Below is a list of general Frequently Asked Questions about the Purchase Card Management System.

About PCMS

Q. What is PCMS?

Q. Who uses PMCS?

Accessing PCMS

Q. How do I access PCMS?

Q. I get a blank screen when accessing PMCS, what should I do?

Q. I am encountering a white screen when trying to access PCMS although I have already installed JInitiator.

Passwords

Q. How do I change my password?

About PCMS

Q. What is PCMS?

A. USDA's Office of Procurement and Property Management (OPPM) and the National Finance Center (NFC) developed the Purchase Card Management System (PCMS) in 1995. The system was developed to reduce administrative costs and to allow agencies to procure goods and services faster. The program eliminates hard copy credit card statements, most imprest funds, most of the FEDSTRIP system, the third party draft system, most AD-838 purchase orders for micro-purchases, and the CRED system. It reduces the number of payments made through the miscellaneous payments system and the use of the AD-838 for purchases within the simplified acquisition limit.

PCMS is currently a web-based application. The application software and database resides at NFC. The system is used to track, reconcile, control, and pay purchases made with a Government wide commercial purchase card, convenience checks, or fleet card, issued by an authorized General Service Administration (GSA) contractor (currently Bank of America (BoA) for purchase cards and convenience checks and Voyager/Multi-Service, BoA's subcontractor, for fleet cards).

Q. Who uses PMCS?

A. The primary users of PCMS are purchase and fleet program coordinators (APCs, LAPCs, AFHCs, LFPCs) and purchase cardholders.

PCMS enables program coordinators to establish and manage cardholder and fleet card accounts, including ordering, replacing, or deleting purchase/fleet cards; modifying detailed account information; or generating oversight reports (through PCMS and Discoverer) detailing transaction costs, payments, and other activities.

For the purchase cardholders, PCMS enables cardholders to reconcile and dispute their transactions. Fleet card transactions are not reconciled but can be disputed.

Accessing PCMS

Q. How do I access PCMS?

A. PCMS is available from the following URL: www.nfc.usda.gov/corporate/PCMS.htm.

Q. I get a blank screen when accessing PMCS, what should I do?

A. In order to access PCMS, you will need to have Oracle JInitiator v1.3.1.17 installed on your computer. Please see the PCMS Desktop Setup Procedures for details on how to setup PCMS. Note: If you encounter errors when trying to install JInitiator, you may need to login to your computer as the System Administrator to run the installation. If you do not have system administrator rights to your computer, contact your local IT support staff to have them assist with the installation.

Q. I am encountering a white screen when trying to access PCMS although I have already installed JInitiator.

A. If you encounter errors when trying to setup PCMS, please try the following:

• Clear the browser's cache In your browser, clear your temporary internet files. For Internet Explorer 6.0 users, go to Tools > Internet Options > General: in the middle block, you can delete your cookies and temporary internet files.
• Check the version of JInitiator Check the version of JInitiator that you have installed and ensure that you have v1.3.1.17. You can check the version by going to your Start Menu > Settings > Control Panel. If JInitiator has been installed, you will see it in the list of icons along with the version number. If you have a version that is newer than v1.3.1.17, you may want to uninstall JInitiator, install version 1.3.1.17 and then install the newer version on top of version 1.3.1.17.

Passwords

Q. How do I change my password?

A. Your password can be changed at any time by going to Change Password in the main menu. New passwords must satisfy the following:

1. Passwords may not be reused; a new password must differ from a previous password by at least three characters.
2. Passwords must be at least six (6) characters with at least one (1) digit.

For example, if your current password is cookie12, changing it to cookie24 would violate rule #1 above because the two passwords only differ by two characters. Changing to cookies34, however, would be acceptable because the two passwords differ by three characters.

If your account is locked, you will need to contact your LAPC/APC for a password reset.