2.2.2.1.2 Payments to Vendors for Catered Meals
Policy Statement
The Accounts Payable (A/P) area of the Controller’s Office of the College of Charleston (CofC) will process all payments for the College’s legally incurred, non-payroll obligations of goods and services, in accordance with State and Federal laws and regulations, as well as other policies and procedures of the College. The use of College/State funds is prohibited to pay for meals and refreshments served at meetings for staff as well as members of boards, commissions, and committees whose reimbursement is established by State law.
Policy Manager and Responsible Department or Office
- Controller's Office
The Controller’s Office staff has the responsibility for ensuring that all payments for goods and services of a non-payroll nature comply with State and Federal laws and regulations, as well as College policies and procedures. - Faculty and Staff
College of Charleston faculty and staff have the responsibility for ensuring that they follow procurement guidelines when requesting goods and services. Faculty and Staff must provide the Controller’s Office with accurate and complete documentation, such as completed forms, justifications or explanations needed for making payments, etc. In addition, the faculty and staff must ensure that goods and services are satisfactorily received and that they demonstrate a documented benefit to the College. - Vendors and Payees
College of Charleston vendors and payees must provide the Controller’s Office with valid invoices that adequately describe the vendors’ names, addresses, itemized descriptions of goods and services, terms for payment, etc. as well as properly completed Internal Revenue Service Forms W-9 or W-8 evidencing their business type (corporation, sole-proprietorship, partnership, etc.), domestic or foreign status, and tax identification numbers
Departments/Offices Affected by the Policy
This policy affects all of the departments and offices of the College of Charleston.
Policy
The College may contract with vendors to provide meals served at statewide, regional, or district meetings, or for student academic related functions.
In order for College/State funds to be used for such events, at least 75% of those attending such meetings must be students, non-College of Charleston employees, or employees of other state agencies or outside organizations (attendee lists should include all attendees-faculty, staff, students, external attendees). College meetings or functions that do not satisfy the preceding requirements are not considered statewide, regional, or district meetings, or student events, and cannot be paid for using College/State funds.
NOTE: Any money administered by the College and held by the State Treasurer’s Office is considered State/College Funds, regardless of funding source. The payment of alcoholic beverages and related bar services (setup, bartending, corkage fees, liquor license, etc.) with State Funds or from any College account is strictly prohibited. Invoices reflecting charges for alcoholic beverages and bar services cannot be processed by the Controller’s Office.
- Required Documentation
The Catered Meals Questionnaire explaining the business purpose of the meeting and the benefits to the College, along with a list of all attendees, noting their status (student, employee, outside company, etc.) is required for IDT or invoice processing.
If the invitation extends to a general student population, or the general public, other documentation (e.g. event flyer, brochure, program agenda) denoting the targeted audience, along with the Catered Meals Form will suffice. For additional information, see the Catered Meals Questionnaire Form on the Controller’s Office web site. - On-campus – Functions
Functions held on the College of Charleston campus require that the provider of food services for the College receive first right of refusal for catering an event. - Student Functions and Events
In order for State/College funds to be used, food services/supplies (e.g. pizza, grocery store items, etc.) required for such student functions and events must be planned/ordered based on the number of students invited to attend. The Purchasing card (Pcard) may be used for purchases with a total value $2,500 or less. - Employees of Other State Agencies
If the College makes payment for meals on behalf of an employee of another State agency, the College must notify the home agency of the transaction. The departmental staff person making the request for payment has the responsibility for notifying the individual’s home agency. - Spouses and other immediate relatives or guests
Spouses and other immediate relatives or guests of College employees and Board of Trustee members cannot be considered eligible participants for purposes of meeting the 75% test; unless their participation qualifies as employees of other agencies or outside organizations with legitimate business purposes and benefits to the College. State/College funds cannot be used to pay for a meal where an employee or staff member takes someone out for that meal (e.g. taking a speaker out to dinner after a presentation). - Regular Staff, Faculty, and Advisory Board Meetings/Events
The payment of such events with College funds of catered meals including beverages, continental breakfasts, boxed lunches, dinners, snacks, etc. for College employees is strictly prohibited. This restriction applies to the contracted provider of food services for the College, as well as other vendors. - Board of Trustee and Committees
Meetings of the Board of Trustees or College committees are not considered statewide, regional, or district meetings and cannot be paid for with State/College funds.
Related Policies, Documents or Forms
S. C. Comptroller General’s Disbursement Regulations
S. C. State Procurement Code
Revision Log
Issue Date: 4/8/2008
Last Review Date: 10/13/2020
Next Review Date: 10/15/2025
Web Publication Date: 1/8/2026