Purchasing or procurement cards (p-cards) offer benefits to organizations, including reducing checks and purchase orders, streamlining the procurement process, and enabling organizations to set spending limits for each p-card. Because many companies have made the shift to using p-cards in an attempt to improve controls over spending, it is important to have standardized processes and controls with regard to p-cards in place.

This sample process flow focuses on the procedures associated with the use, maintenance, and changes related to p-cards. It includes actions related to purchase initiation, month-end procedures, spending limit change requests, systematic audit procedures, new hire approvals, and terminations. It also includes process steps for the cardholder, administrator, office manager, reviewer and auditor.