I don't understand these should be normal VISA cards. In what way are they "special"?
The rules back of them are governed differently as to credits, charge reversals, etc.
Not just "cards".
Been "Public Law" for ages that no entity can charge the Federal Gov more for goods or services than they charge their NEXT most-favoured customer for
the same goods and services. And they HAVE to audit for compliance. At their leisure.
But YOUR expense!
As Fed dealing ALWAYS adds costs
above commercial for the extra paperwork, standards, audits, certs, slow pay, clawbacks, risks-of...wotever?
It should be obvious why vendors in the Fed-biz
at all work so dam' hard to see to it nothing they do for the Gov ever IS "the same" as their commercial products.. if even they HAVE any "commercial' products or "next customer", favoured or otherwise,
at all!
The Big Boys do not.
Separate division or totally separate company if nothing else. "IBM Federal Systems" an age-old example. You can't buy what IBM sells to the Fed. Fed can't buy what IBM sells to bizness.
Another example: "Mite" / Kleinschmidt TTY machines in Army olive-drab, tail end of the '60's.
DoD wanted Teletype Corp ASR/KSR 33 & similar, but in OD colour.
TTY Corp said: "They come in cream and greige".
Fed said "You don't understand. We are the US Government!"
TTY (Skokie, Illinois, was it?) said:
"No. YOU don't understand. They come in cream and griege."
"We have orders for more than we can make, already. Go find someone else."
So the Gov did.
Not long after, I had the privilege of kicking the VA out, same way. Told them to take our standard product, no special terms, packaging, nor paperwork. Or do not buy from us..go beat-up one of our competitors with your useless extra overheads.
VA: "We will DE-BAR you from Federal contracts!"
ICH: "We surely HOPE so! You've been breaking our backs since the end of the First World War! We ARE veterans. We LOVE our Veterans. But enough waste is enough! WE want to DE-BAR YOU!"
They did. "Repairs" went onto "COD" @ $17.50 flat-rate, well-under the $20 or $25 "imprest fund" cap, got same-day turnaround. Instead of ... $17.50
plus another $130 or so in paperwork (their own estimate..) that took weeks to process.
We BOTH were the better for it.
The VA budget suffered higher costs and lesser quality for the NEW goods from others. But the munchkins involved in pushing all the papers about still had their jobs and nice retirement checks.
That's how it goes with Federal procurement in "the swamp." It is a "specialty" to deal with.
Their way. Or the highway.
Highway was far more attractive every place I've been.
"YMMV"
