SmartPay - New Charge Card Program Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1998 08:58:26 -0400 To: "USGS Employees" From: Lisa Zukowski Subject: SmartPay - New Charge Card Program Friday, September 11, 1998 Note: Supervisors, Managers, and Team Leaders: Please ensure that employees without access to e-mail receive a copy of this message. MEMORANDUM To: All U.S. Geological Survey Employees From: John K. Peterson Chief, Office of Acquisition and Federal Assistance Subject: SmartPay - New Charge Card Program As promised in my August 6, 1998, e-mail message to all employees, this memorandum provides additional information on the new SmartPay program and the transition from our present charge cards to the NationsBank MasterCard. As background, the General Services Administration (GSA) awarded contracts to six companies to provide bank card services to the Federal Government, under a program called SmartPay. The Department of the Interior (DOI) selected one of these companies, NationsBank, and one card, MasterCard, to provide credit card services for all DOI credit card business lines (i.e., purchase card, travel card, and fleet card). This approach was determined by the DOI selection team to offer the best services at the best value. A task order was issued to NationsBank for 5 years with options for an additional 5 years, which will provide program stability for each business line. On November 29, 1998, our present charge cards from American Express (AMEX) for travel, U.S. Bank for purchases, and Wright Express for our vehicle fleet, will all expire. By that time, one integrated MasterCard from NationsBank will be issued to USGS cardholders for each business line, replacing all three existing charge cards. For example, cardholders who presently have an American Express travel card and an I.M.P.A.C. purchase card, will be issued one MasterCard by NationsBank, which will allow the cardholder to charge travel ticket, hotel, and per diem expenses, as well as any necessary purchases currently authorized under the I.M.P.A.C. program. Vehicles will be handled in a similar manner as they are currently with a card issued to the vehicle with the vehicle identification number embossed on the card and to be used for the fleet business line only. The new cards will offer a number of features beyond those we have previously had: * The MasterCard acceptance is far better than for American Express--more than 14.6 million locations worldwide. * There are more than 140,000 domestic and 274,000 international ATM locations. * NationsBank's Electronic Account Government Ledger System (EAGLS) offers many capabilities, i.e., on-line statement reconciliation and daily account status. For more information on EAGLS, go to: http://www.nationsbank.com/government/1101.htm or http://www.usgs.gov:8888/ops/acquisition/bcnbfaqs.html/ * There will be two types of transactions, those posted to individually billed accounts (IBA) and those posted to centrally billed accounts (CBA). Individually billed transactions are the responsibility of and are paid by the cardholder, as the AMEX charges are currently processed. Purchase and fleet charges will be centrally billed and paid by the bureau on a daily basis. This is addressed further in the FAQ's, questions 2.3 and 2.4 * Cardholders will receive an integrated statement which reflects all transactions charged against your charge card number, whether for travel or purchase expenses. * The responsibility for paying certain travel transactions will move from the individual to the bureau centrally billed account. For example, car rental will be posted to a centrally billed account and no longer the responsibility of the traveler. This will reduce the total charges and liability to the individual. * NationsBank will display certain charges, e.g., airline travel and rental cars on cardholder statements for information purposes. NationsBank will then forward those charges to the CBA for payment. This should help in travel reconciliation. * When an employee transfers from one USGS organization to another or to another DOI bureau, there will be no need to terminate the current card and issue a new one In-depth, one day EAGLS training is being scheduled for Agency Program Coordinators, selected Administrative personnel, and Reviewing Officials for the October/November timeframe. Each division has already provided my office with the number of people who will require this training, once classes are scheduled members of the implementation team will notify those individuals within their division. Other Reviewing Officials (previously Approving Officials) and Cardholders will be provided Computer Based Training (CBT) by NationsBank. Transitioning from the three existing card systems is proving to be a highly complex activity, as you might well imagine. USGS needs to provide a wide range of information to NationsBank in order for new cards to be issued. A Bureau Implementation Team has been established to work through the details of these information needs. Team members are listed at the Office of Acquisition and Federal Assistance Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) web page on the OPS Intranet, along with other information regarding the new program and our conversion effort. These FAQ's are located on the USGS Program Support Intranet pages at: http://www.usgs.gov:8888/ops/acquisition/bcnbfaqs.html/ . Should you have any questions on this memorandum, please direct them to any of the Bureau Implementation Team members listed at the above referenced FAQ site.