Purchasing Card Services and Expense Management System CUAPC2019

National Australia Bank services, P-cards and systems 

The purchasing card CUA provides a range of P-Cards, data and data analysis services, card management and expense management systems. 

Purchasing card 

You will have access to a Visa Purchasing Card branded with the WA Government logo to make it easily identifiable. The P-Card facility is designed to be used for low value/high volume transactions and other payments where practicable.

Card management system 

The National Australia Bank (NAB) card management system, NAB Connect – Corporate Card Self Service allows you to perform real time maintenance activities on your P-Card facility, such as: 

• Order new cards and cancel existing cards 
• Suspend cards 
• Amend cardholder limits, either permanently or temporarily 
• Amend cardholder names/reorder cards 
• Request new PIN, set a temporary PIN 
• Update temporary lost status on card 
• Report lost or stolen cards 
• Set transaction limits 

FlexiPurchase - Expense Management System 

Use of the NAB FlexiPurchase expense management system is discretionary. The system allows cardholders to: 

• monitor their daily P-Card expenditure 
• provide descriptions for, and code, their expenses aligned to the agency’s chart of accounts 
• attach receipts electronically to each transaction 
• obtain manager approval 
• upload into the agency’s finance system 

FlexiPurchase has a number of modules that can significantly enhance and simplify the P-Card experience. 
 
FlexiPurchase functions include: 

Datafeed 

A daily datafeed of transaction data is available for customers using an alternate expense management system to FlexiPurchase. The data feed can be delivered direct to your agency’s finance system (where compatible) or is available to download from a Visa Online mailbox, to then be uploaded to your agency’s finance system. 

Data analysis and reporting 

NAB provides data analysis and reporting capabilities via FlexiPurchase. Flexipurchase can provide a number of standard reports, e.g. supplier spend patterns, cardholder details, or business unit spend patterns. It can also provide customised reports. For agencies without FlexiPurchase, the reporting capabilities will be dependent upon what their EMS can produce.  

NAB can provide further reporting upon request. 

Protection against fraud and cardholder misuse 

For a disputed transaction or where an unauthorised transaction is identified, immediately contact NAB. Where the transaction is arbitrated in the customer’s favour, NAB will provide restitution of the amount. 

The Purchasing Card is also insured against unauthorised transactions made by the cardholder. NAB provides a maximum sum insured of $20,000 per cardholder, up to $150,000 per card facility for a period of 12 months. 

For further information on services and systems contact the NAB Account Manager. 

Contactless payment 

All Western Australia Government Purchasing Cards now have contactless payment functionality, which allows cardholders to hold their card near the card reader to make payment. At the point of sale for transactions under $100, cardholders just place their Western Australian Government Purchasing Card with contactless payment functionality in front of a contactless payment reader and go - there's no need for a signature or PIN.  

Policy requirements 

You should be aware of the following requirements under State Supply Commission policies and Treasurer’s Instruction 820, and whether or not they apply to purchases from this CUA: 

Exemption from using this CUA 

Finance is responsible for processing and approving all requests from public authorities seeking exemption from using a mandatory CUA. Requests for an exemption are considered on a case-by-case basis, and a requesting agency must be able to demonstrate that a business need cannot be adequately met by the relevant CUA.

Exemption requests should be directed to the Director of Common Use Arrangements through an email to the contract manager in the first instance. Requests for exemption may be received by posted letter or email, but must be in writing and provide sufficient explanation and background to enable the request to be considered. The requesting officer should be the Accountable Authority or delegate of the agency.

For guidelines on what to include in an exemption request refer to the Open and Effective Competition Policy

As part of the tender process, the contractor on this arrangement has provided details of, and has been evaluated on, its corporate social and environmental responsibility, and the initiatives it has in place to support this. 

NAB is committed to managing the impacts and the dependency of its business on the environment and natural capital. 

National Australia Bank Limited (NAB) issue Visa purchasing cards to the Western Australian Government. See the list of NAB contacts below.

Most CUA suppliers now accept the WA Government Purchasing card as a method of payment, as well as a considerable number of agency and non-contracted suppliers.

In an instance where a supplier does not currently accept purchasing card the contract manager is available to discuss card acceptance with your agency and the supplier. 

If you plan to use the FlexiPurchase Expense Management System (EMS), give some consideration to what your future needs may be and implement the system accordingly. 

Purchasing Cards are an efficient way to procure goods and services. Cards can be used to purchase low volume, high value products such as flights, or for high volume, low value purchases such as parking and catering supplies. Consider distributing Purchasing Cards to government officers who you think will benefit from the efficiency of a card.   

Ensure your agency has a Purchasing Card Use Policy in place and that it is reviewed regularly to meet your business needs. Refer to the WA Government’s Purchasing Card Guidelines

Pricing enquiries should be referred to the NAB account manager and / or the contract manager. 

Step by step buying process and administration of purchasing cards.

New NAB Customers

Agencies (current or newly formed) that are seeking to establish a new purchasing card program with NAB should: 

1. Contact Greg Gates, NAB Account Manager at Greg.D.Gates@nab.com.au to arrange a time to discuss / review your agencies requirement for a new P-Card facility. 
2. Complete and forward a copy of the Customer Contract Order form to: 
   Greg Gates, NAB Account Manager, and 
   Glenn Riekie, Department of Finance Contract Manager
3. NAB will then commence implementation of the new facility including NAB Connect – Corporate Card Self Service and the optional FlexiPurchase expense management system.  
4. NAB will then email a customised cardholder application form with the new account details to the Card Administrator for new cardholders to complete. Agencies can use the NAB produced cardholder application form or adopt their own customised form for internal processing only. 
5. Completed cardholder application forms can then be either:
   sent to the Card Administrator to order the card via NAB Connect - Corporate Card Self Service; or  
   the NAB cardholder application form can be emailed to the Client Services Team. 
6. Cards will be mailed directly to your Card Administrator within five working days. 
7. For account management matters contact Greg Gates, NAB, Associate Director on 0427 490 821. 

Current NAB customers 

Completing a customised WA Government application form makes applying for a purchasing card simpler. These forms are available from your Card Administrator. On completion, the form can be returned to: 

• the Card Administrator to order the card via NAB Connect – Corporate Card Self Service; or  
• emailed to NAB Client Services 

Application forms processed prior to 4.00pm EST will be actioned the same day and the card will be mailed within five working days direct to the Card Administrator within your agency for all NAB Purchasing Cards.  

Cancel a card 

The Card Administrator should action all Purchasing Card cancellation requests via NAB Connect – Corporate Card Self Service or email the request to Client.Services

Cancellation will occur the same day provided the request is received prior to 4.00pm EST on a business day. 

Card administration  

Each agency must appoint one or more Card Administrator/s, Authorising Officer/s and Verifying Officer/s. Agencies can nominate the same officer to all three positions or separate officers to each position as required. 

Card Administrator 

The Card Administrator is specifically responsible for the operational management of the Purchasing Cards within your agency. The Card Administrator is also the central contact point for all information regarding your general card queries.  

It is important that the contract manager is informed of any changes to the Card Administrator’s contact details.  

It is recommended, for risk management purposes, that each agency considers having more than one staff member trained as a Card Administrator at any one time. 

Authorising Officer 

The Authorising Officer is able to approve the issuance of purchasing cards to agency employees and makes amendments of purchasing card accounts. 

Verifying Officer 

The Verifying Officer is responsible for confirming the identity of a cardholder when a purchasing card is applied for.  

Prior to commencing their role, each new Verifying Officer (those not previously verified by NAB) will be required to attend a NAB branch to be identified and verified in accordance with the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006. 

Digitisation and disposal of source records 

The State Records Act 2000 provides for the keeping of State records and for related purposes. With the general shift towards and reliance on digital records, State organizations may digitize records created or received in physical format (source records) as part of normal business processes and activities. Under the Act, a State organization’s Recordkeeping Plan may provide for State records to be reproduced in another form and for the destruction of the source records if the reproductions are kept. 

The General Disposal Authority for Source Records (RD 2016002) is the official and continuing authority that allows for the legal destruction of source records that have been successfully reproduced (digitized). 

The associated Digitization Specification will assist State organizations in creating high quality digital reproductions of records, and in choosing appropriate file formats for them. This Specification must be read in conjunction with the General Disposal Authority for Source Records. 

You can access the above documents and further information from the State Records Office.

Authorised cash drawings  

With authorisation from your Director General, cash withdrawals can be made at ATMs (local and international) and NAB branches. 

In order to use this facility, a Personal Identification Number (PIN) will need to be allocated to the card for use only by the nominated cardholder.  

An interest rate charge applies to these withdrawals which is calculated daily and paid monthly on these transactions. 

Credit and facility limits  

A monthly credit limit for each card is applied and can be modified via the Card Administrator (using NAB Connect – Corporate Card Self Service). 

A facility limit is the limit an agency can spend per month on all cards within an agency. Card Administrators should monitor their agency’s facility limit regularly to ensure it is not exceeded. 

Quality insurance and liability  

NAB has adopted a process approach to quality based on ISO 9001:2000. In all instances, liability will lie with the government agency, not the individual cardholder. If the cardholder breaches the terms and conditions of the contract then the employing public authority is required to administer any disciplinary or recovery actions. The WA Government Purchasing Card does not have any links to a cardholder’s personal credit details. 

Payment methods  

Payment is made exclusively by direct debit 24 hours after cycle end, which is the 28th day of each calendar month for NAB cardholders. 

If the payment date falls on a Saturday, then the cycle will end on the previous working day (usually Friday).  

If the payment date falls on a Sunday, then the cycle will end on the next working day (usually Monday). 

Expense Management System - data 

NOTE: Use of the NAB expense management system, FlexiPurchase is not mandatory for Public Authorities to use. 

Agencies not using FlexiPurchase can receive a data feed from Visa to their existing expense management system. This is a raw data feed in .csv format. 

You should:

• Ensure staff are aware of your Purchasing Card Policy and make sure that it is updated regularly to remain in line with your agency’s business needs
• Monitor the Purchasing Card expenditure for procurement insights
• Monitor the P-Card expenditure for a gap-analysis of further high volume/low value purchases that could be paid by P-card
• Ensure the facility and individual card limits are adequate for your business needs and adjust as required.

Benefits of contactless payment

The purchasing card does not leave your hand at the point of sale, reducing the risk of fraud

A PIN is not needed for purchases under $100 saving time for the purchaser. 

Purchasing cards with contactless payment functionality are as secure as other cards since they have the same multiple layers of security. 

How close to the contactless payment reader does the card need to be? 

If the vendor displays the contactless payment symbol at the point of sale, purchasing cards with contactless payment functionality need to be held within four centimetres of the card reader to make the payment. 

Is the transaction information as secure compared to if I swipe or insert my card? 

Transactions made with contactless payment functionality are processed through the same, payment network as magnetic strip or chip transactions.  

Do I need a receipt for transactions completed by contactless payment? 

Yes, this obligation remains the same for all Western Australian Government purchasing cardholders, whether a payment is made by contactless payment or magnetic swipe. In some instances, the cardholder may need to ask for a receipt. 

PIN at the Point of Sale (POS) 

From 1 August 2014, the Industry Security Initiative, a collective of Australia’s major financial institutions and card schemes, implemented the use of Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) to authorise credit card purchases that have previously been authorised by signature. The move to PIN was aimed at reducing lost and stolen card fraud.  

For Purchasing Cardholders – Frequently Asked Questions 

I don’t know if my Western Australian Government Purchasing Card has a PIN. I think it does but I’m not certain. 

All Western Australian Government Purchasing Cards have a PIN. 

I know my PIN, but want to change it to a number that I’ll remember. How do I do this? 

If a cardholder wants to change their PIN, they can amend their PIN at any Australian NAB ATM (for NAB Purchasing Cards). Please note that to amend your PIN, you must know what your existing PIN is. Card administrators can also reset your PIN to a default PIN that can then be changed via a NAB branch ATM. When selecting a new PIN, you should keep your PIN a secret and do not pass onto other people. You should avoid using a PIN that contains repeating characters (like 9999) or digits in sequence (like 1234), or numbers that represent publically researchable information, such as your birthday, year of birth, or address. 

I used my PIN a few weeks ago but I’ve completely forgotten what it is? What do I do? 

Clients with access to NAB Connect - Corporate Card Self Service can instantly reset PINs for cardholders. 

Cardholders can go to a NAB Branch and the staff can reset their PIN.  

Cardholders can call the NAB Business Support line and (subject to a phone identification process) have their PIN reset.  

The instant PIN reset functionality may have restricted suitability for some cardholders. The only place that a default PIN will work is at a NAB branch ATM. This requires the cardholder to attend a NAB branch ATM and reset the default to their own PIN - which then enables them to use the Card/PIN at the point of sale/EFTPOS terminals. For cardholders without close proximity to a NAB branch ATM, in the event they do not know or have forgotten their PIN, performing an instant PIN reset is not advisable. 

The alternative, which is less immediate, is for the Card Administrator to order a replacement PIN on behalf of the cardholder - either via NAB Connect or by email request to the Client Services team (mail delivery - 3 to 5+ days)  

What kind of point of sales transactions will require me to use a PIN? 

The cardholder will need to use a PIN where they previously authorised the purchase by signature. PIN is only applicable when you are physically present at the point-of-sale during the purchase. There are some circumstances at the physical point-of-sale when PIN is not required (and neither is signature), most notably contactless (“Tap and Go”) payments under $100 and low value payments (under $35) at some merchants and transactions from most unattended terminals e.g. vending machines and parking meters. A PIN is not required for mail or telephone order transactions, or transactions conducted on the Internet. 

What if the card is lost, stolen or misplaced? 

Permanently lost card 

In the event of a lost or stolen card, cardholders should contact their Card Administrator as soon as possible so that they can lodge a notification with NAB either via Corporate Card Self Service or via NAB’s Lost and Stolen Card Team on 1800 033 103 operating 24 hrs, 7days per week.  

The lost card will be cancelled and a new card issued within 5 to 7 business days (depending on cardholder location). 

Temporarily misplaced card 

If the cardholder has misplaced their card they should immediately advise their Card Administrator who can place a temporary block to suspend activity or cancel the card via Corporate Card Self Service or by contacting NAB’s Lost and Stolen Card Team on  
1800 033 103.  

If a temporary block is placed on the card the cardholder should promptly advise the Card Administrator if the card has been located or lost and the Card Administrator will either remove the temporary block and the card can then be used or place a permanent block on the card and have a new card issued. 

Card Administrator is available 5:30am to 6:00pm AWST Monday to Friday.

Should a cardholder not be able to contact the Card Administrator (e.g. outside business hours), then the cardholder should contact NAB’s Lost and Stolen Card Centre on 1800 033 103, or if overseas, notify NAB by calling +61 3 8641 9121.

Disputing transactions 

How do I dispute a transaction? 

In disputing transactions, the Cardholder should initially seek clarification from the Merchant of the disputed transaction. If the Merchant recognizes that the transaction is in error a refund can be arranged immediately. 

If the Cardholder is unable to resolve a dispute, then notify the Card Administrator who will email a ‘Credit Card Purchases Disputed Transaction Advice’ form to NAB’s Client Services Team.  

Flexipurchase.com users have access to an online form that may be completed when the ‘Dispute Transaction’ tick box is selected. By selecting the tick box, the online form is produced and populates certain areas pertaining to the transaction. This form may then be emailed to the Client Services Team listed above.  

Transactions that have been disputed within the current statement cycle dates are not paid for until the dispute is resolved. No interest is charged for these transactions.

Where a Cardholder is uncertain of whether they should dispute a transaction, they can call 13 10 12 and follow the voice prompts for Commercial Card assistance to gain more information about the transaction.  

The disputed transaction process should only be engaged when all other avenues of identifying a transaction have been exhausted, including contacting the Merchant.  

Disputes must be raised within 90 days of the transaction being made. The timeframe for processing these transactions will depend on the nature of the dispute. 

Buying air travel with a P-Card 

How do I buy air travel? 

When air travel is bought using a Purchasing Card, the purchasing card statement will not show detailed information such as flight and passenger details. This could make reconciliation of these payments difficult. Enhanced data on eligible air travel transactions can be provided through establishing a NAB Travel Account (NTA).  

Through these travel account systems travel data is generally available on-line within 48 hours of a purchase being made and can be accessed at any time so that billings, expenses and other related information can be easily tracked.  

For more information about the NTA, please contact the NAB Account Manager, Greg Gates on 0427 490 821, or email Greg.D.Gates@nab.com.au. 

For more information about the Travel Management Services CUA (CUATMS2017), please contact the TMS2017 contract manager. 

Merchant coverage 

Who will accept payment by P-card?  

Most CUA suppliers now accept the WA Government Purchasing card as a method of payment, as well as a considerable number of agency and non-contracted suppliers.  

In an instance where a supplier does not currently accept purchasing card the contract manager is available to discuss card acceptance with your agency and the supplier.