LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
Langley will be one of the first military installations to replace the current government purchase card processing system, Customer Automated Reporting Environment with Access Online Jan. 17.
The new system has several innovative perks to include a user-friendly login, detailed transaction log form, a time-saving approval process and additional account security.
From the home page of the new system, users will see noticeable differences in user-friendly capabilities. With Access Online, users can change their password at any time and also choose a personal question in case they forget their password.
For approving officials, the transaction approval process will prevent unauthorized transactions from being pushed through for payment.
All AOs will be required to develop an Order Management System for their account transactions. Each transaction will be assigned an order number by the AO. Then, the cardholder will fill out an order form for the transaction, said Ursela Jackson, 1st Fighter Wing Contracting Squadron.
"AOs will use the order numbers to track their account transactions, to include all automatic debits each month," Ms. Jackson said. "The order forms are similar to what CARE calls transaction logs. If a transaction does not have an order number and an order form, it cannot be approved."
While CARE limits AOs in approving process, Access Online makes it impossible for a transaction to be paid, until the AO has reconciled it or completed the "matching order management" process.
This is the new approval circle for each transaction cycle:
-AOs create an order system
-The cardholder completes an order form for each transaction
-The cardholder approves the transactions
-The AO approves each transaction
-The cardholder approves the cycle
-The AO approves the cycle
"While AOs may have more steps to accomplish in order to process transactions, it will prevent an unauthorized transaction from being signed off," Ms. Jackson said. "Also, AOs will be given the option of approving the transactions individually or all at one time."
Ms. Jackson said the new system will also provide AOs the capability of approving transactions that cardholders have not approved.
"An e-mail notification will be sent to the AO and the cardholder's supervisor if a cardholder fails to approve their transactions," she said. "At that time, the AO can go ahead and approve or disapprove the transactions, and if they choose, disable the cardholder's account for irresponsibility."
In addition, Access Online allows AOs to view all moneys spent up to a year back; CARE limits users to quarterly transactions. The transactions, which can be viewed in the "Transaction Management" section, are organized by the company's number, rather than account numbers.
If for some reason, the card was declined at the time of a purchase, the AO can view the details and reason for the decline in the "Declined" section of the transaction details.
If a card was declined due to insufficient funds, an AO will now have the capability of loading more money onto the card before the end of the cycle to keep the card "out of hot water," Ms. Jackson said.
There will be a necessary transition period between Wednesday and Jan. 16. At this time, CARE will be shutdown, while all CARE accounts are inputted onto the Access Online accounting system. Therefore, all CARE transactions must be reconciled and approved by Tuesday, or they will be lost permanently, Ms. Jackson said.
For more information regarding CARE or Access Online, call Ms. Jackson at 764-1194 or Stanford Williams at 764-4943.