out and utilize mandatory sources of
supply before purchasing from an open market source. Items made by
National Industries of the Blind (NIB) or NISH (formerly the National
Industry for the Severely Handicapped), and Unicor (Federal Prison
Industries) are mandatory regardless of quantity required or dollar value
of the purchase. The GSA Supply Catalog carries NIB/NISH products
(including items carrying the SKILCRAFT logo) and some items made
by Unicor. Unicor also sells directly to federal agencies, and has
published their own catalog. For other products in the GSA Supply
Catalog, GSA is the preferred source, but is not mandatory. Such
items may be purchased from non-GSA sources when the buyer
concludes it is in the Government's best interests, considering cost,
timeliness and quality.
b. Beside agency inventories, mandatory/preferred sources of supply in order of priority are: Unicor, NIB/NISH, GSA Stock, and Federal Supply Schedules. (Many Federal Supply Schedules are no longer mandatory, but remain "preferred" sources of supply.) If these sources are searched and the required item are not found, then open market procurement is allowed. The assistance of the nearest warranted contracting officer should be sought when in doubt concerning mandatory sources.
B. Ordering Procedures.
(1) Sales Tax. "US GOVT TAX EXEMPT" is clearly stated in raised bold
letters on the face of the bank purchase card. At the time of purchase,
card users should advise the merchant that the purchase is for Official
U.S. Government purposes and, is not subject to state or local sales tax
(except in the states of Arizona, Kentucky, Illinois, and New Mexico).
(2) Telephone Ordering Instructions. When ordering by telephone, the Cardholder should comply with the following instructions:
a. Inform the vendor that the purchase is tax exempt.
b. Give your name as it appears on the bankcard.
c. Give your Agency's name.
d. Give your complete shipping address, with the building number and
mail stop number.
e. Give your business telephone number.
f. Insist that the vendor compute the entire charge, including shipping or
other fees, and advise you of the exact amount which will be billed
against your bankcard.
g. Obtain approximate delivery dates for ordered items.
h. Enter a record of the purchase in the log.
(3) Vehicles. When purchasing tires or repairs for a vehicle, make sure the vendor's work order or receipt is annotated to include the vehicle ID
number.
(4) Transaction Rejection Reasons. A merchant is required to obtain an electronic authorization before accepting a bankcard transaction as
payment for his goods or services. Occasionally the authorization is not
granted due to a variety of reasons. Possible reasons may be inaccurate
data entered by the merchant, merchant is registered under the wrong
Merchant Activity Code, the cardholder has exceeded the single purchase
limit, or reached the total monthly limit for the cardholder or his/her
approving official's cumulative limit.
The merchant should always be asked to key the data again to insure that
a mistake was not made. If a limit has been reached (single, monthly or
cumulative), and the purchase is of an urgent nature, the cardholder
should call the APC who will take appropriate steps to enable the
emergency transactions to be completed.
(5) Blanket Purchase Agreements and BankCards. If a bankcard purchase is
made from a merchant who is also a BPA vendor, it is important to remind
the merchant not to double bill through the BPA. Offices should ensure
that all their bankcard holders know who the BPA vendors are, and to
keep the two types of transactions separate to avoid double payments on
orders.
A. General concerns.
The card is a method of purchasing supplies and services, not merely an
instrument by which payments to outside parties are authorized. Where other
methods of reimbursing or paying for non-procurement expenses exist, those
remain the preferred (or in some cases only permitted) mechanism for such
transactions. For example, the proper mechanisms for payment of travel,
transportation, and shipping expenses (over $100) are the travel card and/or
Government Bills of Lading (GBL). For this reason, cards have been
magnetically encoded to reject when charges are attempted with merchants
categorized as caterers, restaurants, bars, hotels, motels, airlines and other
transportation providers.
Other than commodities discussed in this section 5, the card may be used to purchase the same range of supplies or services which may be legally purchased from the imprest fund or by oral order. Purchase of an item which is considered to be for an employee's personal use, rather than an official need, is not considered an authorized use of funds, and therefore may not be made using any purchase method, including the bankcard.
B. Restrictions by the General Services Administration (GSA). The terms of the
GSA contract with Rocky Mountain BankCard System include prohibitions in 3
major classes of purchasing:
(1) Rental or lease of land or buildings;
(2) Telecommunications services (including telephone service, long distance
calling, and cellular phone services);
C. Restricted Items.
In addition to the above restrictions, the Geological Survey has established
limitations on use of the bankcard to purchase certain items which require
special reviews, approvals, reporting, or other documentation. The following
items or services may not be purchased with the bankcard except as indicated:
(1) Official travel expenses, including meals, drinks, lodging, transportation tickets (air, water, or land), and rental of passenger vehicles (See p.7, 5.A.) Rental of specialty vehicles for local travel or transportation of government property (and not related to official travel) is not included in this restriction. OAFA may authorize exceptions to this restriction when there is no practical alternative.
(2) Gasoline or oil for aircraft, vessel, and Department-owned vehicles except
when the Government Gasoline Charge Card cannot be used (such as if
the merchant will not accept the gasoline card);
(3) Radio equipment; *
(4) Microcomputer equipment (CPU, monitors, printers) that is noncompliant
with the Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star Program; *
(5) Open market duplicating/printing/binding requirements unless waiver is
obtained from GPO and retained with the bankcard records;
(6) Furniture, except when documented for compliance with FPMR 101-25.104 and purchased from Unicor or GSA stock; *
(7) Reprographic equipment; *
(8) All equipment categorized as sensitive property, including all firearms and ammunition; *
(9) Services that require a statement of work, such as construction, drilling, scientific analysis, consulting, etc.;
(10) Charges in excess of $100 for shipping of Government property which
must be shipped by GBL.
* Limitation does not apply to warranted individuals purchasing from
requisitions containing applicable commodity approvals
NOTE: Use of the card to pay for training and conference registration fees is no longer restricted, but a copy of the approved SF 182 training form or Approval for Attendance at Meetings form 9-1894 must be retained with the bankcard records.
A. Monthly Statement of Account.
(1) Cardholder's Statement Reconciliation Responsibilities.
a. An example of a monthly statement of account may be found on page
10 of the RMBCS Instruction Booklet. The Statement will itemize each
transaction charged to a single bank purchase card. The cardholder
must verify that all transactions are correct and legitimate. By
comparing the charges on the Statement to those actually made, the
addition of sales tax, double charging, unrecognized charges, or other
errors will be apparent. See pages Billing and Payment Issues for instructions regarding billings errors.
b. When all charges are determined to be correct, the Cardholder must
annotate the Statement as follows:
- provide a complete description on the "Description" line. (Note:
"Merch." and "Misc. Supplies" are not adequate descriptions.) The
document control number, if required by his/her division, should be
added to the right of the description to aid in reconciliation.
- on the line identified as "ACCTG CODE," provide the USGS
financial account number to be charged (fund cite) for each
transaction.
- indicate the Object Class to the right of the financial account information on the line entitled "ACCTG CODE."
If more convenient, or when sufficient space is not available on the
Statement form, the above information may be attached to the
statement.
c. The signed statement is forwarded to the Approving Official within five
working days after receipt. The Cardholder's signature certifies that
the Statement is appropriate for payment. The Approving Official's
review and signature certifies that the charges made are for official use
items. If the Approving Official normally responsible for the review is
not available, any other responsible employee (preferably another
Approving Official) may review and sign the Statement in order to
prevent submission delay.
d. Prior to a planned absence, the cardholder must ensure that another
employee (usually the approving official) will annotate the absent
cardholder's statement and forward it to the appropriate FFS (financial
system) entry person.
e. Following approval by the reviewing official, the original, certified
statement must be forwarded to your FFS entry person by the 30th
day of the month. If the cardholder has not received the monthly
statement by the 27th day of a given month, a copy of his/her
transactions from the approving official's Business Account Summary
may be used as the statement. The copy of the summary page should
be annotated in the same manner as the monthly statement, signed by
both the cardholder and approving official, and forwarded to your FFS
entry person. When the late statement is received, it should be
reconciled in the normal way and then filed with the copy of the form
actually used.
f. Attach receipts and save. Cardholders will retain all receipts in the log
or file and will make them available to the approving official during the
monthly certification review. Original or copies of each bankcard
charge slip or sales draft, cash register receipt, packing lists,
shipping/receiving documents, special justifications, etc., are
considered to be original purchasing records, which must be retained
for a period of three years, and should be retained in the cardholder's
official bankcard files. If a merchant forgets and sends an invoice for
direct payment, the cardholder should write "PAID BY CREDIT CARD"
across it in bold letters, make a copy for the record and return the
original to the merchant.
g. If RMBCS receives no merchant charges against an account during a
given month, that account holder will not receive a monthly statement
for that month.
(2) Approving Official's Review and Responsibilities.
a. Following receipt of the cardholders' signed and reconciled statement,
the approving official reviews the signed statement and ensures that
the purchases are appropriate and the information is correct (free of
math errors, no duplicated entries, etc.). If all information is correct,
the statement is signed by the approving official and forwarded to your
office's FFS entry person. Signed and annotated statements should be
retained with the office's financial records.
b. Each Approving Official will receive a Business Account Summary
report each month from the bank coinciding with the monthly billing
cycle, even if there has been no activity by any of their cardholders.
The report contains an itemized listing of the month's charges by each
cardholder assigned to that Approving Official. The Approving Official
is responsible for making sure he/she is provided an annotated
statement by each cardholder shown on the summary report, except
where the summary report shows "no activity" for the cardholder
during the billing cycle.
c. It is also the approving official's responsibility to ensure that bankcard
purchases of controlled equipment (including leases over 6 months) are
reported to the Branch of Property Management (BPM) at MS 210,
Reston, Virginia. The following minimum information, which may be
reported through a routing slip or memo, must be forwarded to BPM:
description of item, division/office and CPO, cost of each item, and
serial number.
Nonaccountable property must be reported in accordance with the cardholder's Division procedures and labeled as USGS property.
d. Statements not received by your FFS entry person in time for him/her to post necessary accounting adjustments by the 10th of the following month will automatically be charged to the Cardholder's Master Accounting Code so that payment to the bank will not be delayed, resulting in late payment penalties against the USGS. If charges are paid using the "Master Accounting Code," it is the responsibility of the Approving Official to see that the necessary action is taken to change the financial accounting data, if necessary, using "standard voucher" procedures.
B. Billing and Payment Issues.
(1) If the statement contains an unrecognized or incorrect charge, the
cardholder must first contact the merchant directly, by phone or letter, to
try to resolve the issue (see RMBCS Instruction Booklet B.6.b-f). Except
for potentially fraudulent charges (see (2) below), the cardholder must still
enter the USGS account number on the statement line for erroneous
charges. This information must be provided and the overcharge paid while
the cardholder actively tries to settle the issue with the merchant.
For partial deliveries, the vendor normally will only bill for items and
quantities shipped. If a charge appears on the statement for items
ordered but not yet received, the charge is still paid in full. The cardholder
must follow up with the vendor to ensure that missing items are delivered
or that a credit is issued.
If a merchant erroneously adds tax to a transaction that appears on the
monthly statement, it must be paid when due and subsequently credited
by the merchant as soon as possible. Since tax is not a questionable
item, it is not reported on the Statement Of Questioned Item. It is,
however, the cardholder's responsibility to contact the vendor and obtain
the credit. When future statements are received, the Cardholder must
ascertain whether or not the merchant ever issued the credit; if not,
follow-up calls are required.
(2) It is the responsibility of the cardholder to insure that billing issues are
resolved. The cardholder must allow two billing cycles (60 days) for the
error to be corrected. If the correction, adjustment, or credit is not
received by the end of this time period, the cardholder should then fill out
the Statement of Questioned Item. (See sample on page 13 of RMBCS
Instruction Booklet). The original form and a copy of the monthly
statement should be sent directly to the bank. A copy of the form and
the original monthly statement must be sent to OFM for reconciliation. A
second copy of the form should be maintained in the cardholder's
transactions file. A sample list of situations of questioned charges are on
page 6-7 of the RMBCS Instruction Booklet.
If the statement contains a charge for a purchase the cardholder did not
make (a potentially fraudulent charge), the cardholder should immediately
prepare and submit the Statement of Questioned Item form as described
above without waiting for two billing cycles to elapse.
Do not let unresolved questions be ignored.
(3) Accidental misuse of the bank purchase card must be avoided at all times.
When, in spite of efforts, this still occurs, the following steps should be
taken to resolve the matter:
a. Items accidentally purchased using the Government bankcard should
be immediately returned for credit, being sure to obtain a credit
voucher against the Government bankcard.
b. If the item cannot be returned, the cardholder must contact the merchant and obtain a credit on the Government bankcard and arrange to repay the merchant with cash, check, or personal charge card, with the appropriate sales tax included. The cardholder must also advise the APC of the mistake. When the statement is received, the cardholder must ensure that an appropriate credit amount was received from the merchant.
c. If the merchant refuses to issue a credit and/or accept an alternate
form of payment, the cardholder must issue a personal check or
money order to DOI/USGS for the amount of the charge. The check
should be attached to a copy of the annotated monthly statement and
forwarded to OFM for deposit. The APC should be advised of the
nature of the mistake and provided with a copy of the statement and
the check.
If a cardholder fails to promptly reimburse the USGS for the improper purchase, the approving official is responsible for initiating collection procedures, issuing a Bill for Collection in accordance with SM 336.2 and providing notifications required under 370 DM 550.10, Debt Collection by Salary Offset.
7. SUSPENSION PROCEDURES
Full suspension of card activity for the USGS can result if submission of monthly
statements to OFM and consequent payment to Rocky Mountain BankCard
System are not affected in a timely manner. See Suspension Procedures, page 8
of the RMBCS Instruction Booklet for further details.
Individual cards may also be suspended or revoked for program abuses such as repeated late submission of statements to OFM, improper or personal purchases, or other violations or disregard of program rules.
8. LOST OR STOLEN CARDS
If a Government bank purchase card is lost or stolen, the procedures set forth under section 8 of the RMBCS Instruction Booklet must be followed. It is important to note that the Federal Government may be responsible for the charges against this card should the bank not be notified at once of the loss of the card. The cardholder will not be responsible for charges on a lost or stolen card if the loss is reported within 12 hours after the card is discovered lost or stolen. The 12 hour window is allowed to enable the cardholder to search home and office before reporting the loss. The APC must be notified whenever a card is lost, stolen and/or replaced with a new card.
9. NON RECEIPT OF REQUESTED CARDS
All USGS employees who have an account set up for participation in the bank purchase card program, will be issued a card which will normally be received approximately 15 workdays after receipt of the delegation memo. If a card is not received after this time period, the instructions in Section 9 of the RMBCS booklet should be followed.
10. CHANGES TO CARDHOLDER INFORMATION
A. The "I.M.P.A.C. Cardholder Account Update" and the "I.M.P.A.C. Approving Official Account Update" forms are to be used for making changes or cancellations to the accounts. Name, account number, and only specific bits of changed information should be filled out. If a cardholder changes divisions or offices within the USGS, the new supervisor must decide whether or not there is a need for the employee to continue using a card. If the decision is to continue using the card, the cardholder should contact the APC who will instruct whether to use the Account Set-Up or Account Update form.
If an approving official transfers between USGS offices or leaves the Survey,
the approving official's account should be allowed to remain open. When a
replacement employee will take over all the departing approving official's
cardholder accounts, the replacement employee will fill out the Approving
Official Account Update form; showing the former employee's name and
account number at the top, and the replacement's name and any changed data
in the appropriate slots on the form. This will enable all cardholders previously
aligned under that approving official account to still keep the same cards.
Alternately, the departing approving official's cardholders may be reassigned to
multiple approving officials. To do this, a Cardholder Account Update form
must be submitted to the APC for each affected cardholder.
B. When a cardholder leaves the USGS or loses the card privilege, his/her bankcard should be cut in half and given to the approving official along with a completed "I.M.P.A.C. Cardholder Account Update" form. The approving official will throw out the pieces of the card and forward the Cardholder Account Update form to the APC who will record the cancellation of the Delegation of Authority, remove the account from the database, then forward the appropriately marked Account Update form to the bank.