Whirlpool Meetings & Events Policy

Transcription

1 Table of Contents 1. Intent & Purpose Scope Policy Statement Policy Owner and Responsibility Roles and Responsibilities Definitions Meeting Registration Procedure Group Air Travel Supplier/Venue Selection Contracting and Signing Authority Lead Time for Meeting Requests Payment and Reconciliation of Meeting-Related Expenditures Meeting Cancellations and Attrition Ethical Responsibilities... 6 Page 1 of 6

2 1. Intent & Purpose The intent of the policy is to: Outline the meeting procurement and planning process Ensure that all Company divisions, departments, and business units plan value-maximizing meetings and register those meetings utilizing the One Meeting form. The purpose of the Meetings and Events Policy is to: Provide planners and administrative assistants with meeting sourcing and planning services through preferred suppliers to maximize their time spent on other job responsibilities To improve spend visibility associated with meetings and events to establish management-level reporting on Whirlpool s meeting activities and expenditures Leverage spending to produce cost savings and enhance the quality and efficiency of services provided Minimize Whirlpool s legal and financial risk To ensure that criteria used in venue selection is ethical and meets Sarbanes-Oxley requirements 2. Scope The policy currently applies to all North American employees. The scope may expand in the future to include other geographic regions. This policy applies to any meeting or event hosted by Whirlpool employees where the following condition exists: Meeting-related expenses equal or exceed $20,000 USD. Meeting-related expense include, but are not limited to: hotel, food and beverage, audio-visual requirements, meeting planning services or ground transportation services are required, regardless of payment method. For all meetings where expenses fall between $5,000-$20,000 USD, please follow the meeting registration procedure (see Section 7 the Meeting Registration Procedure). Meeting registration for this threshold of expenditure will provide management-level spend visibility. 3. Policy Statement Live (face-to-face) meetings and events should only occur when there is significant value added that cannot be derived from teleconferencing, videoconferencing, or other methods. The Meeting Budget Holder is responsible for ensuring that meeting or event travel expenses are valid, reasonable and necessary to achieve the desired business objectives. Whenever possible, live meetings should be held at Whirlpool leased or owned facilities or venues. When company facilities are not available, meetings or events must be held at a site that minimizes travel and overnight accommodation expenses for all attendees as outlined in Section 9. Travel Category Management must be included in contract negotiations and signature. Travel Category Management may also assist in site selection and/or selection of ancillary suppliers. 4. Policy Owner and Responsibility The policy owner is Jeff Noel, Corporate VP of Communications, Public Affairs and Travel. This Meetings & Events Policy is issued under the direction of the Communications, Public Affairs and Travel Organization and the GPO Indirect Procurement Organization. It is the employee s responsibility to know, understand, and comply with this Meetings and Events Policy. The Travel Category Manager within the GPO Indirect Procurement Organization is responsible for maintaining and updating this policy. All questions concerning this policy should be directed to GPO Indirect Procurement. Page 2 of 6

3 5. Roles and Responsibilities This policy establishes the roles and responsibilities of the various stakeholders with an interest in Company sponsored or attended meetings and events. Meeting Attendee A Whirlpool employee that attends a meeting, which is responsible for adhering to the process set forth within this document. The airfare must be purchased through the designated travel agency. Depending on the meeting, all other expenditures may be paid by the attendee with the One Card or may be paid by a Master Bill from the Budget Holder. Meeting Budget Holder The Whirlpool employee ultimately responsible for ensuring that the meeting or event expenses are accurate, reasonable, and necessary to achieve business objectives. The Meeting Budget Holder will advise which payment method is to be used. Meeting Management Supplier The current preferred supplier is Meetings & Incentives. When requested from the Meeting Budget Holder or Meeting Planner, the Meeting Management Supplier may be responsible for the following services: meeting site sourcing, budgeting, logistical planning, and onsite logistics. Meeting Planner The Whirlpool employee that is appointed by the Meeting Budget Holder, whom identifies the requirements of the meeting or event, creates and manages the project plan where appropriate and ensures compliance with all corporate policies. The Planner may also be responsible for the following meeting tasks: o Budget development, submission and tracking approval status o Attendee management o On-site meeting execution o Raising a Purchase Order requisition o Activity Planning o Payment reconciliation Meetings & Incentives (M&I) - The current preferred Meeting Management Supplier. M&I will be engaged via the One Meeting Form for all meetings or events and will perform all sourcing activities. If planning services are needed, M&I should also be utilized for these services. Travel Category Management (TCM) Responsible for the procurement of meeting or event venues and overnight hotel accommodations. This includes recommending meeting management suppliers, maintaining relationships with suppliers, site selection assistance, contract negotiation, and securing the authorized company signature(s) for contract approval. TCM will work with M&I for all meeting or event initiatives. 6. Definitions Attrition Allowable amount of attendee reduction in guestrooms and/or meals without the hotel charging a penalty. Contract Addendum A document approved by Whirlpool s Legal Department to mitigate legal and financial risks and protect the company s interests in hotel or venue agreements. This document will be utilized by M&I when sourcing on behalf of Whirlpool. Master Bill A central expense account paid by the Budget Holder for meeting-related expenses through M&I. This alleviates the need for Meeting Attendees to pay for expenditures with their One Card. Meeting or Event Any event hosted by a Whirlpool employee where both of the following conditions exist: o Meeting-related expenses equal or exceed $20,000 USD. Meeting-related expenses include, but are not limited to: hotel, food and beverage, audio-visual requirements, meeting planning services or ground transportation services are required. Page 3 of 6

4 Meeting-Related Expenses Expenses associated with a meeting or event including but not limited to: hotel, food and beverage, ground transportation, audio-visual requirements, meeting planning services, event production (staging, lighting, audio, guest speakers, entertainment, graphic design, and projection), or security support services. One Card The approved and negotiated corporate credit card. Utilization of the card is required when a Master Bill is not utilized through M&I, due to the benefits that Whirlpool receives from the preferred agreement with the supplier. One Meeting Form A webpage meeting registration form to be completed by the Meeting Budget Holder or designee containing standard meeting or event data, including, but not limited to the business objectives or justification, budget, financial and logistical information. The One Meeting Form is available on the Whirlpool intranet or on the following link: For all meetings greater than $5,000 USD the Meeting Planner must complete the One Meeting Form. Preferred Supplier A supplier with whom Travel Category Management has established standard terms and conditions. In the context of this policy, these are generally meeting management suppliers, travel agency, hotel and/or event production suppliers. Project Initiation Authorization (PIA) A document prepared by M&I which contains information on the meeting and the fees for services. The PIA must be signed by the meeting owner and by Whirlpool Indirect Procurement prior to any hotel or services agreement being signed. Vendor Contract A legal document with an agreement of the work, products and services required to be delivered. In the context of this policy, it refers to the work to be performed by a supplier for a specific meeting or event. Venue A site or destination of a meeting or event. A facility such as a hotel, hall, convention center, conference center, ballroom, auditorium, or restaurant in which a meeting or event is held. 7. Meeting Registration Procedure Meetings should be registered as far in advance of the meeting dates as possible to take advantage of the most favorable rates and greatest availability (see Section 11 for recommended lead times). It is the responsibility of the Meeting Budget Holder to ensure that the appropriate approvals have been secured for each meeting. Meeting Budget Holders should refer to Legal Guidelines for specific approvals required. Required approvals are necessary prior to sourcing any hotel, venue or group air contract. After approval has been granted, all meetings and events (as defined in Section 6) must be registered with Travel Category Management utilizing the One Meeting Form that may be found on the Company s intranet site or: In the One Meeting Form, enter the required information including meeting specifications and the anticipated meeting budget. For meetings/events with meeting related expenses exceeding $20,000 USD, M&I will contact the Meeting Planner to review meeting requirements and ensure that company procedures are understood and followed. Submission of the One Meeting Form for meetings and events (as defined in Section 6) and subsequent contact with the Meeting Planner will also initiate the following processes by M&I: Venue Request for Proposal (RFP) preparation Hotel/venue sourcing and bid comparison reports Site selection assistance Contract negotiations to establish favorable terms and conditions and apply Whirlpool Contract Addendum clauses Page 4 of 6

5 For all meetings where expenses fall between $5,000-$20,000 USD, the meeting must be registered, but sourcing will be facilitated by the Meeting Planner. Sourcing services may be provided by the Meeting Management supplier but is not required. At minimum, the Contract Addendum will be utilized for financial and legal risk mitigation. 8. Group Air Travel The use of preferred airline suppliers for meeting and event air travel is required per the Whirlpool Travel Policy. Travel Category Management will determine the plausibility of securing greater group discounts than the current preferred airline supplier program, depending on the number of attendees flying. Travel Category Management will coordinate with the Meetings Management Supplier upon receipt of a group air requirement. When group air discounts are available to provide additional savings to the Company, the Meeting Budget Holder and/or designated Meeting Planner are required to utilize such discounts. Unless otherwise directed, air travel should be booked through BCD Travel. 9. Supplier/Venue Selection All Whirlpool meetings and events, as defined in Section 6, must be registered with M&I. The Meeting Budget Holder will ultimately select the venue. The Meeting Budget Holder is responsible for assuring that the meeting is held in a facility that allows the business objectives to be met while validating that the cost is appropriate to achieve the business objectives in accordance with the paragraph below. Whenever possible, meetings should be held at Whirlpool leased or owned facilities. When company facilities are not available, meetings or events must be held at a site that minimizes travel and overnight accommodation expenses. To minimize costs when Whirlpool meeting space is not available, preference of supplier should be given to: suppliers for which Whirlpool has paid a cancellation fee that may be available as a credit towards a future program, preferred transient, and/or meeting hotels. Exceptions are limited to incidents where such suppliers are not available and when preferred suppliers do not meet their specific business need. 10. Contracting and Signing Authority Travel Category Management is responsible for managing all contract negotiations in coordination with Meetings & Incentive. M&I must use the approved Whirlpool Contract Addendum with all hotel agreements to mitigate legal and financial risk. Once the hotel approves the contract and contract addendum, M&I will submit the hotel contract and addendum and the Project Initiation Authorization (PIA) form to the Meeting Budget Holder for review that all requirements are listed and pricing is agreed to. Following approval and signature from the Meeting Budget Holder, M&I will submit the PIA form to Travel Category Management for approval. Once Travel Category Management approves, Whirlpool Procurement will sign the PIA and the meeting hotel contract and addendum can be signed. 11. Lead Time for Meeting Requests The further in advance a meeting hotel or venue is secured, the greater the chance of finding appropriate accommodations within the meeting or event s budget parameters. All meetings must be registered with Travel Category Management via the webpage, regardless of lead-time. Large meetings and events or those with very unique specifications require more advance lead-time. The following are the recommended minimum lead-times to submit a One Meeting Form and engage Travel Category Management in the site selection and sourcing process: Page 5 of 6

6 Number of Attendees Recommended Minimum Lead Time Less than months months months > months Meetings registered after the recommended lead-time may not be able to receive the additional services provided by Travel Category Management but will, at minimum, receive a contract review and the Contract Addendum. 12. Payment and Reconciliation of Meeting-Related Expenditures Meeting Budget Holders/Meeting Planners are responsible for the processing and reconciliation of all payments due to any suppliers engaged to support a company-sponsored meeting or event. Payment procedures must abide by all applicable Finance and Accounts Payable polices. 13. Meeting Cancellations and Attrition In the event of a meeting cancellation or reduction of guestrooms and/or meal attendees above the contracted attrition (see definition in Section 6), the Meeting Budget Holder must notify Meetings & Incentives immediately. Travel Category Management and Meetings & Incentives will jointly keep the cancellation or attrition on record for possible application of rebook credits on future meetings booked by Whirlpool. 14. Ethical Responsibilities Rewards Programs - A Meeting Planners or Meeting Budget Holder may not accept reward points in exchange for a meeting or event taking place at a specific venue. Hotel reward points, airline miles, or any other form of organized personal compensation offered in exchange for booking meeting business must not be accepted directly. The points must be credited to the event/meeting master bill or otherwise returned to Whirlpool. Individuals receiving hotel points for their specific guestroom are allowed to obtain the points for personal use. Site Inspections Site inspections are only permitted when associated with a registered meeting in which a valid Meeting ID has been issued and when there is substantial intent to utilize the venue. Page 6 of 6