Guest Speakers and Other Guests
Scott Hall may occasionally pay for expenses associated with engaging guests for speaking events or another one-time event. These expenses may include an honorarium as well as travel expenses.
Travel expenses for individuals who are not University employees but are providing services to the University (consultants, speakers, lecturers, and visiting professors) are reimbursed per the Contract for Professional Services terms and conditions. Please see: Purchasing a Professional Service.
If the event is NOT a short-term, one-time, minimal cost event (less than $600), a Contract for Professional Services should be considered. Before the event, estimate the total costs associated with the guest visit, including the honorarium.
Consult Clarence Wethern before the event if you need clarification about how the expenses should be managed. Please do not pay for guest speaker expenses out of pocket with personal funds and seek reimbursement at a later date.
Any honorarium valued at $600 or more requires the payee to be set up as a supplier in the university's financial system. The payee must provide a signed W9, and the "expense owner" (the employee responsible for hiring the guest) should complete the Independent Contractor Form. Your financial preparer will then use these documents to submit a new supplier request. It may take the Controller's Office several weeks to complete this process, so please plan ahead.
Any honorarium of $3,000 or more requires a "Contract for Professional Services" and cannot be paid through a simple Check Request Form. This requires the creation of a PO in the financial system, which must be completed and fully approved before work begins. In addition to creating the payee's supplier record as above, this also requires the expense owner to complete two forms:
Please plan ahead so that these processes can be completed on time and payments are not delayed. It can take anywhere from a few days to a couple of months to complete these processes, so it's best to contact your financial preparer as soon as you know you'll have an upcoming expense.
Additional questions can be directed to Clarence Wethern.