Departmental purchasing of Apps in education

[skestes]

OK we have a little road-block in the department at the University where I work and I'm wondering if anyone has had any similar experience.

We need to be able to buy apps for our iOS devices using a departmental P-Card (Think a very special credit card).

Basically our accountant has an issue with buying an employee apps because of the way the App Store works. We can't link the P-Card to an employee's iTunes account b/c that person isn't a buyer. We can't use 'gift cards' or 'gift apps' b/c we can't use P-cards to buy 'gifts'.

Then there's the fact that when a person leaves that job the App would go with them. A solution to that would be to only use departmental iOS devices with departmental iTunes accounts with only the P-Card holder having the password.

All-in-all I think the solution will be to make the accountant rethink the whole process and consider an App to be a consumable and something that is simply a cost of doing business. And to redefine a $10 iTunes card as something that can be bought with a P-Card by our campus lawyers.

Anyone have any suggestions that I haven't thought of?

 

[RafaelT]

Sounds like the accountant and lawyer need to have a chat, but your suggestions seem good. I can't see this as being to major of an issue in the end. If the accountant can't get creative they need to find a new one.

Really cool sink by the way.

 

[darknyt]

OK we have a little road-block in the department at the University where I work and I'm wondering if anyone has had any similar experience.

We need to be able to buy apps for our iOS devices using a departmental P-Card (Think a very special credit card).

Basically our accountant has an issue with buying an employee apps because of the way the App Store works. We can't link the P-Card to an employee's iTunes account b/c that person isn't a buyer. We can't use 'gift cards' or 'gift apps' b/c we can't use P-cards to buy 'gifts'.

Then there's the fact that when a person leaves that job the App would go with them. A solution to that would be to only use departmental iOS devices with departmental iTunes accounts with only the P-Card holder having the password.

All-in-all I think the solution will be to make the accountant rethink the whole process and consider an App to be a consumable and something that is simply a cost of doing business. And to redefine a $10 iTunes card as something that can be bought with a P-Card by our campus lawyers.

Anyone have any suggestions that I haven't thought of?

Your first mistake is in assuming the accountant makes any of the rules . . .

The second is assuming they or anyone in their supervisory chain cares if you are effective or efficient in your job . . ..

They are just a cost/policy monkey. They are likely trying to conform to a set of policies/controls that they are beholden to. Given you mention University, one might assume governmental, which would exacerbate all the above issues by an order of infinity.

This is coming from an auditor.

 

[darknyt]

. . . If the accountant can't get creative they need to find a new one. . .
.

In case you've missed the headlines of the past decade or so, it's accountants who get creative that get a whole new career making license plates . . .