CAL-Card Purchase Card Program - 1902.2

About CAL-Card

“CAL-Card” is the registered name of the State’s Purchase Card Program. The CAL-Card Program provides VISA card services to participating state and local governmental agencies.  The CAL-Card is a payment mechanism for the purchase of goods and services.

DGS/PD establishes a Leveraged Procurement Agreement (LPA) which provides purchase card services to agencies participating in the state’s CAL-Card Program.  State agencies execute individual contracts with the contractor awarded the Purchase Card Services LPA.  User Instructions provide additional guidance for how to use this LPA.

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CAL-Card Usage and Purchasing Authority

Only state agencies granted purchasing authority may participate in the state’s CAL-Card Program.

Payment Mechanism Only

CAL-Card is a payment mechanism, not a procurement approach or acquisition method and therefore, does not relieve state agencies from adhering to all procurement laws, regulations, policies, procedures, and best practices. This includes but is not limited to the application of all sales and use tax laws, rules and policies as applicable to the purchase.

Dollar Threshold for CAL-Card Use

CAL-Card is a payment mechanism for the acquisition of goods or services up to the purchasing authority dollar thresholds authorized for the state agency and individual cardholder.

Cardholder purchase limits are managed by the state agency’s CAL-Card Program Administrator (or Alternate) through the current Purchase Card Services LPA contractor (see User Instructions).  Cardholder purchase limits may not exceed their state agency’s assigned purchasing authority dollar threshold for the acquisition method used (i.e. informal competitive).

Ineligibility

A state agency will no longer be eligible to participate in the state’s CAL-Card Program if purchasing authority is revoked or if the Purchasing Authority Unit (PAU) identifies significant deficiencies.

All privileges will be cancelled until the PAU has determined that the state agency meets purchasing authority standards and has adequately resolved deficiencies.

Splitting Purchases

State agencies will not split purchases to circumvent a cardholder’s daily or monthly purchase limits. Also, cardholders will not split transactions to avoid competitive bidding limits or purchasing authority dollar thresholds.

Account Suspension 

Participating state agencies that maintain delinquent balances of 60 days or greater are subject to account suspension by the awarded contractor.  Each state agency shall work to eliminate potential late payment penalties and receive the full benefit of the prompt payment rebate revenue program.

Limitations

CAL-Card limitations are as follows:

#	Description
1	CAL-Card use for personal activities is prohibited. CAL-Card must only be used for official state business purchases.
2	CAL-Card cannot be used for state travel-related expenses.  This includes travel-related per diem expenses, normally reimbursed to state employees via travel expense claim.  Travel is defined as airline tickets, ground transportation, vehicle rentals, restaurants, meals, lodging and gasoline for rental cars or personal cars used for official business.
3	CAL-Card cannot be used to pay for past-due invoices.
4	CAL-Card cannot be used to pay late payment penalties.
5	CAL-Card shall only be used by the assigned cardholder.
6	Only the state agency-designated Cardholder and Approving Official can approve CAL-Card charges and payments.  Backup approval authority for the Cardholder, Approving Official and/or the Agency Program Administrator must be designated within the state agency procedures.
7	All purchases from CALPIA using CAL-Card as the payment mechanism require a FI$Cal PO; phone orders with CAL-Card as the payment mechanism are prohibited when purchasing from CALPIA.
8	Individual state agencies may establish additional limitations and/or prohibit transactions within their own CAL-Card Programs.