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Why Use P-cards? At RECAP’s Enhancing Your Accounts Payable Operations Conference, LaCretia J. Bell, an assistant vice president and manager of First Bank Systems Accounts Payable and procurement services, explained why the bank started using purchasing cards (P-cards). Invoices less than $100 represented 48% of the volume of checks but only 7% of the dollar amount. The bank went the P-card route as part of a reengineering effort that covered both the procurement and payment process. She says the bank benefited because use of the card reduces processing costs and paperwork. It let the department keep pace with and manage the growth. The bank was able to eliminate manual checks and petty cash. Finally, Bell indicated that P-cards improved supplier relationships. With success stories like Bell’s, Managing Accounts Payable expects to see many companies get aboard the P-card train.

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