Finance tightens rules on gifts, food and P‑card coding after review

After a review of procurement and card transactions, finance staff told the board they will tighten guidance on gifts and food paid from the general fund and retrain staff on state accounting allocation rules.

"We realized quickly that, hey, we're buying a lot of gifts for employees," the finance presenter said, explaining a new practice to limit gifts to non‑routine events (retirements, etc.) and to encourage internal, staff‑funded arrangements for routine occasions. The presenter added that some grants may allow incentives or gift cards if the grant language explicitly permits them.

On food, staff said sign‑in sheets will be required for events where food is paid for with general fund dollars, and that lunches that directly support working professional development (for example, a training that runs through a traditional lunch hour) can be justified, but routine meetings followed by lunch will not. The finance office also signaled a general ledger retraining on the South Carolina State Accounting Manual to ensure expenses are coded correctly so reporting and analysis improve going forward.

Board members asked for the total number of outstanding P‑cards and who holds them; staff said principals or directors are the named cardholders and said they would provide the total number of cards to the board.