News

Approval of PCard transactions in MOPS - upcoming change in process

Published: 19 November 2015

Dear Colleagues,

We would like to inform you of a pending change in process with regards to the approval of PCard transactions in MOPS (McGill Online PCard Service). Tri-Agency requires the approval of all reconciled PCard transactions by the Fund Financial Manager/Principal Investigator (FFM/PI) or their Delegate before being posted to the ledger. Implementing this recommendation creates a new step between a PCard transaction being reconciled in MOPS and the posting of this transaction to the ledger. ALL PCard Transactions appearing in MOPS will first need to be reconciled by the Cardholder or their PCard Administrator (this has not changed) and then approved by the FFM/PI or their Delegate for ALL funds charged (Tri-Agency funds and all other funds as well) (new step). Unapproved transactions will be posted to the default FOAPAL if not reconciled and approved on time.

As soon as we have an implementation date, it will be communicated to you. In the meantime, the following questions and answers shed light on this new process.

QUESTION ANSWER
What are the steps in this new process?

Step 1 – Make a purchase using a PCard
Step 2 – Reconcile the transaction in MOPS (Cardholder or their PCard Administrator)
Step 3 – Approve the transaction in MOPS (Approver)*
Step 4 – Transaction is posted to the ledger
* Transactions reconciled by a Cardholder or PCard Administrator who is also the FFM/PI or Delegate of the fund being charged, will automatically be considered as approved and will be posted to the ledger once reconciled.

Does Step 3 (Approve the transaction in MOPS) only apply to transactions reconciled against Tri-Agency grants? No – ALL transactions will need to be approved.

Who is an Approver?

Fund Financial Manager/Principal Investigator (FFM/PI) of the fund(s) charged or their Delegate

Who is a Delegate?

Delegates set-up to approve orders placed in the McGill MarketPlace (MMP) are considered to be approval Delegates for reconciled PCard transactions.   The scope of the Delegate Purchase Requisition Approvals menu option in Minerva > Finance (Fund) Administration Menu > Procurement Administration Menu will change to encompass the delegation of approvals for both Purchase Requisitions and reconciled PCard transactions.

(To set up/view approval delegate records, follow these instructions.)

As an Approver, how will I know there are transactions awaiting my approval?

Once a transaction has been reconciled in MOPS, the FFM/PI of the FOAPAL(s) charged and/or any Delegates they have named, will receive email notifications to approve transactions. This notification occurs at 10am and 2pm daily. This is similar to the email notifications sent out when orders are placed in MMP.

Is it possible to be a Delegate only for reconciled PCard transactions?

NO – Delegation records confirmed in the Delegate Purchase Requisition Approvals menu option in Minerva will always apply to both Purchase Requisition approvals and PCard transaction approvals. If you should only be approving one type of transaction, you will need to ignore some of the email notifications you receive. The body of the email notifications will clearly identify whether approval is required for a PCard transaction or for an order placed in MMP.

Where do I approve transactions?

The existing menu option PCard Transaction Approval will be renamed to PCard Transaction Reconciliation. A new menu option entitled PCard Transaction Approval will be available in Minerva > Finance (Fund) Administration Menu > PCard – MOPS menu. A direct link to this menu option will be included in the email notifications to approve transactions.

Thank you

[Message sent out on the FIS listserv on behalf of Cris Tinmouth, Interim Associate Vice-Principal Financial Services and Controller]

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