U.S. Bank wins DOD purchase card pact

U.S. Bancorp, Minneapolis, today announced that its U.S. Bank International Merchant Purchasing Authorization Card Government Services Division has been selected as the provider of government purchasing cards for the Defense Department.

The DOD contract was awarded under the General Services Administration's governmentwide charge card program, in which GSA selected six vendors to issue purchasing, travel and fleet cards.

Under the terms of the award, U.S. Bank will have exclusive rights to issue purchasing cards to the Army, Air Force and DOD agencies, beginning Dec. 1, according to the company. The contract will include systems to support electronic commerce and related technology, U.S. Bank said.

Although the contract does not have a stated value, DOD purchases using the IMPAC cards totaled $2.75 billion in 1997. DOD has historically been the largest user of purchasing cards, representing more than 50 percent of the total sales. U.S. Bancorp was the sole provider under the previous government contract.