Handbooks

Handbook AS-709 Revision: Local Buying and Purchase Card Policies and Procedures

Effective February 20, 2014, the Postal Service™ has revised Handbook AS-709, Local Buying and Purchase Card Policies and Procedures, as follows:

Chapter 1, retitled “General Policies,” addresses the following:

n Local buying policies, such as definitions, local buy­ing authority, roles and responsibilities, unauthorized and limited use of local buying, and items that can be purchased under local buying.

n Purchases from Postal Service employees and their family members.

n Requests for deviations from the local buying poli­cies and procedures.

n Use of the purchase card to pay taxes, fines, and other types of expenses.

Chapter 2, retitled “The Purchase Card,” discusses the following:

n Purchase card program and its structure (including roles and responsibilities).

n Program oversight.

n Types of purchase cards, program controls, and training.

Chapter 3, retitled “Safeguarding and Documentation,” discusses the following:

n Purchase card security.

n Record keeping and documentation.

n Lost or stolen purchase cards.

Chapter 4, retitled “Payment,” discusses the following:

n Postal Service’s local buying payment hierarchy.

n Advance payments.

n Exceeding approved funding.

Chapter 5, retitled “Cardholder Reconciliation and CCAO Review and Certification Procedures,” discusses the following:

n Roles and responsibilities of the cardholder and credit card approving official (CCAO), including the bank provider consolidated invoicing and notification process.

n Reconciliation procedures.

Handbook AS-709 is available on the Postal Service PolicyNet website:

n Go to http://blue.usps.gov.

n Under “Essential Links” in the left-hand column, click PolicyNet.

n Click HBKs.

(The direct URL for the Postal Service PolicyNet website is http://blue.usps.gov/cpim.)

— Supply Management Infrastructure,
Supply Management, 2-20-14