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Purchasing Card Program
History & Recognition
The West Virginia State Purchasing Card Program was implemented in 1996 when State Auditor Glen B. Gainer III
envisioned the need for a process that would create more accountability for purchases, improve relations with
vendors and save the State millions through cost avoidance.
The Purchasing Card Program has achieved great success being recognized by VISA International in a 2004 nationwide
study performed by Deloitte & Touche, which called WV's program "one of the nation’s best", having implemented 12
of the nation’s top 26 best practices.
The purchasing card offers many benefits such as increased accountability for purchases, improved reporting of
purchasing activity, and fraud prevention. "Industry standard" for purchasing card misuse accounts for $250 of
every $1 million transacted.
The purchasing card allows the State Auditor's Office to know almost immediately when potential fraud has occurred.
The swipe of the card immediately sends notification if abnormal purchases have taken place. For example, if a
cardholder’s routine purchases are office supplies and suddenly there is a purchase at a jewelry store, the State
Auditor’s Office Purchasing Card Program is notified of that purchase, allowing the State to investigate almost
immediately the potential fraud or misuse.
The purchasing card has also improved relations with the business community, reversing the negative reputation
with vendors, due to the length of time required to process payments. Prior to implementation of the program,
the average wait for a vendor to receive payment was 70 days. The purchasing card has allowed vendors to receive
payment in 2-3 days. This prompt and efficient method of payment has allowed the State to be more selective in
its business partners as well as allowing the State to negotiate better discounts on the cost of goods and services.
With the assistance of WVU's Financial Services Training Division, the Purchasing Card Program has implemented
a web-based training program making refresher training and new cardholder training available through the internet.
Web-based training eliminates the cost of traveling and overnight stays associated with training seminars. This
program is being used by all state agencies, colleges and universities to complete the training requirements of
the program. Auditor Gainer's vision is now saving taxpayers dollars everyday.
Contact Information
Amy Lewis, Executive Director of PCard
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