SSC Guidance Financial Management Series Travel Policy Effective February 2009 Background... 1 Purpose... 1 Objectives... 1 Principles... 1 Practice... 2 Authorisation... 2 Combining official and personal travel... 3 Travelling with family... 3 Personal travel/leisure... 3 Using SSC negotiated rates... 3 Travel arrangements... 3 Reservations and bookings... 3 Travel reservation form/records... 4 Frequent flyer programmes and airline club memberships (including air points)... 4 Travel insurance... 4 Cover for a spouse/companion and personal travel / leisure... 5 Reporting and claiming for damage or loss... 5 Travel advances... 5 Application 5 Return 6 Cancellations, missed flights, downgrades etc... 6 746612_3 UNCLASSIFIED File ref: PG-2
Emergency travel assistance... 6 Air travel... 6 Class of travel... 6 Domestic... 6 International... 7 Upgrades... 7 Other modes of transport... 7 Conditions... 7 Insurance and accidents... 7 Use of personal motor vehicle... 8 Conditions... 8 Reimbursement... 8 Parking and traffic infringements... 8 Taxis... 8 Accommodation... 8 Hotels/motels... 9 Reservations and payment... 9 Selection... 9 Long-term stays... 9 Staying privately 9 Meals and entertainment... 9 Meal expenses... 9 Official entertainment... 10 Other expenses... 10 Reimbursement of expenses incurred in caring for dependants... 10 Telephone, fax, and email charges... 10 Personal use... 10 746612_3 UNCLASSIFIED File ref: PG-2 2
Laundry... 10 Excess baggage... 11 Any other costs... 11 Expense claims... 11 No receipt... 11 Travel Advance... 12 Further information... 13 Related guidance... 13 Forms... 13 Contacts... 13 746612_3 UNCLASSIFIED File ref: PG-2 3
Background As public servants we are stewards of public resources, and we have an obligation to use those resources prudently. Therefore those who arrange and undertake travel for the SSC must make careful and informed decisions that make best use of taxpayer funds while meeting the SSC s business needs. In addition, the SSC is constantly under scrutiny from Parliament, the media and the public, so it is doubly important that we not only use resources properly, but that we be seen to do so. Purpose This document provides guidelines and establishes procedures for individuals travelling on SSC business. Objectives To ensure all individuals have a clear and consistent understanding of policies and procedures for SSC related travel. To provide individuals with a reasonable level of service and comfort at the lowest possible cost. To maximise the SSC s ability to negotiate discounted rates with preferred suppliers and better manage travel and related expenses. Principles The following principles underpin this policy: The safety and security of the individual is paramount. No individual should be out of pocket as a result of undertaking approved SSC related travel. Undue personal gain from SSC related travel is not acceptable. Wherever practicable, individuals are expected to: - prepare a travel itinerary that requires least time away from the office - take the most direct route to the destination - use the most cost-effective options - use public transport. Individuals wherever practicable, will be issued a Purchasing Card to cover the purchase of goods and/or services on the SSC s behalf. Travel costs should be prepaid by, or directly charged to the SSC, where possible. Individuals making expense claims will be reimbursed on an actual and reasonable basis A receipt or other appropriate form of evidence should be provided with any claim for reimbursement. If no receipt is provided you will need to include an explanation with your statement or expense claim, for your manager s approval. 746612_3.DOC 1
Only managers with appropriate delegated authority can approve travel (refer to the Delegations Policy). Individuals may not approve their own travel and related expenses. International travel is defined as travel beyond Australia. Practice Authorisation All SSC related travel outside Wellington must be authorised in writing by your manager (or person with the appropriate authority) before any reservations are made. Your manager (or person with appropriate authority) must also authorise the combining of any personal travel or leave with SSC related travel. The State Services Commissioner or the Deputy State Services Commissioner must approve any travel, which is not on scheduled public transport (other than car travel authorised in accordance with the Other Modes of Transport section of this policy). Please note: All completed claim forms must be sent directly to our insurance broker and not sent to the address on the actual claim form for Ace Insurance. The contact details for our broker are: Insurance broker is Marsh Ltd Address: Level 11, PWC Tower, 113-119 The Terrace, Wellington Contact Veni Williams Phone: 04 474 1178 Fax: 04 471 0800 Email: veni.williams@marsh.com All international travel must be authorised in writing by the State Services Commissioner or the Deputy State Services Commissioner, irrespective of the source of funding. Proposals for international travel should be prepared well in advance of travel, at the beginning of the financial year whenever possible. The proposal for international travel must include: The purpose of the travel The itinerary and business to be conducted at each point in the itinerary The business benefits (or obligations being discharged if that is more appropriate) The class of travel The time the person will be away, and any associated leave arrangements, time off The full cost of the proposal with airfares shown separately from other expenses The code to which the travel is to be charged. Managers will need to ensure that there are sufficient funds remaining in appropriate budget to cover the total cost of the travel. 746612_3.DOC 2
Combining official and personal travel There must be a clear delineation between official and personal travel expenses. Individuals should pay the SSC s preferred agent for any non-official travel arrangements made prior to or upon the receipt of tickets. Individuals may not charge personal travel and expenses back to the SSC. Bills or invoices for SSC and personal expenses must not be combined. Travelling with family As a general rule, staff should not be accompanied by family. In exceptional circumstances, with a manager s discretion and where considered reasonable, an immediate family member(s), may accompany an individual on official travel at the individual s expense. For international travel, the State Services Commissioner or the Deputy State Services Commissioner must also grant approval. Individuals must meet all expenses incurred by their travelling companion(s). Personal travel/leisure Individuals may undertake personal travel and/or take leave within reasonable limits while on official travel provided there is no additional cost to the SSC and their manager has granted approval. For international travel, the State Services Commissioner or the Deputy State Services Commissioner must grant approval. Individuals must meet all costs incurred while travelling privately or while on leave during or in conjunction with SSC business. Using SSC negotiated rates SSC negotiated or government accommodation or transport rates may be used for personal travel where this is undertaken in conjunction with travel for SSC business. Travel arrangements Reservations and bookings For the purposes of planning and preparing authorisation forms, individuals may seek information on fares or schedules and make tentative travel, accommodation and motor vehicle reservations. All travel outside Wellington must be authorised in writing before any reservations are confirmed. 746612_3.DOC 3
The SSC s preferred travel agent is Atlantic Pacific American Express (APX). Travel arrangements should be made as soon as possible and well in advance. Where possible book on the cheapest fare. Note: SSC usually incurs a fee for changing airfares so changes should be minimised If a group (comprising 10 or more people) is travelling to and from the same destination, enquiries should be made about group discounts. Your executive support staff are assigned the job of booking travel on your behalf. All travel reservations including en route changes must be booked through these staff. Travel reservation form/records Use the travel reservation form available in the Internal Management tab of Word. All forms must be saved on the RDMS and filed to file CF-7-1 for International Travel and CF-7-2 for Domestic and Australia/Pacific Travel. All signed forms with itinerary attached must be forwarded to Finance for record keeping purposes. Frequent flyer programmes and airline club memberships (including air points) Where individuals travel frequently on SSC business, the State Services Commissioner or Deputy State Services Commissioner may approve an individual joining one frequent flyer programme or airline club. The State Services Commissioner or Deputy State Services Commissioner may also approve the renewal of any frequent flyer membership. For the purpose of this policy, frequently is defined as nine or more return domestic trips per annum. This is mostly likely to be Air New Zealand s Corporate Koru Club membership, of which the SSC is a member, though other options will be considered. Where available loyalty points or the equivalent should be accepted or accrued for work related travel. Points earned in this manner should be used to reduce the cost of future work related travel. Travellers who earn both work and personal points on the same scheme must track these using the airpoints template. A copy of this document may be requested for audit purposes. Travel insurance Individuals undertaking official travel outside New Zealand are covered by the SSC s travel insurance policy and will be issued with an insurance card. SSC owned equipment is covered by the SSC s general insurance policy. Note that personal items are not covered during periods of domestic travel, unless this is part of an official international travel arrangement. Cover applies from the time of leaving home or work (whichever occurs last) until arrival back at home or work (whichever is reached first). The policy includes limited cover for: - personal accident and injury 746612_3.DOC 4
- lost baggage, business property, money and travel documents - personal liability (for personal injury to any person or for property damage) - excess incurred as a result of collision damage or theft of a hired motor vehicle. Individuals are responsible for caring for their personal belongings and any SSC assets or property taken with them on travel. This responsibility includes taking all reasonable precautions to ensure that the likelihood of damage, loss or theft is minimised. The insurance card must be returned to executive support staff upon the completion of travel. Cover for a spouse/companion and personal travel / leisure Individuals are responsible for arranging their own insurance cover (including motor vehicle, travel, and medical insurance) for periods of personal travel/leisure and for their spouse or any companion(s) travelling with them. The SSC can arrange to extend its travel insurance cover to personal travel/leisure and family members, provided the individual meets the added cost of doing so. Reporting and claiming for damage or loss Damage, loss, or theft of SSC owned or hired assets or personal items are to be reported to Finance within 24 hours, or on the next working day. This should be confirmed in writing (refer to claim form) as soon as practicable, specifying details of: - where and when the incident occurred - names of the parties involved - if possible, an estimate of loss or damage. A Police report may be required. In the case of traveller s cheques, the individual is responsible for reporting to the issuing company. The primary responsibility for retrieving and compensating for lost baggage lies with the carrier. Travel advances Application Travel advances should only be made in those situations where the use of a Purchasing Card is not possible. Travel advances are an inefficient method of procurement. The SSC Purchasing Card system is based on the Visa card brand which is accepted widely around the world. Before a travel advance is requested, Finance should be consulted to determine if the use of a Purchasing Card is more appropriate. 746612_3.DOC 5
Where a Purchasing Card is not appropriate, a travel advance will be permitted for individuals undertaking official travel exceeding 24 hours duration. Travel advances must be authorised by someone with the delegated authority and forwarded to Finance for processing. Finance requires at least three days notice to arrange travel advances. Travel advances can be made in travellers cheques, cash (including foreign currency), or a combination of these. Individuals are personally responsible for the funds advanced and upon return need to submit expense claim documentation. A travel advance will not be issued to an individual with an outstanding travel claim from a previous trip, unless approved by their manager. Return Unused travel advance funds (including travellers cheques and notes) must be returned to Finance within two days of return. Foreign currency coins cannot be re-banked. Travel advances must be accounted for upon return through the provision of receipts. Individuals must provide evidence that travel advance funds were used for official business purposes. The SSC will cover any costs and retain any benefits arising from the exchange of travel advance funds. Cancellations, missed flights, downgrades etc Individuals travelling on SSC business must seek advice from APX or their executive support staff as soon as possible in the following situations: missed flights lost tickets travel has been cancelled by the carrier or needs to be cancelled by the individual not all flight coupons were used downgrades by the carrier to lower class of travel than initially ticketed. Emergency travel assistance APX operates a national seven days a week, 24 hour service, New Zealand wide: 0800 800 483; if possible contact your travel co-ordinator. Air travel Class of travel Domestic 746612_3.DOC 6
All domestic travel must be in economy class, unless business class domestic travel is included in an international business class airfare at no extra cost to the SSC. Travellers must endeavour to book the most cost-effective fare available. International Individuals must travel economy class, unless prior approval to travel business class has been granted by the State Services Commissioner or Deputy State Services Commissioner. Considerations justifying business class travel may include: - the need to travel with a Minister - the total flying time includes at least one long haul of more than nine hours - the need to attend official business on the day of arrival after a long flight - medical reasons. The State Services Commissioner, and the Deputy State Services Commissioner have the discretion to travel internationally using business class. Upgrades Acceptance of upgrades offered by the airline are permitted, provided: there is no additional cost to the SSC (e.g. an upgrade instigated by the airline) acceptance is permissible under the provisions of the Standards of Integrity & Conduct for the State Services and the Gifts and Benefits (including Air Points) Policy. Other modes of transport The State Services Commissioner or Deputy State Services Commissioner must approve any travel, which is not on scheduled public transport (other than car travel authorised in accordance with this section of this policy). Motor Vehicle Hire Conditions An appropriate motor vehicle may be hired at the SSC s expense to meet official business needs. Insurance and accidents The SSC s insurance policies will cover individuals hiring motor vehicles for official business purposes, both domestically and overseas. Therefore, individuals must not take any insurance cover offered by motor vehicle hire companies. In the event of damage the SSC s insurer is NZI New Zealand Insurance Ltd. Should an accident occur, the individual concerned should immediately: 746612_3.DOC 7
report the incident to the appropriate traffic authorities advise the motor vehicle hire company report the incident to Finance. An insurance claim form must be completed for submission to Finance with a copy of the traffic authorities report. Note that if an incident occurs overseas, the individual can seek advice in the first instance from the emergency assistance service offered by the SSC s insurer. Use of personal motor vehicle Conditions Approval for use of personal car or motorcycle for official travel may be given where: the individual has a disability and/or it would be more cost effective and/or timely than travelling by any other alternative. Reimbursement Individuals who have approval to use a personal motor vehicle for official business may claim a contribution towards running costs from the SSC based on the IRD s standard mileage rate. This is currently 70c per km up to total travel of 5000km per annum. Above 5000km per annum the actual running costs must be assessed. Parking and traffic infringements Taxis Payment of any fines incurred are the responsibility of the individual concerned. Taxis are to be used only for official travel (if no Purchasing Card is allocated to the individual) and where it is not practicable to use public transport or shuttle services. Taxis should not be used where costs are likely to exceed the cost of hiring a motor vehicle. Frequent users of taxi s (5-8 times a month) should be issued a Purchasing Card to use to cover these costs. Infrequent users of taxis may use a taxi chit. The use of a taxi chit is an inefficient purchasing process. Executive support staff and Finance hold taxi chits for travel within New Zealand. Taxi chits are not to be used for travelling between home and work unless there are extenuating circumstances and prior approval has been granted, usually by the individual s manager (e.g. the individual is required to work late). Individuals using taxi chits are required to fill in all the details on the chit when the journey is completed. Unused taxi chits should be returned. Taxi charge card receipts must be returned to your executive support staff for reconciliation. Accommodation 746612_3.DOC 8
Hotels/motels Reservations and payment Accommodation for business is to be charged to the Purchasing Card in the first instance. Otherwise charged back to the SSC. Individuals on SSC business should be booked in hotels with no more than a four star rating. For all payments made by the individual - adequate receipt/documentation must be obtained for reimbursement. All personal expenses must be paid by the individual at the hotel/motel. Individuals may use SSC negotiated hotel/motel rates for approved personal travel/leisure when associated with travel on SSC business. Selection Accommodation should be reasonable both in terms of standard and price. In deciding what is reasonable, take account of factors such as: - availability - the nature of the work being undertaken - the proximity of the accommodation to the place of work - safety and security of the individual. Long-term stays Individuals staying a week or longer in a hotel/motel to undertake SSC business should enquire about weekly/long term discounts. Wherever possible, alternatives to long-term hotel/motel stays should be considered (e.g. serviced apartments). The expectation is that long-term stays in hotels/motels will be infrequent and will, therefore, be the exception rather than the norm. Staying privately If individuals are choosing to stay privately they must discuss this with their manager first and agree which of the options below they will claim. Individuals may choose to stay privately when travelling on the SSC business. Actual and reasonable costs of either taking the host to a meal or purchasing groceries/food to contribute to a meal(s) at the host residence. This should be done so by the use of the Purchasing Card. When an individual staying privately gives a koha or gift to their host, they will be expected to certify that this expenditure was actually incurred. (Refer to the Koha Policy.) Meals and entertainment Meal expenses 746612_3.DOC 9
Should in the first instance be paid for using the Purchasing Card Meal expenses should be of a reasonable amount. In general, expenditure for beer, wine or other alcohol is a personal charge while on official travel. Official entertainment All expense claims and payments should be subjected to the test of whether the expenditure was reasonably related to the objectives of the SSC, and is not extravagant. Staff should bear in mind that any test of reasonableness should include a consideration of how the expenditure account would appear to people outside the SSC. Common tests that can be applied are: Is the expenditure building a relationship that advantages the SSC? Are you representing the SSC? Is the expenditure to reciprocate hospitality received that has, or will, advantage the SSC? Is the expenditure for recognition of a significant achievement? Other expenses Reimbursement of expenses incurred in caring for dependants The State Services Commissioner has the discretion to approve the reimbursement of actual and reasonable cost of expenses incurred by the individual in caring for dependants, where the situation is such that the individual cannot make alternative arrangements for the care of their dependants without incurring extra expenses. This may include where the individual: - attends a course - is travelling on official business - is required to work abnormal hours. Telephone, fax, and email charges The SSC will cover reasonable telephone, fax, and email charges incurred for official business purposes. A receipt or other appropriate form of evidence should be provided with all costs incurred Personal use Private use of hotel telephones is a charge on the individual, although an individual may charge to their accommodation bill a reasonable cost of a call to home. In normal circumstances one call home a day to family is considered reasonable on any official travel of more than one day. Laundry 746612_3.DOC 10
Laundry costs, including pressing and dry-cleaning, incurred while undertaking official travel of more than four nights, may be incurred to a reasonable cost. Excess baggage Individuals may not incur excess baggage expense, except where travelling with heavy or bulky items is necessary for SSC business purposes or medical reasons. Any other costs Those with delegated authority may exercise their discretion to approve reimbursement of any other reasonable costs incurred by individuals as a result of undertaking official travel the principles in this document will apply. In room entertainment such as videos, DVDs etc and alcohol from the min-bar are considered personal charges. Expense claims Travel expenses should be charged to a purchasing card in the first instance. In situations where costs incurred can not be either paid for by the use of a Purchasing Card, or direct charge back to the SSC directly and personal funds have had to be used, reimbursement via an expense claim should be made. All claims are to be made using an expense claim form (also available from executive support staff and Finance). Expense claims should be fully completed and submitted to Finance no later than two weeks after return from travel. A receipt or other appropriate form of evidence should be provided with any claim for reimbursement (for NZ purchases a tax invoice for amounts over $50). The following will assist with the processing of your claim: - Attach receipts to an A4 sheet. - If cash has been returned please state this on the claim form. - If you are travelling with another staff member and one of you pay for the other person s meals or other expenses please note this on both claims so they do not get paid twice. Where expenses, such as meals, are covered by a host organisation or included in the fare or registration fees, individuals cannot claim for reimbursement. No receipt If no receipt is provided you will need to include an explanation with your expense claim for your manager s approval. 746612_3.DOC 11
Travel Advance In the circumstance where the Purchasing Card is not able to be used and a Travel Advance is required, please contact Finance to obtain the daily rates to use in submitting the travel advance request. 746612_3.DOC 12
Further information Related guidance Purchasing Card Policy Delegations Policy Gifts and Benefits (including Air Points) Koha Policy Standards of Integrity & Conduct for the State Services Forms Traveller Profile Form Travel Reservation Form (under the general tab of Word) Travel Advance Form Expense Claim Form (print on blue paper) Travel Insurance Claim Form Airpoints Template Contacts Any questions, concerns or suggestions regarding this travel policy may be directed to the Chief Financial Officer ext 6704. APX operates a national seven days a week, 24 hour service, New Zealand wide: 0800 800 483; if possible contact your executive support staff. 746612_3.DOC 13