The conception of the SmartPay cards has proved to be a massive undertaking to keep track of expenses of over 350 agencies/organizations participating in the GSA SmartPay program. There are five master contracts with charge cards at Bank of America, Citibank, JPMorganChase, Mellon Band and U.S. Bank. Through these contracts, different types of charge card products and services can be made. Purchase cards are used for purchasing general supplies and services. Travel cards are for official government travel while fleet cards are for fuel and supplies for government vehicles. The integrated card is also an option.
The scope of this program boggles the mind. The GSA U.S. General Services Administration web site boggles the mind. Among the many pages in this website, there is even a GSA SmartPay Online Training page which is free training for the proper use and management of both the GSA SmartPay purchase card and travel card program for customer agencies. It also shows what the cards look like and gives instructions on how to use them.
There is a section of the webpage that provides an overview of the GSA SmartPay program and its role in supporting efficient procurement in the federal government with eight links for ease of instruction. One link is for basic information and gives an overview of the program and objectives; another link gives a nine page program glossary. There are also links for newletters, conferences, statistics, logo and designs and a link to news and updates.
Indeed, this topic boggles the mind as well it should as the federal government is the world’s single largest purchaser of travel!