Revised Travel and Business Hosting Expense Policy

1. Revised Travel and Business Hosting Expense Policy Financial Unit Liaison Meeting September 23, 2009

2. Policy Rollout • Created new travel and expense web site • Site launched and is updated frequently – new FAQs, forms, links—and more to come! • Email communications • Three informational messages sent to 41,000+ faculty and staff week of 9/14 – 9/18 • Customer service team fielding phone calls • Responding to inquiries sent to travelexpense@umich.edu

3. Policy Rollout (continued) • Informational sessions • Customer forums scheduled for last week in September and first week in October • watch for the email announcement early next week • Forum schedule is posted at: http://www.procurement.umich.edu/travelexpense.htmland http://www.procurement.umich.edu/forums.html • Financial UL meeting

4. Policy Rollout (continued) • Revise/Create Travel and Business Hosting forms • Revise PCard Cardholder course for those not yet in Concur to incorporate new policy • Create PCard Cardholder course for Concur users

5. Some Frequently Asked Questions • Does the per diem apply to lodging? • No. The per diem applies only to travel meals and incidentals.

6. Some Frequently Asked Questions 2) 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.

7. 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

8. Some Frequently Asked Questions 4) Is it true that I can’t use my PCard to pay for travel meals? • While it is permissible for the PCard 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. • PCard ATM withdrawals are not permitted for the use of advance payment of per diems.

9. Some Frequently Asked Questions • 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.

10. Contacts • Email travelexpense@umich.edu • Ron Youngblood, AP Manager • Carolynn Blankenship, AP Supervisor • Lyn Fyfe, Procurement Solutions Manager • Procurement Solutions Team • (734) 764-8212, option 1

11. Questions? Thank you!