The change will provide selected cardholders with greater flexibility to make purchases when and where they are needed, while maintaining all the financial controls and governance requirements that apply to purchasing cards.
Currently, CFA primarily relies on physical purchasing cards held by individual cardholders. If that cardholder is unavailable, it limits flexibility, especially in emergencies.
“We know our people need purchasing processes that are practical and responsive to the way CFA operates. Expanding purchasing cards to include DVCs will give cardholders much greater flexibility while also maintaining the strong financial controls we need to have in place.” Sam Costanzo, CFA’s Chief Financial Officer, said.
DVCs are secure, temporary digital payment cards that can be generated on-demand and downloaded to mobile phones for easy tap-and-go payments. The cards can be tailored with specific spending limits, validity dates and merchant categories.
“This is about giving our people the technology they need to fulfil their roles efficiently, so they can focus on protecting the Victorian community,” Sam said
DVCs were successfully trialled during the 2025/26 fire season and demonstrated how embracing technology can support operational needs.
The broader introduction of DVCs will provide an additional option alongside physical cards. They can also be used for supplier payments, helping reduce reliance on some existing manual processes, such as the Procurement Management Account.
The expansion of purchasing cards will be supported by updates to the Purchasing Card Procedure, including:
The amendments are designed to simplify processes, reduce administrative load, and allow various lines of credit to be turned off in Regions, Districts, and Headquarters jurisdictions.
“Expanding purchasing cards to include DVCs doesn’t mean reducing accountability. All purchasing cards will continue to operate within CFA’s financial delegations and policies with appropriate oversight and reporting.”
DVCs will be rolled out in stages, with cards issued to selected districts and regions and focused on identified operational roles.
New cardholders will receive targeted training and onboarding covering purchasing card policy, SAP Concur, and financial delegation requirements.
The updated procedures will also establish monitoring and reporting arrangements to ensure compliance with CFA financial governance and continuous improvement.
“We’re taking a staggered approach to the DVC rollout so we can support cardholders properly by giving them appropriate training and onboarding. At the end of the day, it’s about giving our people the tools they need to fulfil their roles.”