Revised Travel and Business Hosting Expense Policy

Procurement Services

Customer Forum

Fall 2009

Agenda

• Policy Rollout • Some Frequently Asked Questions• Open Discussion

Policy Rollout

• The project plan for rolling out the revised policy includes:– New Travel and Expense web site created– Email communications to U-M faculty & staff– Informational sessions– Customer service (email and phone)– Revision of current forms and training– Creation of new forms, new training, FAQs

Travel and Expense Web Site• The new Travel and Expense web site was created to

provide information and resources about:– The revised travel and business hosting expense policy– The new Concur travel and expense management system– How those faculty and staff not yet using Concur will fulfill the

requirements of the revised policy for expense reporting– How those in the Concur pilot will fulfill the requirements of the

revised policy for expense reporting– Travel tips and information, including links to key resources– Updated forms and training for both Concur and Non-Concur

users

http://www.procurement.umich.edu/travelexpense.html

Email Communications• September 14

– University leadership informed all U-M faculty and staff (41,000+) about the revised policy and Concur

• September 18– A follow up message with more details about the

policy was sent to the same audience• September 21

– Announcement of customer forums • Future communications are planned to keep you

informed of the policy rollout and Concur implementation.

Informational Sessions

• Presented to the Financial Unit Liaisons on September 23

• Customer forums are scheduled between September 29 and October 15 on all campuses

• A new forum has been added for North Campus (Oct 12, 3-4:30pm, 1610 IOE)

Informational Sessions

• Additional forum sessions may be held (dependent on site and speakers’ availability)

• Check the following locations to identify possible new sessions:

www.procurement.umich.edu/forums.html

or

www.procurement.umich.edu/travelexpense.html

Customer Service

• Email travelexpense@umich.edu– Due to the volume of email we have been receiving,

we are a bit behind in our responses. We appreciate your patience!

– Ron Youngblood, Carolynn Blankenship and Lyn Fyfe are the email group members

• Procurement Solutions Team – Call 734-764-8212, option 1– Email procurement.services@umich.edu

Forms• Forms pertaining to the P-Card and travel and business

hosting are being created or revised for both Concur and Non-Concur users, including but not limited to:– Travel and Business Hosting Expense Form– P-Card ATM Form– P-Card Application– P-Card Maintenance Form– P-Card Change Limit Request Form

• All forms will be available prior to October 15• All forms will include specific instructions on how and

when to use them

Training

• Because some employees will be using Concur in October, and others still using the current M-Pathways processes, we have developed training specific to each population:– P-Card Course for Non-Concur Users– P-Card Course for Concur Users– P-Card Approver Course (Non-Concur)– Expense Approver Course (Concur – this course will

be available in My LINC)

Some Frequently Asked Questions

1) Does the per diem apply to lodging? No. The per diem applies only to travel meals

and incidentals. Incidentals include tips to baggage carriers, hotel

cleaning staff, cab fare between the travel meal restaurant and lodging

Transportation between the airport and lodging, or between business locations while on travel, is not part of the per diem

Internet access in the hotel is not an incidental

Some Frequently Asked Questions2) Can I use the hotel conference rate or must I

stay at only inexpensive hotels? The policy does not preclude travelers from staying at

a hotel hosting a conference. Travelers planning to stay at a conference hotel,

however, must ask if other discounts are available that may result in a lower rate than the conference rate.

If there are no other applicable discounts, the conference rate for single room occupancy is an allowable expense.

Some Frequently Asked Questions

3) If I begin my travel before the new policy is in effect (October 15), but return after it is in effect, which policy should I follow when filing my expense report?

For this circumstance, use the policy that was in effect before October 15 to prepare your expense report.

You do not need to use the revised policy for any portion of your trip, including those days that occur on or after October 15.

Some Frequently Asked Questions

4) Is it true that I can’t use my P-Card to pay for travel meals? While it is permissible for the P-Card to be used to

pay for travel meals, it is not the recommended approach when collecting per diem because of the extensive accounting and reconciliation work it creates.

P-Card ATM withdrawals are not permitted for the use of advance payment of per diems.

Some Frequently Asked Questions

5) I understand the new Concur system will automatically calculate per diems. For those not yet in Concur—how will we calculate?

Procurement Services is creating a new travel and business hosting expense form that will include a per diem calculator.

Units may access www.gsa.gov/mie to locate tables showing the breakdown of breakfast, lunch and dinner components of the full per diem rates for meals and incidentals.

Resources

• Email travelexpense@umich.edu Ron Youngblood, ryoungbl@umich.edu Carolynn Blankenship, cblanken@umich.edu Lyn Fyfe, lynfyfe@umich.edu

• Procurement Solutions Team (734) 764-8212, option 1

• Web site

www.procurement.umich.edu/travelexpense.html

Thank you!

Questions?