PCard Disaster Planning Planning Natural disasters such as

P-Card Disaster Planning

Planning Natural disasters, such as tornadoes and earthquakes, make headline news every year, but they are not the only disaster variety that can interfere with the business world. Other disasters and emergencies, such as fires, chemical spills or even flu pandemics—to name just a few, can also impact the workplace. Commercial Cards can be an important part of an organization's disaster recovery plan.

Planning • The following considerations are also available to help you evaluate your organization's plan, identify improvement opportunities, enter notes and establish action items.

Planning Ensure that your organization: • involves the right people in the planning process, coordinating any department plans with the organization-wide plans • plan for different types of disasters (e. g. , those only impacting your building versus those impacting a region or city)

Planning • map out step-by-step procedures for responding to the various disaster types • determine what card-related needs might be (e. g. , increased organization spend limit, increased limits for individual cardholders, removal of MCC restrictions, distribution of additional cards, etc. )

Communicate • consider the possibility that select cardholders could manage the purchasing responsibility, eliminating the need for all current cardholders to continue this role in the event of a disaster • discuss this topics with card issuer and subsequently document the information and related procedures

Communicate • internal documents showing how cards will be used and by whom • instruct current cardholders and other key employees on what their roles will be; consider requiring training, such as annually— not unlike emergency drills • assign the responsibility of communicating with the card issuer if/when disaster strikes

Lists • address how transactions will be monitored, documented and recorded • maintain accessible lists of key suppliers • if applicable, coordinate plans with key external entities (Emergency Management)

Files • keeps plans current, updating on a regular basis to account for changes in personnel, suppliers, etc. • devise alternate procedures for card usage and program management, in the event that current systems and files are not accessible during a disaster

Where to start • considerations for tracking documentation for FEMA • lessons learned from past issues • enhance cardholder guides to include roles and responsibilities before, during and after an emergency

With a proper plan in place the process of handling a disaster can be made easier with careful planning and knowing who to go to when things need to be done. Questions?