Logistics

Travel Forms

Boise State University Employee Travel - general guidance

Introduction to Employee Travel

Important Note: Per State of Idaho Travel Policy, expenses related to travel cannot be reimbursed prior to completion of travel. This includes registration fees and airfare that are often made months in advance. Thus, it is best to use p-cards for these expenses to prevent long-term personal expense with reimbursements after travel.

Travel Authorizations:

Travel Authorizations (TAs) are pre-authorizations required before an employee travels outside of a 100 mile radius of their workstation or for recurring vicinity travel within 100 miles of their workstation (such as local fieldwork). One-time local work-related errands do not require TAs.

• RRC employees and student employees traveling with RRC appropriated, local, RRC-managed sponsored project, or mixed RRC funding -- complete the RRC Travel Authorization Information Form.

• RRC employees traveling for COAS Hub-managed sponsored projects -- submit the COAS Hub Travel Request.

• Administrative employees such as COAS Hub employees and the RRC's Research Center Administrator complete final TA submissions and notify travelers once they are approved.

Vehicle Rentals:

Rental vehicles paid with university funds may only be used for official university business per BSU University Vehicles Policy 9040. The RRC Fleet is available for both on-road and off-road rentals within the U.S. and Canada, but sometimes an external vendor is needed. Except for vehicle reservation process and WEX fuel purchases, most of the information on the RRC Fleet website (about renting vehicles from the RRC) also applies for external vehicle rentals - particularly how to handle accidents/incidents and passengers. If unmarked rental vehicles need to be kept on campus, request permission from parkingquestions@boisestate.edu.

If using external rental vendors, the following apply:

• Driver Paperwork: Drivers of university external rentals must complete the Driver Expectations document to be filed with their department.

• On-Road Vehicle Rentals: (such as for conference and training travel) When possible, use Boise State's own Motor Pool Services. Drivers must be 18 and must be Boise State employees or students. Enterprise or Hertz are the mandatory external domestic on-road rental vendors. Property damage and liability coverage are automatically included with state contract rentals and do not need to be selected upon reservation. Ask RRC admin for the account number and instructions on how to rent. The Enterprise contract is limited to drivers 21 or older who are state employees on state business only. If vehicles are not available that fit business needs, employees are allowed to rent outside of the contract but must select all available insurance including property damage and liability. Off-contract rentals must be preapproved by P2P by submitting the Procurement Policy Exemption Request.

• Van Rental: University drivers must take the Multi-passenger Van Training and Quiz prior to driving rental vans (through Fleet Services or through an external rental vendor).

• Off-Road Vehicle Rental: See Fleet Services' Off-Road Vehicle Rental Procedures and follow it closely.

  • United Rentals is a new state contract through which off-road vehicles may be rented. Contact the vendor rep Taylor for a quote: tsinclair1@ur.com.

  • Boise State has negotiated contract rates with Enterprise Trucks, although it does not include insurance coverage. Ask RRC admin for the account number and instructions on how to rent. 

  • If state contracts will not meet business needs, an off-contract rental vendor may be used, but all insurance coverage must be selected for the rental including property damage and liability. If these insurance coverages are not selected for off-contract vendors, higher state insurance deductibles apply should an accident occur. Off-contract rentals must be preapproved by P2P by submitting the Procurement Policy Exemption Request.

• Condition & Damage: Domestic vehicle rentals (not off-road Enterprise Trucks rentals) have State collision coverage. Damage to rentals may be handled through State of Idaho insurance. Take great care in handling these vehicles to prevent costly university expenses and loss of university contracts. Report accidents and damage to Boise State Risk Management & Insurance. Carefully evaluate the condition of the vehicle before and after each day's use. Rental vehicles must be spotless when returned to the rental outlet.

• International Rentals: Any vendor may be used for rentals outside of North America, but it is generally best to use well-known, American-based brands. It is highly recommended to select all optional insurance/risk coverages when renting vehicles internationally. Minimum driver age is sometimes as high as 25.

• Fuel & Care: Fuel and car washes for department-leased vehicles may be purchased with departmental or individual p-cards. Obtain and submit receipts for monthly p-card reconciliation.

AirBnB and Lodging Arrangements:

All contracts for lodging of two or more travelers in a Specialized Lodging Arrangement (i.e. AirBnB) are highly discouraged. For pre-approval to use AirBnB for 2+ travelers, email generalcounsel@boisestate.edu. Faculty/staff and students can never share rooms unless they have familial relations.

Faculty or staff who are leading or sponsoring university travel with students must submit a Clery Act Student Travel Form during or just after overnight travel.

1. Ensure you have an up-to-date passport that expires at least 6 months after the last date of your upcoming travel.

2. Obtain visas or other paperwork as necessary. See U.S. Department of State travel website.

3. Enroll in the STEP program in order to be located in emergencies and get up-to-date destination information.

4. Check/update your emergency contact information on file (employee link / student link).

5. Submit an International Handcarry Form (preferably months in advance) to exportcontrols@boisestate.edu if transporting any university-owned or university-controlled items internationally. Maintain control of university property and devices, avoid accessing files remotely while abroad, and store any necessary scientific, technical, and/or sensitive information on an encrypted flash drive on your person rather than on your device.

6. You are required to consult with Export Control before travel can be approved to embargoed, sanctioned, or prohibited countries (including Iran, Syria, Cuba, North Korea, Sudan, China, Russia, Belarus, Cambodia, and Venezuela) and/or when your funder or scope of work includes military, space, or intelligence. Visit Export Controls or contact exportcontrols@boisestate.edu to further discuss policy compliance.

7. If the destination country is Level 3 or 4 on the State Department’s Travel.State.Gov travel advisories website (measuring health and unrest risk), then there are two forms required for the traveler to complete and submit with the TA (can get from COAS office, specify if student or employee).

8. You are responsible for your own health. The university urges that you become aware of known diseases, illnesses, and outbreaks and consider recommended/required vaccinations in destination countries recommended by the CDC and World Health Organization. Consult with your primary provider or a hospital network’s travel medicine department.

9. Check into international cell phone options, technology compatibility with outlets, customs medication prohibitions, local customs and dress, etc.

10. See Travel Policy 6180 (§4.8) for additional measures at least 30 days in advance.

11. RMI’s Foreign Travel Submission is required to be submitted after the TA is approved.

    • Chubb Travel Smart offers trip planning, travel assistance, and emergency response services to all employees, volunteers, and students.

Airfare:

If the flight itinerary that includes personal days is 1) less expensive than the business-only itinerary or is equal in cost and 2) to the same destination, airfare can be purchased directly with a p-card as long as comparative documentation is provided from the day on which the purchase was made (with date shown on documentation–such as the date at the corner of your screen on a screenshot or in footer).

• Save screenshots or Google Flights search results (first page only is sufficient) showing the cost of airfare (with complete itinerary) for the business-only days and save another screenshot of the cost of airfare that includes personal days, then combine in a PDF and label each search result so the information is clear to P2P, auditors, etc.

• Ensure that your documentation includes the flight you actually purchased.

• Reasonable search filters are acceptable (e.g., no overnight flights when possible, limit number of connections, limit length of layovers).

• The comparative documentation must be included with p-card documentation submitted for the purchase period. If an expense report is submitted after travel, the comparative documentation should be attached for any travel combining business/research and personal travel (even if prepaid with the p-card).

If the airfare with personal days is more expensive than business-only travel days, it cannot be purchased with a p-card because using university funds for personal purchases is prohibited by state policy. You must purchase this airfare by personal means and request reimbursement for the lower business-only travel amount once travel is complete. Retain comparative documentation previously described.

Hotels and Car Rentals:

Hotel and Car Rental costs that cannot be easily separated (two different invoices) must be paid with personal funds and the business portion calculated and reimbursed upon the completion of the trip.

P2P Travel FAQs

(most questions are addressed in P2P's FAQs)

Per Diem:

• When can I count travel days for per diem if personal travel was involved?  Travel days to and from the work location can be counted for per diem even if there were personal days in between, as the traveler had to travel there and back one way or another. Example: You travel Nov. 1-12, but Nov. 8-11 were personal days. You can request per diem for Nov. 1-7 and Nov. 12.

• When can I claim per diem if food was provided?  Whereas best practices advise not requesting per diem when food is provided, per diem can be claimed even when "free" or included meals were provided if the employee feels that the meals did not suffice (snacks were provided rather than a meal) or if the provided food did not meet their dietary needs, including in-flight meals on overseas flights. If requesting per diem for dietary needs when a meal was provided, please make a comment in the per diem caluclator or on your expense report request form. Whenever possible, limit state expenses on travel.

Introduction to Expense Reimbursement

Welcome back from your travels! If seeking reimbursements and/or per diem from your work travel, complete the appropriate travel reimbursement form. Complete the travel reimbursement form and associated tasks ASAP to facilitate processing your Expense Report within 60 days (including approval and processing time) of your travel.

• Travel involving RRC appropriated, local, RRC-managed sponsored projects, or mixed RRC funding -- RRC Reimbursement Request (Travel) Form

• Travel involving COAS Hub-managed sponsored projects -- COAS Hub Travel Reimbursement Request

After administrative staff have submitted your expense report request, you will need to approve the expense report before it can progress through all other approvals. View and Take Action on a Financial Transaction.

Additionally, allocate any travel p-card expenses you had using the correct funding string and account segments in Works. See Account Segment Guidance, which can be sorted by expense category, expense type (can group all international or out-of-state codes, for example), or the type of people the expense is for. If you are allocating to a grant with no OE or no Travel budget, pay close attention to the Expense Category column. 

Procurement and Vendor Services (P2P) - general guidance including

Procure to Pay Decision Wizard - determine proper procedures for any purchase

Account Segment Guidance-RRC - (link only useable by Boise State employees) Look up what account segment to use, preventing the need for corrections. Works often does not default to correct accounts.

Purchasing Cards (P-cards):

• • • P-card Overview & Links

    • P-card Training & Job Aids

    • University P-cardholder Guide

    • How to run your p-card statement / video tutorial

    • How to allocate/reconcile expenses / video tutorial

    • P-cardholder Responsibilities

Purchasing Reminders:

• • • Mandatory state contracts (see state contracts-Boise State or full list of statewide contracts) must be used for the purchase of some types of equipment. If you do not have a tax-free account set up with a vendor, try using the Punchout Catalog for your purchase.

    • Some types of purchases are restricted or have prerequisites, such as:

      1. Independent contractor payments cannot use a p-card, and must go through a specific requisition process

      2. Services - usually done through requisitions and must include a detailed Contract for Services

      3. Software - requires a Software Review Request as a prerequisite

      4. Using sponsored project funds involves additional restrictions

      5. Purchases from a foreign vendor or individual when not traveling there - contact Tax Reporting and possibly Export Controls first for guidance

      6. If tariff payment may be involved, consult with P2P

      7. If a click agreement is involved, the agreement requires Office of General Counsel review

      8. If negotiation is involved, P2P is delegated with negotiation authority

      9. Items with an individual unit cost of $2,000+ become tracked assets that must be tagged - triggered by using the correct account segment

      10. For amounts greater than $20,000, there are bidding requirements

      11. Recurring payments - set up through Shared Services

    • Boise State University is tax exempt. Attempt to make purchases without tax when possible, although this is only required from vendors within the state of Idaho. If you do not have a tax-free account set up with a vendor, try using the Punchout Catalog for your purchase.

    • Always use appropriate account segments (link only useable by Boise State employees) to prevent the need for multiple team members' time spent on corrections.

    • Keep in mind your p-cards per-transaction and per-month limits. See the following section for other ways to purchase.

Additional Purchasing Methods: (these ensure compliance with state contracts)

• • • 1. Shared Services - centralized team of financial transaction experts (see SS Request Intake Form Job Aid) to reduce load/time for faculty and departments

* P-card orders and reconciliation

* Requisition and invoice (non-PO) submissions

* Recurring/automatic payments

* Non-employee reimbursements

* Consultation on purchasing policies and procedures

* New supplier invites to PaymentWorks

• • • 2. Punchout Catalog in BroncoHub allows you to set up an order, which then routes to P2P for processing, approvals, and burden of compliance. OR use the Punchout Catalog to set up a purchase, then reassign to the RCA or Shared Services to check before processing.