TRAVEL
95.37
New 2-10
Purchasing Services
335-3541
OVERVIEW
Washington State University has implemented a fuel card system provided by a contract with the Comdata Corporation. Authorized University departments and personnel may use a University-issued fuel credit card at any retail gas station that accepts MasterCard. Fuel credit cards are to be used to fuel University-owned vehicles and equipment only.
This section provides requirements and procedures regarding obtaining and using WSU fuel credit cards.
Scope
This procedure applies to all University units which require credit cards for commercial fuel purchases for University-owned vehicles. NOTE: Gasoline and diesel are prohibited purchases for the WSU Purchasing Card. (See 70.08.) The WSU Comdata fuel credit card is the only WSU-issued card that may be used to purchase fuel for University-owned vehicles and equipment.
Allowable Purchases
Fuel Purchases
The card may be used to purchase diesel or gasoline fuel. Fuel card users may purchase regular unleaded fuel only for passenger cars, vans, and small trucks. Mid-grade unleaded fuel is an allowable purchase for medium- and heavy-duty trucks and trucks from model years 2000 and earlier.
Within reason, card users are to strive to obtain the best value available. To locate fuel stations which accept the Comdata card and to check fuel prices in any geographic location, fuel card custodians may access the iConnectData website at:
Emergency Roadside Assistance
The card may be used to pay for emergency roadside services, e.g., towing, tire changes, and battery jumps. To arrange for such services, telephone 800-282-7496. NOTE: Drivers of WSU Pullman Motor Pool vehicles must contact Motor Pool to arrange for emergency assistance; 509-335-9000. (See 95.35.)
The driver's department is responsible for paying the cost of the emergency roadside services.
Routine Maintenance
In order to purchase routine maintenance services, e.g., car washes and oil changes, the card must have approved special limits allowing such purchases. See below.
CONTACTS
Contact the applicable departments below regarding questions about this section (95.37):
WSU Comdata Fuel Card Program
Purchasing Services; telephone 509-335-3541; e-mail purchasing.card@wsu.edu.
Invoices
Accounts Payable; telephone 509-335-2060.
PROCEDURES
Acquiring a Fuel Credit Card
Application
To obtain a fuel credit card, the department completes and submits a Fuel Card Application form to Purchasing Services. To obtain the application form, complete and/or print the master on 95.37.9.
NOTE: If the department maintains a separate fuel charge card for each vehicle, the fuel card custodian orders a new fuel card when the department acquires a new vehicle.
Purchasing Services forwards a copy of the completed application form to Accounts Payable. Accounts Payable maintains the application copy to verify the approving official signature for the department's fuel card purchases.
Card Owner
Fuel credit cards are issued in the department's name, rather than an individual employee's name.
Card Custodian
The department delegates an employee to serve as fuel card custodian. See below.
Card Options
Fuel credit cards are available in two usage types: vehicle cards and generic cards. The department indicates the type of card under Fuel Card Use Options on the form.
Vehicle Card
A vehicle card is authorized for fuel purchases for a single University-owned vehicle. The card is engraved with the vehicle license number.
Generic Card
A generic card may be used to purchase fuel for any University-owned vehicle or gas-powered equipment operated by department personnel.
Purchase Limits
The standard purchase limits for WSU fuel credit cards are:
- $1000 per month,
- Three transactions per day, and
- Retail fuel and emergency roadside assistance, e.g., towing, tire change, battery jump, etc.
The department may request any of the following special purchase limits for a fuel card:
- More than $1000 per month,
- More than three transactions per day, and/or
- Routine maintenance in addition to the standard fuel and emergency roadside assistance. (See 95.35.)
PIN Number
Each WSU Comdata fuel credit card is assigned a personal identification number (PIN number), which functions as the security code. Purchasing Services assigns the PIN number.
Driver Number
Each card user is assigned a driver number, which functions as identification of the fuel purchaser. The department assigns a number limited to six digits for each driver. The driver number substitutes for the odometer reading at the gas pump. See below under "Completing Purchases."
Default Budget Coding
The department assigns each card with default budget coding (budget/project). All fuel expenses charged on the card are allocated to the assigned budget coding, unless the department provides alternate coding to Accounts Payable on an exception basis.
The delegated fuel card custodian attends training and signs agreement to the terms of the WSU Fuel Card Custodian Agreement. The fuel card custodian must notify Purchasing Services if the card custodian responsibilities are transferred to another employee.
Complete and/or print the form master on 95.37.10 to obtain copies of the agreement. Attach a listing of all fuel credit cards assigned to the department. To obtain the assigned card listing, the card custodian or Purchasing Services runs a Comdata Card Listing report from the iConnectData website at:
Using the Card
The fuel card user may purchase fuel from any commercial station accepting MasterCard. The card works at the pump or any other point of sale terminal operated by a commercial fuel station. In the state of Washington, nearly 1,800 stations accept the Comdata card.
WSU Comdata card transactions are financial commitments for which the University is liable. Personal purchases are strictly prohibited. Fuel card users are to purchase fuel with the Comdata card for University-owned vehicles and equipment only.
At the point of sale, the fuel credit card user is required to:
- Enter the PIN number when prompted for PIN#; and
- Enter the driver number when prompted for Odometer Reading;
- Sign the fuel receipt; and
- Submit the receipt to the card custodian.
Billing and Payment
Department Card Custodian
By the fifth day of each month, the card custodian runs a Comdata Reconciliation Report. To obtain the report, the card custodian logs into the following website:
NOTE: The Mansfield Oil company manages the billing process for Comdata transactions.
The card custodian may refer to Appendix 1 on 95.37.11-12 for log-in and report access procedures.
The card custodian reconciles the receipts submitted by departmental fuel card users to the charges listed on the transaction report. The card custodian may dispute unrecognized charges.
Documenting Transaction
The fuel receipt is required. If no receipt is available, the card custodian runs a Transaction Detail Report. To obtain the report, go to the iConnectData website at:
See Appendix 2 on 95.37.13-14 for instructions for obtaining the Transaction Detail Report.
Disputing a Charge
To dispute a charge, the card custodian completes the Comdata Dispute Processing form. To obtain the form, go to the iConnectData website at:
Approval
When the card custodian completes the reconciliation, he or she submits the Comdata Reconciliation Report to the fuel card approving official for review and approval. The approving official signs to indicate approval of the charges.
If the approving official approves the listed charges, the card custodian:
- Notifies Accounts Payable that the charges on the departmental Comdata Reconciliation Report are approved for payment.
Approval notification is due by the tenth day of each month.
- Routes the Comdata Reconciliation Report and associated fuel receipts to the appropriate departmental fiscal manager.
The fiscal manager reconciles the transactions to the online BALANCES or the budget statement and retains the signed Comdata Reconciliation Report and associated receipts in accordance with the stated records retention period. See 90.01.
Charge Payments
By the 15th day of each month, Accounts Payable is obligated to pay for all University fuel card transactions for the previous month. Accounts Payable uses the default budget coding to allocate fuel card expenses if the card custodian does not provide the required notification.
Monitoring and Audit
The use of WSU Comdata fuel credit cards issued to a department is to be monitored by the fuel card custodian and the approving official and is subject to audit.
Reporting Lost or Stolen Fuel Credit Cards
To report a lost or stolen card, the fuel card user must call Comdata toll-free; telephone 866-662-3535. Comdata cancels the card immediately. The card user must also notify the fuel card custodian.
Comdata issues a replacement card which is available for pickup at Purchasing Services approximately five days after cancellation of the lost or stolen card.
Non-Pullman Department
For a non-Pullman department, Purchasing Services receives the replacement card from Comdata and sends the card to the applicable card custodian.
Termination of a Fuel Credit Card
When and if the card is no longer required, the department must send an e-mail message to Purchasing Services requesting cancellation of the card. Send the e-mail to:
After Purchasing Services confirms the cancellation, the card custodian destroys the card.
Misuse or Mismanagement of Fuel Credit Cards
The University may take any or all of the actions below for misuse or mismanagement of WSU fuel cards:
- Accounts Payable or Purchasing Services may issue a written warning to the cardholder, card reconciler, or approving official.
Accounts Payable or Purchasing Services may issue copies of written warnings to the responsible department chair and/or to the Office of Internal Audit.
- Purchasing Services may suspend or cancel the card.
- Purchasing Services may require that the cardholder receive additional training before a card is reinstated or reissued.
- Purchasing Services or the responsible department may report the violation to the appropriate vice president and/or the Office of Internal Audit.
- The University may pursue employee termination or criminal prosecution. Additionally, the University may take appropriate recovery actions permitted by law.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Accounts Payable
Accounts Payable is responsible for:
- Receiving and reviewing monthly invoices;
- Reviewing monthly departmental charges;
- Receiving authorization from card custodians to pay departmental charges;
- Maintaining a file of approving official signatures for expenditure authority; and
- Generating monthly payments.
Comdata Corporation
Comdata Corporation is responsible for:
- Issuing fuel credit cards;
- Receiving reports of lost or stolen fuel credit cards; and
- Receiving reports regarding disputed invoices.
Fuel Credit Card User
The fuel credit card user is responsible for:
- Understanding and complying with rules for use of the Comdata fuel credit card;
- Submitting signed fuel charge receipts to the departmental fuel card custodian; and
- Reporting lost or stolen fuel credit cards to Comdata and the departmental fuel card custodian.
Department Fuel Card Custodian
The department fuel card custodian is responsible for:
- Maintaining control and inventory of fuel cards issued to department;
- Collecting and reconciling fuel charge receipts with fuel charges on Comdata account statements (see Appendix 1 and Appendix 2 for reconciliation procedures);
- Retaining all fuel credit card purchase records for six years after the end of the fiscal year in which the purchases occurred (see 90.01 for records retention requirements);
- Reviewing fuel purchases for compliance to University policies and for patterns of fuel use;
- Investigating and documenting anomalies in usage, such as unexpected increases or decreases or non-fuel purchases;
- Documenting and reporting policy violations to the approving official and Purchasing Services;
- Reporting lost or stolen fuel cards to Purchasing Services;
- Approving departmental Comdata charges monthly; and
- Notifying Purchasing Services and Accounts Payable if leaving the departmental position or if the department transfers the responsibilities of fuel card custodian to another employee.
NOTE: The department is responsible for ensuring that Purchasing Services and Accounts Payable are notified of any change to the departmental fuel card custodian.
Department Fuel Card Approving Official
The department fuel card approving official is responsible for:
- Reviewing fuel card charges monthly;
- Providing expenditure authority for fuel card charges by signing the monthly Comdata Reconciliation Report.
Department Chair or Director
The department chair or director is responsible for approving applications for departmental fuel credit cards.
Purchasing Services
Purchasing Services is responsible for:
- Providing central administration for the commercial fuel credit card program;
- Receiving applications from departments for new fuel credit cards;
- Creating and maintaining account information for each card issued;
- Closing cards which are lost, stolen, or no longer needed by departments;
- Maintaining a card inventory;
- Maintaining lists of fuel card custodians and fuel card approving officials.
APPLICABLE AGREEMENTS, POLICIES, AND PROCEDURES
For further information, refer to the following:
- State Contract #06507, Universal Fleet Card Services, at:
https://fortress.wa.gov/ga/apps/ContractSearch/ContractSummary.aspx?c=06507
- 95.35: Motor Pool
See the PDF forms:
95.37.9: Fuel Card Application
95.37.10: Fuel Card Custodian Agreement
Complete and/or print as needed.
Also see the PDF Appendices:
95.37.11-12: Appendix 1: Comdata Reconcilation Report Instructions
95.37.13-14: Appendix 2: Comdata Transaction Detail Report Instructions
Print as needed.