Travel reimbursement requests must contain the following documents when submitted to the NFSTC. Please review this checklist carefully before submitting your reimbursement package: FOR EVERY AUDIT: Travel Orders from the DNA Audit Support System (DASS): all pages Flight Itinerary from Bowen Travelworld: all pages Latest version of the Travel Reimbursement Claim (TRC) form, downloaded from DASS, completed and signed Contractor Invoice (Lead or Tech), downloaded from DASS, completed and signed Original hotel receipt, showing a zero balance Original rental car receipt Original parking receipt from departure airport Original receipts for checked luggage and shuttle fees Original receipts for other expenses, where appropriate, (tolls, taxis, parking at site visits, etc.) when miscellaneous charges exceed $25/day WHEN APPLICABLE: Copies of any emails from the NFSTC point of contact authorizing travel deviations or other changes Copies of any emails from the NFSTC travel agent with flight costs for auditors using their personal vehicles or a rental car in lieu of flying or for auditors traveling outside the scheduled timeframe for the audit Copy of airline documentation for canceled and rescheduled flights LEAD AUDITORS: You must complete the required team member evaluation(s) for each audit before your invoice and travel reimbursement can be processed. The above list includes the most common documentation needed for travel reimbursement. If you are asking to be reimbursed for something not covered by this list, please contact the NFSTC point of contract before submitting your paperwork. IMPORTANT: NFSTC will scan your travel reimbursement package upon receipt. Please do not staple your documents together. Instead tape individual receipts to a blank sheet of white paper instead, using multiple sheets as needed. If you have any questions regarding the completeness of your reimbursement package, please contact Abby Meyer at assessment@redmittenllc.com or (517) 325-5307 ext. 2 before submitting. NFSTC may return packages that do not comply with these instructions. AP_TRC Instructions_8-7-15_AM Page 1 of 5
PLEASE READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY: 1. All forms (latest version), receipts, and invoices must be original. (Emailed documents and photo copies are not accepted.) 2. All signatures on any forms you submit must be hand signed (not electronic). 3. All Travel Reimbursement Claim forms must be submitted within 60 days of end of travel to be eligible for payment. 4. All reimbursement packages must include all pages of the travel itinerary and the travel orders from DASS. AIR TRAVEL Airline travel arrangements are made and direct-billed through Bowen Travelworld with arrangements based upon direct route costing. Travel guidelines are laid out in the Travel Order (TO); any and all exceptions must be dully explained and previously authorized before the issuance of the TO from the DASS. If for personal reasons or convenience the traveler needs to make arrangements to travel by an indirect route or to interrupt the travel, such arrangements must be preapproved by the NFSTC. The cost amount will be limited to direct route costs, and the exceeding amount is the sole responsibility of the traveler. Excess additional fees, all and any airline change fees or penalties incurred by the traveler for personal reasons or convenience are also the sole responsibility of the traveler. Baggage fees, regardless of dollar amount, require an original receipt. RENTAL VEHICLES NFSTC has established direct billing with rental car companies. With direct billing, the traveler is no longer responsible for the rental car expense, but is still required to obtain a receipt and submit it to NFSTC with the TRC package. If, in the unforeseen circumstance a traveler is required to obtain a rental car by presenting a personal credit card, the rental car expense will be reimbursed by NFSTC. In this instance, the traveler must include an original receipt with his or her TRC that reflects a zero balance and proof that it was charged to the auditor s personal credit card (i.e. Visa, MasterCard, etc., along with the last 4 digits of credit card number). Do not enter rental car charges on the TRC form if the expense was direct billed to NFSTC. Enter rental car charges on the TRC only when a personal credit card was billed for the reservation and the traveler is seeking reimbursement from NFSTC. NFSTC direct billing and the obtaining of rental vehicles at the government rate relieves the individual from needing to acquire additional insurance coverage. When booking under the government rate, additional drivers may drive the car with no additional fees and do not have to be present at the time of rental. (Additional drivers are defined as someone 25 yrs of age or older who is the renter s employer when on company business, a fellow employee when on company business or the renter s spouse/life partner.) AP_TRC Instructions_8-7-15_AM Page 2 of 5
RENTAL VEHICLES (Continued) TRAVEL REIMBURSEMENT CLAIM (TRC): Filling of rental vehicle gas tanks must be done off site. Airport refueling will not be reimbursed. Double check the rental car receipt to ensure a fuel charge has not been included and request that it be removed if it appears. NFSTC does not reimburse for GPS in vehicles. PER DIEM The drop-down menu for each day shows the state, along with the city/county/metro area which will determine the per diem rate for each meal. Please select the location that your hotel stay was in. Example: if you are staying in Largo, Florida you will not specifically see the city Largo listed in the dropdown menu; however, Pinellas County is listed. Largo is in Pinellas County, therefore these are the per diem rates you would use. If neither the city nor county is listed, the standard CONUS rate to be used. (The CONUS rate is displayed on the first line of the TRC drop down menu.) If you have questions about the appropriate location, please ask an NFSTC representative. DO NOT manually type in a location; this will void the form. Per GSA and Federal Travel Regulations (FTR) a continental breakfast is considered a meal. Breakfast per diem may not be claimed if the hotel provides a complimentary continental breakfast. Effective October 15, 2012, NFSTC will reimburse 75% of the daily per diem allowance for departure and return travel days, regardless of arrival/departure times. LODGING The NFSTC Travel Agent attempts to secure the Government Rate when making lodging reservations. The NFSTC Point of Contact (POC) responsible for scheduling the site visit must be made aware if a Government Rate is not available and must pre-approve the alternate rate. Upon checking in, the auditor must present a personal credit/debit card and ensure that it is the card of record for his or her stay. The NFSTC Business Travel Account (BTA) card is used solely to secure the room. Upon checking out, the auditor is responsible for verifying that the hotel invoice has been charged to his or her personal card (and not to the NFSTC BTA card), and that the invoice reflects a zero balance. The form of payment must be clearly documented on the original receipt. (i.e., type of credit card and last 4 digits of the credit card number, cash, etc). Although fairly common in the lodging industry, Express Checkout invoices do not always reflect information needed by our Finance Department to process TRC packages, such as: AP_TRC Instructions_8-7-15_AM Page 3 of 5
LODGING (Continued) o The requested changes from the NFSTC BTA card to your personal credit/debit card. o A zero balance. It is recommended that auditors call the front desk to verify that this change has been made and that the invoice will reflect a zero balance or checkout personally at the front desk to ensure invoices are compliant with NFSTC accounting rules. Auditors who reside 50 miles or less from the assessed site are not eligible for lodging reimbursement. Do not include hotel parking or Internet access in your daily lodging rate. These charges should be listed in the Taxi, Parking, Fuel, etc. box. TAXI, PARKING & OTHER INCIDENTALS These items roll up into the Other Travel category in the Accounting Use Only section. When several items are lumped into this category and together total more than $25, the items must be itemized in the Notes field, (e.g. Taxi $10, Parking $5, Internet $20). If the total for Other Travel expenses is more than $25, the original receipts must be attached. Airport Parking: Do not break total airport parking expense into daily amounts. This expense must be shown in total on the date payment was made and follow the $25-rule. Hotel Parking: Should be recorded daily, as reflected on the hotel invoice. Personal expenses (airline headsets, hotel movies, etc.) will not be reimbursed. Reimbursement of travel related tipping is limited to 10% of the bill. NFSTC does not reimburse baggage handling or housekeeping/hotel gratuities. Baggage fees and shuttle (not Taxi) fees, regardless of dollar amount, require an original receipt. DRIVING IN LIEU OF FLYING For auditors interested in driving a personal or rental vehicle in lieu of flying, arrangements must be made in advance with the NFSTC POC and the NFSTC Travel Agent to make sure the practice is cost effective. This exception must be clearly approved/documented in advance and included with the TRC package. o Rental Car: Combined charges for the rental agreement, gas, tolls, and parking cannot exceed the cost of a flight. o Personal Vehicle: Combined charges for mileage reimbursement, tolls, and parking cannot exceed the cost of a flight. Gas will not be reimbursed for personal vehicles as it s factored into the GSA mileage rate. In addition, the auditor must obtain a quote from the NFSTC Travel Agent showing the departure time(s), arrival time(s), and cost of airfare for the trip in question. This quote will be used determine cost effectiveness and must be submitted with the auditor s TRC package. AP_TRC Instructions_8-7-15_AM Page 4 of 5
Personal vehicle mileage must be calculated by entering actual odometer readings on the TRC form or attaching a Map Quest printout. A Map Quest printout is required for personal vehicle mileage reimbursement of 150 miles or more. CONTRACTOR INVOICES Invoices must be submitted in conjunction with the TRC package. Invoice templates are available in DASS under the Downloads tab. The number of billable work days that an auditor may claim is found on the Travel Order. Billable work days on both documents must match. There are two invoice reimbursement levels: o Lead Auditors are compensated at a rate of $375 a day. Their responsibilities include the direction of the team prior to and during the audit/assessment, preparation of final reports, and conducting the close-out meeting. o Technical Auditors are compensated at a rate of $225 a day and have responsibility for technical data review, information gathering, and reporting to the Lead Auditor/Auditor. Auditors are not paid for travel days, but rather compensated by way of a preparation fee. This fee is claimed by clicking a radio button on the invoice. Following the guidelines above will reduce processing time and lessen the need for the Finance Department to question TRC submissions. MAIL COMPLETED TRC PACKAGES TO: NFSTC ATT: Finance Department REF: DNA Audit Program TRC Package 8285 Bryan Dairy Road North, Suite 125 Largo, FL 33777 AP_TRC Instructions_8-7-15_AM Page 5 of 5