U. S. GOVERNMENT CREDIT CARDS

Governmentwide Commercial Credit Card Service
I.M.P.A.C. Program
International Merchant Purchase Authorization Card

The I.M.P.A.C. Program has been replaced by the GSA SmartPay program

Maryland Metrics Participation

Maryland Metrics accepts: VISA, MASTERCARD, AMERICAN EXPRESS & DISCOVER Cards.

Summary

The U.S. Government purchase card program achieves Governmentwide savings by reducing, by as much as 14 percent, the administrative costs associated with official small purchases of commercially available goods and services. GSA estimates $700 million in savings since the program's inception 7 years ago. Currently, there are 186,000 cards issued to Federal offices and agencies. During Fiscal Year 1995, more than $1.5 billion in official purchases were acquired using this payment method.

Background

Since January 1989, GSA has been contracting for purchase card services for Federal agencies. Purchases are for official use only and agencies must verify that the transactions are valid. Management reports are issued to assist agencies in tracking and monitoring card usage.
Use of the purchase card expedites the acquisition of essential supplies and services, streamlines payment procedures, and reduces the administrative costs associated with traditional paper based payment methods. The average credit card purchase is about $340.

Benefits

The benefits of the program include: Savings of $53.77 per transaction over traditional paper based procurement methods. Improved cash management and streamlined payment processes. Timely and extensive management reports which enable Federal agencies to monitor small purchases, determine trends in card use and better manage program budgets.

The I.M.P.A.C. Program has been replaced by the GSA SmartPay program