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PCard

The McGill University Procurement Card (PCard) is a credit card selected by the University and assigned to authorized McGill Employees in order to make purchases of goods and services.

For more information, please refer to the PCard Regulation.

Reconciling and Approving Transactions in MOPS

MOPS

MOPS stands for McGill Online PCard Service - a Minerva-based system whereby Procurement Card (PCard) Transactions, uploaded from the bank, are made available for reconciliation and approval. This menu allows authorized individuals to reconcile and approve transactions, view approval history, and run reports on PCard Transactions. Access to these menu options are not tied into an individual's finance (FIS) access, but rather the role they play with regards to either the PCard or the fund charged for a transaction.

Authorized individuals may have one or both roles of Reconciler and Approver:

Role Access
RECONCILER

Cardholders and Departmental PCard Reconcilers are automatically considered as Reconcilers. They have access to the following menu options in Minerva > Finance (Fund) Administration Menu > PCard - MOPS Menu:

  • PCard Transaction Reconciliation
  • PCard Approval History
  • PCard Reporting
  • Maintain FOAPAL aliases

The Cardholder must ensure that the goods are received before completing reconciliation on MOPS.

APPROVER

When a transaction is reconciled to a FOAPAL, the Fund Financial Manager (FFM) or Delegate(s) of the fund(s) charged is automatically considered as an Approver. They have access to the following menu option in Minerva > Finance (Fund) Administration Menu > PCard - MOPS Menu:

  • PCard Transaction Approval
  • PCard Reporting

Fund Financial Managers (FFM) may delegate approvals of reconciled PCard Transactions using the Minerva menu option Delegate Approvals of Purchase Requisitions, Change Orders and PCard Transactions (view the How To Use Minerva page).

The Reconciliation and Approval Process

Effective January 24, 2018

For Research Grants and Contracts (2F/2M fund types), an Institutional Representative other than the Principal Investigator/Delegate should review the PCard Transactions. It is recommended that the Financial Services Team Manager (FSTM) be appointed as the Departmental Reconciler.

Reconciliation of PCard Transactions must be done in MOPS (view the How To Use Minerva page) by the deadlines noted in the PCard Schedule. If not reconciled on time, the transactions will be charged to the Default FOAPAL and Suspense PCard Transaction Account Code  700490 and sent for approval with a details status of auto-reconciled.

At the third instance of auto-reconciled PCard transactions, the PCard will be automatically cancelled.

Reconcilers must upload the proof of purchase (and other supporting documentation if applicable) for each PCard Transaction prior to submitting the PCard Transaction for approval. Proof of purchase refers exclusively to invoices, receipts and credit memos. Emails, quotations, and PO’s are not proof of purchase.

Note: An automated control was implemented on December 7th, 2022, and Reconcilers will be blocked from submitting a PCard Transaction when an uploaded documented is missing.

Failure to comply with this will result in automatic cancellation of the PCard.

Once reconciled, it is the responsibility of the FFM or their Delegate to approve prior month’s transactions in MOPS by the deadlines noted in the PCard Schedule. If not approved on time, transactions will automatically be charged to the Default FOAPAL - Suspense PCard Transaction Account Code 700490 regardless of the FOAPAL entered at the time of reconciliation with details status of auto-approved.

FFM/Delegate must not approve PCard Transactions when proof of purchase is missing.

Failure to comply with this clause will result in automatic cancellation of the PCard.

To ensure segregation of duties, The FFM/Delegate must not approve PCard Transactions they have reconciled to funds where they are named as the FFM/Delegate. Since implicit approval is turned on in MOPS, it is at the time of Reconciliation that the FFM/Delegate must not reconcile Transactions on funds where they are named as the FFM/Delegate.

Failure to comply with this clause will result in automatic cancellation of the PCard.


Approvers will receive email notifications twice daily at 10am and 2pm informing them that there are pending transactions awaiting approval. Email notifications are sent in the order of the approval queue - once the 1st approver approves the transaction, the "next" approver receives the notification email.

  • Disapproved transactions will need to be reconciled again - upon disapproval, an email notification is sent to the Departmental PCard Reconciler and all prior Approvers.

Reconciliation and Transactions posted to the Suspense PCard Transaction Account Code 700490

PCard related purchasing transactions are downloaded from the Card Issuer's system to McGill On-line PCard System (MOPS) regularly throughout the week. Once the PCard Transactions are reconciled and approved in MOPS, they are fed into Banner as invoices with applicable sales tax rebates. Each invoice created will be given a document number beginning with "IC or IB", signifying it is a PCard purchase transaction.

At the time of Reconciliation, Reconcilers must upload PCard Supporting Documents. This will facilitate retrieval of documents by Central Offices in the event of internal and external audits.

Note: An automated control was implemented on December 7th, 2022, and Reconcilers will be blocked from submitting a PCard Transaction when an uploaded documented is missing.

Transactions posted to the Suspense PCard Transaction Account Code must be transferred by processing a Journal using the Banner form FGAJVCQ (view the How To Use Banner page).

The following information should be included in the Document Text of the Journal:

  • Original receipt number and/or electronic confirmation number
  • Supplier name
  • Description of the purchase
  • "IC/IB" document code of the initial posted transaction

Further Information about Delegate Approvals and Email Notifications

By default, the PCard Transaction Approval screen displays all transactions pending approval, regardless of whether or not you are the "next" Approver. Email notifications are sent out in the order of the approval queue - once the 1st Approver approves the transaction, the "next" approver receives the notification email.

If an FFM has set-up approval delegates, the following holds true:

If the ledger amount of a transaction pending approval is lower than the subsequent approval required over* amount, only the approval of the delegate is required. In these cases, the transactions will not appear in the approval queue of the FFM.

If the ledger amount of a transaction pending approval is higher than the subsequent approval required over* amount, the approval of the FFM is also required. In these cases, the transaction appears in both the Delegate and the FFM approval queues:

  • Should the FFM approve the transaction before the Delegate: Approval is recorded as the final approval needed at the local fund level and it is removed from the Delegate approval queue.
  • Should the Delegate approve the transaction before the FFM: Approval is recorded, and the system recognizes that the approval of the FFM is still needed - the FFM then receives the email notification for approval.

For example - for an FFM who has set-up approval delegates, the following approvals would be required:

Ledger Amount *Subsequent approval required over (amount determined by the FFM in Minerva, up to a maximum of $10,000)** Delegate receives email notification FFM receives email notification Explanation
$250 $1,000 YES as the only approver NO Since a delegate has been set-up, and the ledger amount is lower than the subsequent approval required over* amount of $1,000, only the delegate may approve the transaction. The transaction will never appear in the FFM approval queue.
$1,000 $1,000 YES as the only approver NO Since a delegate has been set-up, and the ledger amount is equal to the subsequent approval required over* amount of $1,000, only the delegate may approve the transaction. The transaction will never appear in the FFM approval queue.
$1,800 $1,000 YES as the 1st approver YES as the 2nd approver Since the ledger amount is higher than the subsequent approval required over* amount of $1,000, the FFM must approve the transaction. The FFM will only receive an email notification to approve the transaction once the delegate has approved it. However, the FFM may approve the transaction at any time by going to the PCard Transaction Approval menu option.

** Managed using the Minerva menu option Procurement Administration > Delegate Approvals of Purchase Requisitions, Change orders and PCard Transactions (view the How To Use Minerva page).

Web Report Templates

In addition to the PCard Reporting menu option in MOPS, there are several Web Report templates available on the Financial Services website:

Run the Procurement Card Transactions report template to view:

  • All card activity - approved, unapproved, disputed or posted to default fund transactions
  • Default funds associated with each card

Run the Procurement Card Usage report template to view:

  • A summary of purchases by Card Holder, with a further breakdown by Merchant (number of purchases and total amount spent)

Help and PCard Billing Address

Help
All questions about PCard policy and procedures, submit a ticket via the FIS Service Desk portal or by phone at 514-398-3463.

PCard Billing Address
McGill University
Financial Services
680 Sherbrooke Street West
7th floor, Suite 724
Montreal, Quebec
H3A 2M7
Phone number: 514-398-1518

Additional PCard Resources to Consult

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions Answer
How do I change the PCard default FOAPAL on my PCard? Contact the Central PCard Admin by pcardadministration [at] mcgill.ca (email) or phone at 514-398-1518
How do I change the Departmental PCard Reconciler for my PCard? Contact the Central PCard Admin by pcardadministration [at] mcgill.ca (email) or phone at 514-398-1518

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

Once a transaction has been reconciled or auto-reconciled in MOPS, the FFM 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.

I followed the instructions in the notification email and received a message saying "No unapproved transactions found". Why is that?

This means that the document is no longer pending your approval. This happens for one of two reasons:

  • The FFM has assigned more than one delegate for the fund charged in the transaction and another delegate has already approved it. All delegates receive the email to approve a transaction, however, only one delegate needs to approve it.
  • The FFM or their delegate for another fund (in the case of a FOAPAL split), has already disapproved the transaction.
I clicked on the link in the approval email, but I was brought to the Approve Documents menu option. I do not see any PCard transactions. What happened? You must have clicked on the link for the approval of a Purchase Requisition or Change Orders. The body of the email notifications clearly identify whether approval is required for a PCard transaction, for an order placed in MMP or a Change Order.
I received an email to approve PCard transactions, but I should no longer be an approver on the fund charged/I do not want to be an approval delegate. What should I do? If you know that there are other approval delegates named for the same fund, simply contact the FFM and ask them to revoke your delegation record(s) or contact the individual in your Unit who normally oversees these functions. Only the FFM may revoke confirmed delegation records. The other delegate will then approve the transaction. If you choose to disapprove the transaction, this means that the transaction will need to be reconciled again. Be sure to ask the FFM to revoke your delegation record before the transaction is reconciled for the second time, otherwise, you will once again receive the email to approve the transaction.
May I approve all transactions pending approval at once? Yes. In the PCard Transaction Approval menu, you have the option to click a button "Approve All". This changes the status of all listed transactions to "Approve". You then click on Submit.
I want more information before approving a listed transaction - who do I contact? Contact the Departmental PCard Reconciler associated with the transaction (displayed on the screen).
What happens once a transaction is disapproved?

The transaction is removed from all approval queues and the system sends an email to the Departmental PCard Reconciler and all prior Approvers of the transaction - the email contains the explanation entered when the transaction was disapproved.

  • The transactions appears, once again, in the PCard Transaction Reconciliation menu option.
  • Once reconciled, it is sent for approval.
  • If not reconciled on time, the transaction is assigned the default FOAPAL and sent for approval.
  • If not approved on time, the transaction is posted to the default FOAPAL (using the predetermined account code 700490) regardless of the FOAPAL entered at the time of reconciliation.
Is it possible to see a listing of transactions which have been reconciled, but which are not yet approved? Yes. Use the menu option PCard Approval History. For each transaction pending approval, you will be able to see the associated Approver(s).
I reconciled a transaction, but I cannot see it when reviewing the financial statement of the fund that should have been charged. Why has the transaction not yet been posted to the ledger?

There may be two reasons for this:

  • The transaction has not yet been approved - all approvals must be completed (within the specified time frame) before a transaction is posted to the ledger.
  • The transaction was not approved on time and was posted to the default FOAPAL.
Where can I find the deadlines to approve Pcard transactions? Reconciliation of PCard transactions must be done in MOPS by the 20th day of the month for the prior month’s transactions (Pcard Schedule).

Are conference registrations allowable expenses on PCard?

Travel expenses are prohibited. These must be processed via a Travel Advance and/or Expense Report.

Virtual conference registrations where no travel expenses will be incurred (e.g. hotel, airfare, rail, meals, etc.) are not considered prohibited transactions since there is no travel involved. Virtual conference registrations can therefore be charged on a PCard.

 

Need ACCESS to MOPS?
PCard Holders and Approvers have automatic access to the MOPS menu (see below for more information). To be set-up as a Departmental PCard Reconciler email pcardadministration [at] mcgill.ca and include the following information:

  • Cardholder Name and McGill ID
  • Your name and McGill ID
  • Copy the Cardholder on the email

Need HELP?

Submit a ticket via the FIS Service Desk portal or by phone at 514-398-3463.

  • Questions regarding the use of the Minerva MOPS menu, reconciling, uploading supporting documentation, approving
  • Questions regarding the PCard Regulation and Procedures
  • PCard application, pick-up, how to add a Reconciler

Cloudservices.procurement [at] mcgill.ca

  • Questions pertaining to cloud services acquisition process

 

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