The public sector purchasing card

Under the terms of the decree of 26 October 2004, the public sector in the broadest sense can use a purchasing card to pay for its orders, covering some fifty areas ranging from foodstuffs to consumables. According to a recent study by the General Directorate of Public Finance, just over two hundred purchasing card 'programmes' were identified at the end of 2010 in the public sector, excluding the State. For France as a whole, this represented 253,259 cards, an increase of 63 % compared with 2009, for a total expenditure of just over €95 million, an increase of 38 % compared with 2009. At €373, the average expenditure paid using a public sector purchasing card in 2010 was down 18 % on the previous year. In France, this payment system is developing particularly in the local public sector. The top three users are municipalities (37 %), public establishments (24 %) and departments and regions (10 %). There is no doubt that purchasing cards will continue to expand.