Richmond, VA - On July 21, 2025 the City of Richmond provided a written memo to the City Council Finance and Economic Development Committee on some of the immediate actions that have taken place and next steps regarding the Purchasing Card, or P-card, Program. This follows an April 30, 2025 reset of the City's Purchasing Card program.

The memo, issued by Chief Administrative Officer Mr. Odie Donald, clarified some of the immediate action items already taken, including:

1. Implementation of interim controls and suspension of non-essential P-Card activity
2. Structural reforms, including a clear separation of duties across card issuance, approval, and reconciliation
3. Updates of the City's travel policy and the development of a City discretionary spend policy

"Richmonders deserve a government that operates with transparency and integrity," said Mayor Danny Avula. "We're taking a hard look at the problems, finding what's not working, and fixing them. This work is about restoring trust and making sure our systems work the way they're supposed to."

"The City is committed to making real progress - addressing existing issues, improving policies, and strengthening internal controls. Beyond these initial actions, we remain laser focused on building a strong organization that residents can rely on," said Odie Donald, Chief Administrative Officer.

In early May, the number of City purchasing cards were reduced by over 80% (from 320 to approximately 60). The only allowable purchases will be those where public health, safety, and critical services would be disrupted if not allowed or where no other payment methods exist.

An independent assessment conducted by the National Institute for Public Procurement, an organization that specializes in public procurement best practices, is providing a set of recommendations to the purchasing card program. Additionally, the City Auditor provided recommendations following its comprehensive audit.

Some of the next steps in the City's reset process include:

• Continuing to assess program and policy recommendations
• Strengthening purchasing card policy to include Office of the City Auditor's recommendations
• Finalizing and announcing an updated Purchasing Card policy
• Implementing concurrent training and technical assistance tools
• Fully lifting the pause and completing the reset

The City of Richmond established a one-stop track for all program rebuild news and will include the latest announcements and press releases, as well as status updates on key reform processes including recruitment efforts for new personnel, updated language and implementation for policies and procedures, and updates to training materials.

Review the p-card tracker here https://www.rva.gov/procurement-services/p-card-progress