With the recent software upgrade in our FAST Financials Enterprise Business System, USF decided to automate the travel process. This enhancement to FAST will allow for the electronic submission of Travel Authorization Requests and Travel Expense Reports. Here are some highlights of what to expect from the new Travel Module:

• Electronic capture of travel data
• Streamlined travel reimbursement processing
• Increased reporting capability
• Ability to easily access electronic records
• Integration of travel-related P-Card transactions
• Reduction of paper forms and records
• Tracking of authorizations and expense reports
• Auto-filled meal allowances
• Error notification at the point of entry
• Option to create templates for frequent travelers
• Encumbrance of funds at the point of authorization to ensure availability at the point of travel
  
  

If you travel frequently, I would encourage you to add the USF Travel webpage (http://usfweb.usf.edu/controller/travel) to your favorites. Travel is working to finalize a policy manual, which should be available soon. You can also subscribe to the Travel list serve, and keep your eye on the Fast module Bulletin Board at http://usfweb.usf.edu/controller/travel/mod_bul_board.doc.

The USF Travel Policy Manual has been updated to reflect life in a FAST Travel environment. Items discussed below that are university based policies can be found in the policy manual. In some cases, the issues are shortened for summary purposes, and may not reflect policy in its entirety.  COPH policies and timelines were developed to augment USF policy or to ensure COPH business processes are consistent with Federal, State, and University requirements. All travelers are expected to understand the university and College policies and procedures for travel.

TARs must be submitted for any University travel, and serve as your permission to incur expenses and travel. The TAR should list all anticipated expenses that are known or can be projected before the trip.

All TARs must be submitted in FAST and approved prior to incurring any expenses related to the travel, consistent with USF policy and State of Florida statute.

You can log into FAST through the USF Portal at https://eusf.admin.usf.edu

For mileage only expenses, or mileage with incidentals (i.e. tolls, parking), prior approval is required, but may be documented and stored at the unit level. Individuals should have written approval for this travel, but are not required to submit a TAR in the FAST Travel module. In this case, only the TER must be prepared electronically.

Emergency travel is defined as travel that must commence with less than 24 hours notice to the traveler. In this case, a memo is required indicating the details of the travel and the circumstances that prohibited adherence to the normal TAR process, including evidence that the situation was out of the traveler’s control. This memo must be signed by the employee, the employee’s supervisor and the appropriate Vice-President. The notation “Post-Travel Authorization Memo attached” must be entered into the comment field of the Expense Report page in the Travel module.

Please note that you must provide evidence that the request was less than 24 hours before the travel for it to be considered emergency travel. The following circumstances are not grounds for an exception, and will require approval of the USF Expenditure Policy Committee in addition to Vice-President approval:

1. Any travel with more than 24 hours notice
2. Ignorance of the requirement for prior authorization
3. Circumstances of the delay that fall under the control of the traveler or department administrative staff
4. Exception requested solely because a traveler is already out of town when an additional destination is added to the itinerary.
5. A required Approver fails to approve the Authorization prior to the date of travel.

Repeated instances by an individual or department may be forwarded to the University’s Controller’s Office or the USF Expenditure Policy Committee for review, and may result in delay or denial of reimbursement.

Travel lasting over 30 days requires approval and signature of the President of the University. Before requesting authorization in the system (TAR), the Traveler should obtain written approval in memo form from the President’s Office, clearly indicating dates of travel, destination, business purpose, and benefit to the university. This must be included as part of the receipt package.

The expenses manager is your Account Rep at COPH who will verify that there is funding available for the anticipated trip, and that if the travel is grant related, that the charges are related to the project identified. During the review of the TER, the reviewer (your account rep) will review the submitted expense report to ensure that the identified chartfields are correct and that the travel complies with UFS policies and procedures.

For travel funded by grants/contracts, after the PI and HR supervisor review and approve the TAR and TER , the project supplemental approver (the Research Office at COPH) will provide one last review to verify that travel is allowable on the external funding source.

The traveler will always have the ability to sign in to FAST (or via their delegate if there is one) to track the status of their request.

With the understanding that most individuals don’t work in FAST on a regular basis, travel has developed an email notification system. The system is intended to notify the traveler when a travel is submitted on their behalf by a delegate; upon final approval of a TAR or TER; and when the reimbursement has been paid. If there is an assigned delegate for the traveler, they will also be notified at each of the above steps.

With the implementation of the FAST Travel Module, all travel-related P-Card charges will be imported into the Travel module.

If charges are made by a Delegate on behalf of another traveler, the actual charge will show up in the P-card “wallet” of the delegate. Upon submission of your COPH P-card form and back-up, College staff will move the charge from the Delegate’s wallet to that of the Traveler. The COPH P-card form must contain the TAR authorization number when submitted to the Dean’s Office.

When preparing the TER, it will be the responsibility of the Delegate and/or Traveler to pull charges from the Traveler’s wallet into their expense report.

See the USF P-card rules for allowable travel expenses on your p-card.

Once the TAR is entered, the expense manager/reviewer will have 36 hours to review and take action on the request. If it has not been reviewed within that time, the traveler and reviewer list will be notified by email.

Once the TAR is approved by the expense manager, the HR supervisor is expected to have 36 hours to approve the request. After that point, e-mails will again escalate to remind the traveler and supervisor of the pending TAR.

Once the TER is submitted, the reviewer will again have 36 hours to review and take action before the e-mail escalation begins.

Once the TER is submitted to the PI, they will have 48 hours to act on the TER; after that period the transaction will be re-routed to the PI’s HR supervisor.

The HR supervisor is again expected to have 36 hours to review the TER request. If the TER is not acted upon in this time, it will be re-routed to the supervisor’s supervisor.

Travel related to sponsored research projects must include a brief explanation as to how the travel will provide a direct benefit to the goals and objectives of the project. This information should be entered in the Comments section of the TAR and TER. Should a TAR be submitted without this justification, it will be returned to the traveler for completion prior to moving the request forward through the FAST system.

If travel funds for non-USF employees have been approved by the sponsor, the TAR and TER may be entered by a USF employee who is identified as a delegate.

All TARs and TERs are reviewed and approved by a Reviewer (the COPH account reps), the Expense Manager (Principal Investigator) and Supervisor (as noted in GEMS). In addition, COPH Research Administration will conduct a compliance review on all grant travel, which will occur after the review and approval by the Expense Manager and Supervisor.

Cash advances are issued only in the following situations:

• Travel is to a remote area where credit cards are not accepted
• Travel is performed for an extended length of time (30 days or more)
• The Traveler has been denied a credit card
• The Traveler is a student
• The Traveler is incurring expenses for students accompanying traveler on the trip.

The cash advance must be settled no more than 10 business days from the travel end date.

No. If your travel is being covered completely by another organization (NIH, Gates Foundation, etc), you will not need to do a TAR & TER in the FAST Travel module. You must, however, make sure your supervisor is aware of your travel and approves it in advance.

First, you must complete the Non-Employee Travel Profile form. During this process you will have to identify who the delegate will be for the traveler (i.e. who will prepare and enter the TAR and TER) and who will be identified as the supervisor (i.e. who will approve the travel requests). All requests to add an individual traveler should also include the addition of Faye Maciaszek as the delegate for P-card transactions. Please make sure to include her on your request to Travel.

Once the individual has been added to the FAST system the TAR can be prepared and P-card charges associated with this travel can be made. Please remember that no charges can be made on behalf of this travel until the TAR has been approved, so please plan accordingly.

The form can be found at the following link: http://usfweb2.usf.edu/proced/fiscal/uco/travel/nonemployeeadd.doc

First, you need to determine if the student is or has been a USF employee. If so, and the student has a GEMS ID, you can proceed as with any other TAR.

If the student is not or has never been an employee of USF, then you will need to complete the Non-Employee Traveler Profile form before any travel arrangements or P-card charges can be made. The form can be found at the following link: http://usfweb2.usf.edu/proced/fiscal/uco/travel/nonemployeeadd.doc

Once the student has been added, then you can proceed as normal with the travel process.

Should a unit decide to set a dollar limit on the amount a Traveler will be reimbursed for specific travel, the limit should be agreed to in advance by the Traveler and documented in writing at the time of the TAR before the trip. This signed document must be included with the receipt package submitted later with the Expense Report.

A copy of the travel related P-card purchase and the completed P-card form with the TAR number listed for each charge should be sent to the COPH Finance & Accounting office within 3 days of the charge being made.

At several points in the travel module, travelers and/or approvers have the ability to enter comments into designated fields. These comments become part of the permanent record for the travel in question, and will be part of the documentation in perpetuity. So, think before you write!

Expense reports should be submitted within 30 calendar days of the last date of travel. Reports submitted more than 60 calendar days after the last day of travel require a Dean level approval. Within COPH, TERs more than 60 days must include a memorandum explaining why the TER has not been submitted within the expected 30 days after the end of the trip.

Expense reports submitted over 6 months from the last date of travel will not be processed. Similarly, expense reports for Travelers terminating employment with USF submitted over 30 days after their termination will not be processed.

If a Cash Advance has been issued, an Expense Report must be submitted within 10 business days of the last date of travel.

In developing this travel program, USF has made the decision that the approval of a travel authorization request and expense report can only be made by the HR supervisor of the traveler. In general, this process can not be delegated or reassigned to other personnel within your unit or the College. If for some reason you will be unavailable to respond to travel requests for an extended period of time, you can reassign your responsibilities by completing a Workflow Temporary Reassignment Form at least 3 days in advance of the anticipated absence. The form can be found at the following link: http://usfweb2.usf.edu/proced/fiscal/uco/travel/tempworkflowreassign.doc

Once the individual has been added to the FAST system the TAR can be prepared and P-card charges associated with this travel can be made. Please remember that no charges can be made on behalf of this travel until the TAR has been approved, so please plan accordingly.

The form can be found at the following link: http://usfweb2.usf.edu/proced/fiscal/uco/travel/nonemployeeadd.doc

The COPH Research Administration office will conduct an initial compliance review of TARs and TERs and will contact the PI should questions arise during the compliance check.

The PI will perform the role of the Expense Manager and is responsible for reviewing, budget checking, and approving all TARs and TERs to be charged to their respective sponsored research projects. The PI should ensure that the individual is authorized to travel on behalf of the project, the purpose of travel is in compliance with the project scope of work and the sponsor approved budget and budget justification, and sufficient funds are available for the requested travel. If foreign travel is requested, and is not included in the sponsor approved budget and budget justification, prior written sponsor approval is required. If the PI is responsible for more than one project, it is important to ensure that travel costs are assigned to the appropriate project accounts.

The PI may also be identified as the traveler’s supervisor in GEMS. If so, the PI will review and approve as both the Expense Manager and the Supervisor.

Yes, we still are required to maintain, and submit, all the documentation that we have in the past. Once you complete your electronic TER, you will need to print out the signature page and attach that to all the back-up documentation from your trip (see below for helpful hints about required documentation). The College will submit those documents to travel on your behalf and maintain the paper copies until the TER is approved and paid.

First, you must complete the Non-Employee Travel Profile form. During this process you will have to identify who the delegate will be for the traveler (i.e. who will prepare and enter the TAR and TER) and who will be identified as the supervisor (i.e. who will approve the travel requests). All requests to add an individual traveler should also include the addition of Faye Maciaszek as the delegate for P-card transactions. Please make sure to include her on your request to Travel.

Once the individual has been added to the FAST system the TAR can be prepared and P-card charges associated with this travel can be made. Please remember that no charges can be made on behalf of this travel until the TAR has been approved, so please plan accordingly.

The form can be found at the following link: http://usfweb2.usf.edu/proced/fiscal/uco/travel/nonemployeeadd.doc

Yes, we still are required to maintain, and submit, all the documentation that we have in the past. Once you complete your electronic TER, you will need to print out the signature page and attach that to all the back-up documentation from your trip (see below for helpful hints about required documentation). The College will submit those documents to travel on your behalf and maintain the paper copies until the TER is approved and paid.

A more detailed list of expectations can be found in the USF Travel Policy Manual linked above. Below is a summary of some of the more common issues:

Submission of TER

• A cover sheet must be sent with the Receipt Package. The sheet is generated through the system when the Expense Report is submitted and must be signed by the Traveler.

Emergency Travel

• Post Travel Authorization Memo in the case of travel that prohibits submission of Travel Authorization before Travel occurs.

Travel for more than 30 Days

• Memo of approval from President’s Office for any travel lasting longer than 30 days.

Travel on a Sponsored Project

• COPH requires an explanation of how the travel is related to and benefits the sponsored project being charged. This detail should be included in the Comments section of the Expense Report.

Reimbursement of a Flat Amount

• Document, signed and dated at the time of the Travel Authorization, showing agreement of Traveler and Department Head when total reimbursement amount is being capped.

Travel Expenses Paid in Addition to Consulting Fees

• A copy of the purchase order showing payment of service fee or honorarium

Registration Expenses

• A registration receipt showing amount paid, method of payment.
• A full agenda or schedule at a glance for all conferences, conventions, formal meetings.
• If membership fee is paid with registration, open-records statement must be sent with Receipt Package along with a statement as to how the membership benefits the University.

Airfare

• A receipt for the airfare must be included with the receipt package.
• In the case of a flight or cancellation fee, a memo with business justification and appropriate signature approving the additional expense.

Mileage

• A record of miles must be accurately maintained and shown on the expense report.
• Print out Map Mileage travel must be obtained from an appropriate source.
• If driving long distance, advance airfare quotes for comparison purposes must be included with the Receipt package

Car Rental

• An itemized receipt for all rental car expenses
• A receipt for all gas expenses associated with the use of a rental vehicle

Other Ground Transportation

• Taxi or shuttle expenses for any amount (tip up to 15%)
• Bus, Train, or other public transportation
• Parking or tolls in excess of $25 per transaction

Incidental Expenses

• Parking, storage, tolls in excess of $25 per transaction
• Supplies for events (limit $100)
• Communication expenses
• Photo copies needed for business purpose
• Passport or Visa
• Travelers Checks or Currency Exchange Fees
• Laundry expenses (when official travel extends beyond 7 days)
• For foreign incidental expenses, conversions to US dollars must be printed for each expense and included with the Receipt Package.

Domestic Lodging

• An itemized lodging receipt showing zero balance due
• If a department/unit purchases a block of rooms to accommodate a large group of Travelers, the PO may be provided but must include itemized documentation of Traveler’s name and nightly room rate

Foreign Lodging

• An itemized lodging receipt showing zero balance due
• Conversions to US dollars must be printed for each expense and included with the Receipt Package

Cash Advance

• Print out and sign form for Cash Advance in FAST Travel Module
• Sign and submit form agreeing to payroll offset

The form can be found at the following link: http://usfweb2.usf.edu/proced/fiscal/uco/travel/nonemployeeadd.doc

When your Receipt Package, including signed cover sheet, is completed, it should be submitted to your account rep for review. They will ensure all required documentation is included in the package. Once your TER has been approved electronically, Dean’s Office staff will fax the package to USF Travel. The original document will be stored centrally and will be available as necessary for additional review.

The form can be found at the following link: http://usfweb2.usf.edu/proced/fiscal/uco/travel/nonemployeeadd.doc

The goal of travel is to approve travel expense reports within a few days of receipt (after all of the approvals at the College level), assuming there are no questions upon audit.

For all USF personnel, your travel reimbursements will be made via direct deposit. For our guests/visitors, they will have the opportunity to choose either a direct deposit or have a check cut and mailed to them.

The form can be found at the following link: http://usfweb2.usf.edu/proced/fiscal/uco/travel/nonemployeeadd.doc