Employee Handbook

The Abilene Christian University Travel and Entertainment Expense Policy provides guidelines and procedures for all faculty, staff, students, and guests who are traveling or entertaining on behalf of the University. Independent contractors and other non-ACU employees must also comply with the University’s travel policy. Reimbursement will be made for reasonable and necessary expenses incurred during normal business or while traveling on authorized business. Travel costs are to be allocated and expended within established budgetary limitations and travelers are not to make commitments to travel or to incur travel expenses without first obtaining the appropriate approvals. Every attempt should be made by the employee to submit all travel requests, travel bookings, and for expense reporting to be processed in the Concur Travel and Expense Management System. These policies and procedures are intended for university-wide use. However, if a department elects to institute a more restrictive policy for purposes of budgetary control, Financial Operations will support that policy and will work with the department to ensure compliance.
All travelers are to comply with the following travel expense reimbursement policies and procedural guidelines.

University policy does not define specific dollar guidelines for what constitutes reasonable meal expense, because the reasonableness of an expense depends upon many relevant factors including the business purpose of the event and its attendees.

“Reasonable” means the amount that normally would be spent in that specific situation. The amount will vary depending upon circumstances: lavish or extravagant meals will not be paid for with ACU funds. Expenses for such meals may be subject to additional approvals.

When spending University funds, consider these questions to ensure that resources are being used appropriately and that we are being good stewards of the funds entrusted to us:
Is the expenditure in line with the guidance provided in the ACU Travel Policy and as approved in travel request?

If not, is there a good explanation as to why the expenditure is appropriate? Has the expenditure been adequately documented?

Only University employees are authorized to receive a university travel card. The University has contracted with JP Morgan to provide employees with a University Travel Card. If a supervisor determines that a travel card is needed, applicants will fill out the online Travel Card Application at least two weeks prior to travel. The card will be distributed to the traveler when receivedby ACU’s Travel Department.

Once received, the travel cardholder is responsible for activating their travel card by calling the toll- free number provided on the card. Each travel card is issued to an individual employee. ACU Travel is displayed on the card. The standard monthly creditlimit is $500 and limit increases are requested on a per trip basis via Concur. Frequent travelers are not required to submit a request in Concur and a set credit limit is applied to their travel card which is determined by their department. All cardholders are responsible for the secure use of their travel card and for reporting any fraudulent or suspicious activity immediately to JPMorgan if the card is lost or stolen. To report suspicious activity or report a card as lost, the cardholder should call the phone number on the back of the University card to speak with a JP Morgan Chase representative. Each cardholder should ensure that sufficient budget funds exist before making purchases and only use FOAPA numbers as authorized.

The ACU Concur website will be used on a per trip basis to submit travel requests, book travel, and filetravel expense reports to reallocate monthly charges.

Before using your ACU Travel card, please review and follow the University’s travel card policy. Since the ACU Travel card is issued to an individual employee, if an employee changes departments within the University, they will need to contact the Travel Office to update their FOPA information and default manager within Concur.

To apply for a JP Morgan Travel Card, visit ACU’s Travel website: acu.edu/travel.

Concur is the Travel and Expense Management system to be utilized by all ACU employees for requesting travel approval, booking travel, and reporting expenses related to ACU approved business travel. All employee reimbursements and travel card charges must be processed through Concur. Consideration should be given to minimizing travel costs by maximizing flexibility in travel plans to allow for alternate airlines, schedules, and times, which can lessen travel costs. The purpose of the system is to eliminate routing paper throughout the University for these Activities, to provide a database for trips and expense reports, and to provide an automated tracking process of unprocessed items.

All air, lodging and car rental reservations should be booked through Concur or the ACU approved travel management company.

International and complex travel reservations may be booked with the ACU approved travel management company agent. Complex is defined as having more than one destination or more than one airline involved.

If emergency or enroute changes to travel plans are necessary, the traveler should contact the ACU approved travel management company. Making reservations or changes to travel plans through the appropriate channels maximizes the safety and security of ACU’s travelers.

When a trip is cancelled after the reservation has been made, it is the employee’s responsibility to cancel the flight, hotel, and rental car through Concur or by contacting the ACU approved Travel Management Company.

Concur can be accessed through Quicklinks via the myACU homepage or by navigating to acu.edu/concur.

Prohibited Expenses

The following items should not be purchased with an ACU travel card:

• Fuel in a personal vehicle – If an individual is using their personal vehicle for ACU business, they need to track mileage and turn in a Concur expense report for mileage reimbursement.
• Gift cards, gift certificates, or store credits
• Gifts purchased over 30 days in advance without an intended business purpose
• Certain gifts, awards, prizes, and reception costs – please see ACU’s Gifts, Awards, Prizes, & Receptions Policy when making such purchases
• Cash advances
• Cash as a credit for returned items
• Alcoholic beverages or tobacco products
• Personal purchases including individual memberships. For example: Amazon, Spotify, and Sam’s Club memberships are prohibited.
• Personal utility bills
• Spousal or family expenses unless previous approval from the tax director has been obtained through a Spousal Accompaniment Approval form.
• Cell phones or cell phone monthly bill payments – see the Cell Phone Policy
• Internal ACU purchases such as ACU Billing, ACU Press, ACU Theater tickets, ACU Athletic tickets, ACU dinner tickets, ACU Meal Plans, or CopyCat are prohibited. These purchases should be made using a departmental FOAP.
• Telephone and computer purchases – these items should be purchased through the Information Technology department.

The following purchases are considered prohibited, and the funds charged to the university card will need to be reimbursed to ACU through the Cashier’s Office:

• Alcoholic beverages or tobacco products
• Cell phones or cell phone monthly bill payments – see the Cell Phone Policy
• Personal purchases that are not business-related expenses

Itemized receipts for lodging, car rental, air transportation, meals, and other travel expenses must be provided with the expense report. Expense reports are to be submitted via Concur within 30 days of completion of travel or on a monthly basis (for frequent travelers) with all required documentation. The ACU employee is responsible for ensuring that all charges are being applied to the correct FOAPA.

Out of pocket expenses (including airfare and other pre-trip expenses) will not be reimbursed until theconclusion of the trip.

Approvers perform a critical control function for the University. Collectively, approvers ensure that expense reports processed for payment are authorized, documented, appropriately funded, and compliant with policy and are associated with activities that have a valid and necessary business purpose. Designated approvers should assist individuals, as necessary, with understanding applicable policies and compliance requirements.

It is the FOPA approver’s responsibility to ensure funds are available for the requested travel and when approving expense reports approvers must validate that all transactions are coded correctly, and all necessary documentation is provided.

All reservations for university business travel should be made using Concur and it is the responsibility of ACU travelers to book the lowest and most reasonable airfare through ACU’s preferred carriers (when applicable) consistent with their itinerary, the business purpose of their trip and the requirements of the funding source. Airline tickets should be purchased using the employee’s ACU Travel Card.

Every attempt should be made to make reservations early, since the lowest fares are usually available with 21 and 14-day advance purchases and to ensure that the most convenient and cost- effective fares are obtained. Federally funded travel may be subject to additional restrictions which are included in the “Federally Grant Funded Travel” section below. Upgrades in coach class such as Economy Plus seatingare considered a personal expense unless approved in advance by the employee’s budget approver.

Group travel arrangements should be made through the ACU approved Travel Management Company.

Traveler participation in frequent flyer programs must not influence flight selection, which would resultin additional costs to the University from the lowest airfare. The University will not reimburse travelers for tickets purchased with frequent flyer miles.

When a trip has been cancelled after a non-refundable ticket has been issued, the ticket can be applied to a trip in the future by that traveler on that airline, less a change or cancellation fee. Travelers must apply any unused ticket value toward a business trip in the future, to mitigate any financial loss to the funding source. In most cases the traveler has a year in which that ticket can be applied.

University travelers should use Concur to book lodging accommodations to take advantage of negotiated rates and corporate discounts; exceptions will be made for conference bookings that are booked with registration. If the conference you are attending offers a discounted rate, please work with ACU’s approved Travel Management Company to ensure the hotel is booked at the discounted rate. This can be done in Concur using the Conference Rate Form.

When making reservations, single room accommodations and corporate rates should be requested (making sure the lowest rate available is obtained upon check-in). Employees and students should use ACU’s Sales Tax Exemption form and Hotel Occupancy Tax Exemption form to request exemptions from applicable taxes when possible. When hotel accommodations are booked through Concur, our Travel Agency will attach a link to the traveler’s itinerary with the Hotel Tax Exempt Form needed for check-in. Incidentals such as magazines, newspapers, laundry, toiletries, in-room snacks, and beverages,housekeeping and in-room movies will be considered personal expenses and therefore are non-reimbursable.

Note: All activities in this section are subject to the University Driver Policy.

Travelers should use discretion when choosing ground transportation and ensure they use the most practical and economical option available.

The size of the rental car should be the least expensive model consistent with the number of travelersand the business purpose of the trip. Employees should rent a small or medium class vehicle unless a larger vehicle can be rented at no additional cost or if more than two (2) people share the same vehicle. Due to the exorbitant refueling rates charged by rental agencies, employees should refuel the rental vehicle prior to returning it to the agency. Fuel expenses may be submitted for reimbursement for a rental vehicle that was refueled.

All individuals who desire to use their personal vehicles for ACU business must maintain a current driver’s license and follow all policies and procedures outlined in the ACU Driver Policy.

All meal expenditures are subject to university policies and this guidance regardless of funding source orintended recipient unless more restrictive guidance applies. An itemized receipt for meal expenses must be attached to the appropriate expense report. When morethan one person is included in the meal expense, the names of each person in attendance and their employment or business affiliation must also be included on the meal receipt or notated within the expense details.

When traveling on ACU business, employees will use the request tool within Concur to request an amount equal to or less than the federal per diem rate to estimate the daily costs of meals during their trip and to provide the FOAPA approver the opportunity to see the estimated overall cost of meals. Funds will be added to the employee’s travel card credit limit using this amount.

GSA maximums do not apply to actual costs for meals unless specified in the terms and conditions of an award from a sponsoring organization/agency funding the travel. ACU will pay for 3 business related meals each day, if groceries or snacks are replacing a meal the Travel Card can be used, but additional meals and/or snacks in addition to Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner should be paid out of pocket by the employee with no reimbursement from ACU.

Federally funded travel may be subject to additional restrictions which are included in the “Federally Grant Funded Travel” section below.

Standard tipping guideline is 15% of the total at a restaurant, $1-$2 for each bag handled by a baggage handler, and a 10% tip for a taxi driver.

If an employee wishes to include his or her spouse or family on a business trip, the employee is responsible for any additional expenses, including the difference between meals, transportation, and all other incidentals. Spousal accompaniment on a business trip or entertainment event with a verified business purpose must be pre-approved through a Spousal Accompaniment Approval Form in advance by the tax director or the employee’s supervisor. The completed Spousal Accompaniment Approval form should be submitted with the corresponding expense report.

Employees and students may obtain travel advances for expected business expenses through Concur. These advances are loans and are the responsibility of the employee or student. Travel Advance Requests should be submitted at least seven (7) days prior to the specific date the advance is needed and should not exceed the amount of expected expenses. Cash advances should only be used if the student or employee will be unable to use their travel card for trip related purchases. Every attempt should be made to pay for all travel costs utilizing the employee’s ACU issued Travel Card.

Travelers are responsible for documenting the use of the advance and providing receipts to be submitted in Concur and included with the employee’s trip’s expense report. Any balance remaining from the advance must be returned by personal check or cash to the Cashier’s office, and the cashier’s receipt must be attached to the Expense Report within Concur. Any advance not settled by an expense report may be deducted from the employee’s paycheck.

Travel Cash Advances that are issued for Student Per Diem will require a signature from the recipient documenting they received the issued amount and the student per diem listing should be submitted as documentation with employee’s Concur expense report.

In addition to meeting all travel policies outlined in the ACU Travel Policy, any student, faculty or staff member proposing to undertake University-supported or University-related international travel mustfollow the appropriate approval, insurance, and travel security requirements set forth in the International Travel Approval Policy.

A global perspective is essential to ACU’s academic mission, and the University has long supported international travel to conduct research, study cultures and languages, promote collaboration with peerinstitutions, represent the University, and for other academic, administrative, and sanctioned student activities. The purpose of this policy is to outline the approval process for University-supported or University-related international travel, and related requirements, thereby promoting such travel while mitigating associated risks.

Travel costs charged to grants and contracts must follow the regulations of the sponsoring entity and the terms and conditions of the individual awards. Restrictions may include the need for prior approval from the sponsor, use of U.S. flag carriers, limits on the total amount that can be charged for travel and compulsory use of government per diem allowances for lodging and/or meals. The traveler should check with the specific agreement or contact the Director of Research well in advance of departure to determine if any additional restrictions are applicable. Travel policies of federal and non-federal sponsors vary.

In addition to meeting all other University policy requirements, the following conditions apply to travel charged to sponsored projects:

Receipt Retention
Grant related expenses without a receipt, regardless of the amount, will not be reimbursed on federally funded travel. The grant office cannot accept the university’s missing receipt form for grant related purchases.

Meal Expenses
While traveling on university business, expenses for meals are based on actual expenses incurred. Travelers, who are employees, should use their university issued travel card to pay for meals while traveling.

Business Purpose
The business purpose section of Concur should clearly identify the relationship of the travel to the purpose of the award. When a trip involves multiple purposes, the basis for allocating the charges to thesponsored project must be stated.

Fly America Act and Open Skies Agreements
Use of the U.S. flag carriers is required for all international travel charged to a federal award unless certain exceptions are met. This requirement shall not be influenced by factors of cost, convenience, orpersonal travel preference.

Advance Approval Required
Grants from some federal agencies and most federal contracts require that all international travel, even if included in the award, be approved from 45 to 90 days in advance by the sponsor’s administrative officer. Some non-federal entities require approval in advance of all travel whether domestic or international. Travelers should consult with Executive Director of Research for details on obtaining approval.

Penalties and Fees
Penalties or cancellation fees for airline, hotel, and car rentals are generally NOT allowable and employees should always receive pre-approval before charging such costs to an award.

Risk of Non-Compliance
Violation of this policy, including misuse of a university issued Travel Card, may result in the loss of University travel card privileges, taxation or loss of reimbursement, disciplinary action including termination or legal action.