GENERAL:
The University of Maryland Baltimore County procedures have been developed to help the traveler expedite the process of traveling while addressing the policy set out by the University of Maryland System (UMS) Board of Regents Policy and Procedure VIII - 11.00. If any issues contained in this procedure seem unclear, please contact the UMBC Travel Coordinator on extension 2316, or the supervisor of that area on extension 3632, in the Comptroller's Office located on the third floor of the Administration Building.
PRE-APPROVALS:
All out-of-state travel, foreign travel, and in-state travel which requires an overnight stay, must be pre-approved, i.e., approved prior to the travel commencement, on the "Individual Request for Travel" form (Exhibit #1). Please note: Washington, D.C. is classified as an in-state travel area. The Department Head or Chairperson, or the next higher authority above the traveler, is the highest level of approval necessary for out of state or overnight in-state travel. A Dean's or Vice President's pre-approval, whichever is appropriate, is required for all out-of-country travel. In the case of Grant and Contract travel, the Sponsored Program's Grant Accountant, who is located in the Comptrollers Office on extension 3989, should review the request form to assure that the travel is within the Grant or Contract budget. Pre-approvals are necessary to assure that the traveler maintains Worker's Compensation benefits. After the appropriate approvals are obtained, the original of the "Individual Request for Travel" form must be sent to the Travel Coordinator in the Comptroller's Office. The Travel Coordinator will not authorize any tickets, nor will any expense reports be processed, unless the appropriate "Individual Request for Travel" form has been received prior to the trip.
TICKETING AND RESERVATIONS:
Travelers are expected to make their own travel arrangements by contacting one of the UMS contracted travel agencies for airline, train and bus tickets as well as hotel accommodations and car rentals. These vendors have been selected through the competitive bid process. Please contact the Travel Coordinator on extension 2316 for a current list of these vendors.
Travelers should make advanced bookings using the least expensive logical fare via the most direct route, or other reasonable routing that results in a lower fare. When making arrangements, travelers should identify themselves as State of Maryland, University of Maryland Baltimore County employees to obtain the best prices available. UMBC travelers are entitled to
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all governmental and other discounted room rates. Any of the contracted travel agencies can
provide you with the best priced room. Travelers are encouraged to take advantage of all available discounts. The traveler must use United States Air Carriers in compliance with the federal "Fly America Act" when flying on Federal funds to foreign destinations unless otherwise directed by the particular Federal Sponsor.
NOTE: The cost of flight insurance is not reimbursable.
After the traveler places the order for transportation tickets, the travel agency will call the UMBC Travel Coordinator for an approval number. If the Travel Coordinator has not received an appropriately approved "Individual Request for Travel" form, ticket purchases will not be authorized by UMBC.
All approved tickets are delivered by the travel agency to the UMBC Travel Coordinator for distribution. The traveler is responsible for picking up the tickets from the Travel Coordinator. Normally, the traveler will not be called when the tickets arrive at the Travel Coordinator's desk. Tickets will be available from 8 am until 11:30 am and from 1:30 pm until 4 pm daily.
If a non-contract travel agency is used, the traveler is responsible for preparing the necessary Purchase Requisition (Exhibit #2) or Small Procurement Order (Exhibit #3) and coordinating it with the UMBC Procurement Department prior to the trip. This Requisition MUST be accompanied by a memorandum from the traveler explaining why the contracted travel agencies are not being used. The same type of memorandum is necessary, along with the "Individual Request for Travel" form in advance of the trip, if the traveler purchases tickets by any other means and will request reimbursement.
As directed by the UMS Board of Regents Policy VIII - 11.00-1.2, if the traveler must change his plans for the convenience of the campus or if changes are the result of a personal emergency, the campus will pay any cancellation fees or other penalties which are incurred. Any cancellation caused by a personal emergency requires a memorandum from the next higher authority and must be approved by the appropriate Dean or Vice President. This memorandum, along with the unused tickets, must be returned to the Travel Coordinator as soon as possible after the cancellation.
NOTE: the unused tickets MUST be returned to the UMBC Travel Coordinator, failure to do so will result in the traveler being responsible for the cost of the tickets.
EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENT:
All expenses must be submitted on a "University of Maryland - Expense Statement" (Exhibit #4) to the Travel Coordinator within ten (10) business days after the conclusion of the trip. This form must be completed and all original receipts attached. Except where otherwise
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described, receipts are required for ALL expenditures over ten dollars ($10.00).
Undocumented expenses over ten dollars ($10.00) will be disallowed.
All sections of the form must be completed. The traveler and the traveler's next higher authority's signatures must be on the form. If the expenses listed are for out of country travel, the appropriate Dean or Vice President should also approve the "Expense Statement" form on the second approval line. If the form is incomplete (i. e. - missing account or Social Security Numbers, or not appropriately signed) it will be returned to the traveler. All expenses will be reimbursed on the traveler's payroll check.
The distribution of the various copies of the form is as follows:
White - To the Travel Coordinator's Desk.
Yellow - To the Travel Coordinator's Desk.
Pink - To the Travel Coordinator's Desk.
Goldenrod - To the Traveler's departmental files.
Green - To the Traveler.
State of Maryland year end closeout polices prohibit travel reimbursements if the expense is for a prior fiscal year unless it is for a trip which terminates within the last ten (10) days of that year and the report is being submitted in early July of the subsequent fiscal year.
HOTELS, MEALS AND OTHER EXPENSES:
Hotel Accommodations:
The cost of hotel accommodations will be reimbursed on the basis of receipts. Only original receipts can be submitted; the credit card receipt does NOT satisfy the receipt
requirement. Any overage above the single room rate, which is a result of non-official
travelers utilizing the accommodations, will be the personal financial responsibility of the traveler. All room/occupancy taxes are reimbursable as part of the cost of the room.
Meal Reimbursements:
Meals are normally reimbursed on a per diem basis. In some cases, the actual cost of the meal (s) may be reimbursed when the appropriate original receipts are submitted. Written
justification for the higher cost approved by the Dean, Vice President, or President must be submitted with the reimbursement request.
Meals are reimbursed without receipts in standard and high cost areas at a rate approved by the UMS Board of Regents each year. These rates are broken down by meal and are
published when the current rates are established. High cost areas are specified by the UMS
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Board of Regents and are listed on the "High Cost Location List" (Exhibit #5).
Foreign travel is to be reimbursed at the actual cost of meals, with receipts, or at the U.S. Department of State meal and incidental expense (M&IE) per diem rate for the area visited. These rates are available from the UMBC Travel Coordinator in the Comptroller's Office on extension 2316.
A partial day's travel provides eligibility for the appropriate meals consumed when travel time encompasses a period of two hours before or two hours after the traveler's normal starting or quitting time(s) and when overnight travel is involved. Therefore, if you must leave for a ten o'clock AM trip, and will be gone overnight, your lunch is reimbursable. If you return home from an overnight trip at nine o'clock PM, your dinner is reimbursable. Under no circumstances will lunch be reimbursed unless the travel status involves absence overnight. If a person attends a one-day seminar or workshop, lunch is not reimbursable as part of the activity. Any lunch cost which is identifiable and included with any registration or pre-registration fees is not reimbursable.
When interviewing students, faculty and staff or taking a guest lecturer, adjudicator or collaborator to dinner, only the visitor and up to two University employees will be reimbursed at the current standard rate. Lunch will be reimbursed for the visitors only at the current standard rate; the UMBC representatives at these lunches are responsible for their own meal costs. For both situations, original receipts should be submitted as support to the "University of Maryland -Expense Statement".
Under no circumstances will the cost of alcohol be reimbursed.
Other Expense Reimbursements:
Reimbursement of miscellaneous expenses such as business-related telephone calls, parking fees, taxi charges, valet fees and similar charges are reimbursable with the appropriate receipts for expenditures over ten dollars. Examples of items which the University will not reimburse are in-room cable television fees and personal items such as toiletries. All expenses, except where otherwise described, which are ten dollars ($10.00) or more, require original receipts.
Travel Advances:
UMBC rarely issues travel advances. Lodging and other trip expenses are normally paid by the traveler either with personal funds or credit cards. The University of Maryland American Express Credit Card is available to travelers. If you would like an application for a no annual fee University of Maryland American Express card, please call the office of the Vice President
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for Administrative Affairs on extension 2286.
RECRUITING FACULTY AND STAFF:
When recruiting faculty and staff for UMBC, expenses are reimbursed in the same manner as if the recruit was a current member of the UMBC faculty and staff. Please use these same procedures for the expenses of other invited guests, ie. speakers, lecturers, etc..
When candidates for a position are invited to stay overnight, they should have accommodations arranged for them in one of the campus contracted hotels. Please call the UMBC Travel Coordinator for a current listing of these facilities. All expenses which are to be reimbursed by UMBC to the candidate must be pre-approved and documented as follows:
Pre-Approvals:
All out-of-state travel, foreign travel, and in-state travel which requires an overnight stay, must be pre-approved, i.e., approved prior to the travel commencement, on the "Individual Request for Travel" form (Exhibit #1). The Department Head, Chairperson or Search Committee Chairperson is the required level of approval necessary for out of state or overnight in state travel. A Dean or Vice President's pre-approval, whichever is appropriate, is required for all out-of-country travel. After the appropriate approvals are obtained, the original of the "Individual Request for Travel" form must be sent to the Travel Coordinator in the Comptroller's Office. The Travel Coordinator will not authorize any tickets, nor will any expense reports be processed, unless the appropriate "Individual Request for Travel" form has been received prior to the trip.
Ticketing and Reservations:
All travel tickets are to arranged through the UMBC Travel Desk. The departments who are recruiting are expected to make the travel arrangements by contacting one of the following UMS contracted travel agencies to arrange airline, train and bus tickets. These vendors can also arrange and car rentals. These vendors have been selected through the competitive bid process. Please contact the Travel Coordinator on extension 2316 for a current list of these vendors.
The campus recruiter should make advanced bookings using the least expensive logical fare via the most direct route, or other reasonable routing that results in a lower fare. When making arrangements, recruiters should identify themselves as State of Maryland, University of
Maryland Baltimore County employees to obtain the best prices available.
The cost of flight insurance is not reimbursable.
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After the recruiter places the order for transportation tickets, the travel agency will call the UMBC Travel Coordinator for an approval number. If the Travel Coordinator has not received an appropriately approved "Individual Request for Travel" form, ticket purchases will
not be authorized by UMBC.
All approved tickets are delivered by the travel agency to the UMBC Travel Coordinator for distribution, or you may request that they be issued at the recruit's home airport. The recruiter is responsible for picking up the tickets from the Travel Coordinator. Normally, the recruiter will not be called when the tickets arrive at the Travel Coordinator's desk.
If a non-contract travel agency is used, the recruiter is responsible for preparing the necessary Purchase Requisition (Exhibit #2) or Small Procurement Order (Exhibit #3) and coordinating it with the UMBC Procurement Department prior to the trip. This Requisition must be accompanied by a memorandum from the recruiter explaining why the contract travel agencies listed above are not being used. The same type of memorandum is necessary, along with the "Individual Request for Travel" form in advance of the trip, if the traveler or the recruiter purchases tickets by any other means and will request reimbursement. In those cases were the traveler/recruit makes his own reservations, they will have to request reimbursement on an "Expense Statement".
As directed by the UMS Board of Regents Policy VIII - 11.00-1.2, if the traveler must change his plans for the convenience of the campus or if changes are the result of a personal emergency, the campus will pay any cancellation fees or other penalties which are incurred. Any cancellation caused by a personal emergency requires a memorandum from the next higher authority and must be approved by the appropriate Dean or Vice President. This memorandum, along with the unused tickets, must be returned to the Travel Coordinator as soon as possible after the cancellation.
NOTE: the unused tickets MUST be returned to the UMBC Travel Coordinator, failure to do so will result in the Search Committee being responsible for the cost of the tickets.
Expense Reimbursement:
All expenses must be submitted on a "University of Maryland - Expense Statement" (Exhibit #4) to the Travel Coordinator within ten (10) business days after the conclusion of the trip. This form must be completed and all original receipts attached. Except where otherwise
described, receipts are required for ALL expenditures over ten dollars ($10.00). Undocumented expenses over ten dollars ($10.00) will be disallowed.
All sections of the form must be completed. The traveler and the Search Committee Chair signatures must be on the form. If the recruit is from a foreign country, the appropriate Dean, Vice President or Search Committee Chair should also approve the "Expense Statement" form on the second approval line. If the form is incomplete (i. e. - missing account or Social
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Security Numbers, or not appropriately signed) it will be returned to the Search Committee Chairperson. All expenses will be reimbursed on a State of Maryland check which will be mailed to the address listed on the Expense Statement.
The distribution of the various copies of the form is as follows:
White - To the Travel Coordinator's Desk.
Yellow - To the Travel Coordinator's Desk.
Pink - To the Travel Coordinator's Desk.
Goldenrod - To the Traveler's departmental files.
Green - To the Traveler.
State of Maryland year end closeout polices prohibit travel reimbursements if the expense is for a prior fiscal year unless it is for a trip which terminates within the last ten (10) days of that year and the report is being submitted in early July of the subsequent fiscal year.
Meal Costs:
When interviewing students, faculty and staff or taking a guest lecturer, adjudicator or collaborator to dinner, only the visitor and up to two University employees will be reimbursed at the current standard rate. Lunch will be reimbursed for the visitors only at the current standard rate, the UMBC representatives at these lunches are responsible for their own meal costs. For both situations, original receipts should be submitted as support to the "University of Maryland -Expense Statement".
Under no circumstances will the cost of alcohol be reimbursed.
USE OF STATE OWNED AND PERSONAL VEHICLES:
When available, the traveler should utilize State owned vehicles. All State owned vehicles are located at the Physical Plant Department and the traveler should call extension 3220 for their availability. If there are no State owned vehicles available, the traveler will be reimbursed for all mileage at the current standard rate. All personal vehicles used to travel on University business must be properly insured. When using a personal vehicle while on business
for the University, your individual insurance must pay any claims first and its benefits exhausted before the State of Maryland insurance coverage begins.
The Physical Plant Department will check the employee's driving record with the Motor Vehicle Administration for the number of points accumulated at the time an employee requests the use of a State owned vehicle. As required by the State of Maryland Vehicle Fleet Polices and Procedures, an employee whose driving record shows an accumulation of six (6) or more points
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for moving violations shall not be allowed to operate a State owned vehicle. These employees may be reimbursed for the use of a private vehicle at no more than one-half the effective State reimbursement rate. Any employee whose driver's license is suspended or revoked shall not be allowed to operate a motor vehicle on State business during the period such suspension or revocation is in effect.
Any person driving a State owned vehicle must have a valid driver's license, comply with all traffic laws, and obtain approval as required by the University of Maryland System or the University of Maryland Baltimore County campus.
VEHICLE RENTALS:
When renting a vehicle, travelers should be sure to read the entire rental agreement. Some auto rental companies include free "Collision Damage Waiver" (CDW) insurance as part of the rental. UMBC authorized employees, when renting vehicles within the fifty (50) United States, should not sign a rental agreement which includes an additional charge for this (CDW) coverage since this is provided by the State Insurance Trust Fund (SITF). When renting a vehicle in foreign country, this waiver should be purchased and its cost will be reimbursed to the traveler. Non UMBC employees, such as contractors, sub-contractors, investigators and speakers, traveling for the university, will be reimbursed for the CDW when traveling either in the United States or in a foreign country as they are not covered by the State Insurance Trust Fund (SITF).
Travelers should make certain that the rental agreement includes their name, UMBC and the State of Maryland as the customer.
Special attention should also be paid to the rental agreement regarding return of the vehicle and refuel requirements at that time.
Car rental discounts are available to all UMBC authorized travelers at the following rental agencies:
Car Rental Agency Discount I.D. Number
Avis A/A563195
Budget 5720014004
Hertz 200899
National 5600612