# Presentation: 526082

## Operation Staff Meeting (OSM)April 2004

- Presented by the
- DCP ARC

**National Institutes of Health**

**DHHS**

## AGENDA

_**General Admin Issues**_
- Video Casts
- Transition Center Services
_**Travel**_
- Comments –vs- Remarks
- Cancellations & Deletions of NBS Documents
- Constructed Voucher
- Other Authorizations List
- NETG Travel Orders
- Travel Card Issues
- Recording In Kind PerDiem
- Non-Contract Carrier
_**Procurement**_
- Closing Out Open Files

## Administrative Issues

## Many of this month’s Travel Issues have been taken from the March 17th NBS Travel Top Ten Hot Topics Meeting.
If you haven’t already, be sure to watch the Video cast (http://videocast.nih.gov/default.asp ), or review the slides from the presentation Jill emailed you on 3/17/04.
You can also add the Video cast list to your ‘My NIH’ page to remind you of other upcoming presentations.

- If you haven’t already, be sure to watch the Video cast (http://videocast.nih.gov/default.asp ), or review the slides from the presentation Jill emailed you on 3/17/04.
- You can also add the Video cast list to your ‘My NIH’ page to remind you of other upcoming presentations.

## NIH Transition Center Services are Available for NCI Employees Affected by A-76

- The NIH Transition Center encourages
- NCI employees affected by A-76
- to take advantage of the services
- It offers to assist employees.
- To view the calendar for
- April training, please
- go to:
*http://camp.nci.nih.gov/admin/news/admin/200404/april04.pdf*

## NIH Transition Center Services are Available for NCI Employees Affected by A-76 (continued)

- Though many NCI employees may have already written a resume or applied for MEO positions, if the announcements haven't closed, employees can still go back and make changes.  Given that, if anyone would like to take advantage of a one-on-one appointment with a career counselor to review his or her resume and possibly strengthen it, the NIH Transition Center will be happy to help.
- Another possibility is doing practice interviews on site, videotaped or not.
- The Transition Center is flexible and open to requests.  All that's needed is a note sent to the Transition Center e-mail address (nihtransitioncenter@mail.nih.gov) or a phone call to the Center at (301) 496-1050.

## Travel Issues

## Comments –vs- Remarks

- _Comments_:
- Have a designated link on the Document Toolbar
- Holds approximately 2000 characters
- Appear on the PDF Preview

## Comments –vs- Remarks (continued)

- _Remarks_:
- Are entered on the Document Status screen and displayed in the Document History section
- Holds a limited number of characters
- Displays Traveler return remarks (if applicable)
- These do NOT appear on the PDF Preview

## Cancellations & Deletions of NBS Documents

_**Authorizations:**_** **
_**Created**_**:**  The Planners, Reviewers, and Approvers can use the Delete Documents feature in the NBS Travel System.
_**Prepared, Certified, Adjusted, Reviewed, or Conditionally Approved**_**: **
**	**** **The Approver has to open the document and stamp it CANCELLED in the NBS Travel System.
_**Approved**_**:  **The Help Point of Contact (HPOC) is the only one who can make the request to the NBS Management Center through the Help Desk to have the document deleted.  However, the Planner/Reviewer must make the request by email to the HPOC to have the document deleted and must provide the following:
- Traveler Name, Document Number and ensure that you verified with Omega that the tickets were not issued and inform the HPOC of this.

## Canceling Trips with Purchased Tickets

- Similar process for regular tickets:
- Step 1:  Return the ticket
- Step 2: Create voucher for the ticket and TMC fee only
- Step 3: Enter payment method for ticket and TMC fee as GTA
- Note:  The TMC will include the credit for the returned ticket on their next invoice to the NIH. When OFM processes the invoice, the credit will be recorded against the appropriate project/CAN information that was included on the original travel authorization.  The credit can be viewed in the NIH Data Warehouse and on the nVision GTA adjustment report.

## Cancellations & Deletions of NBS Documents

_**Vouchers:**_
_**Created**_**:  **Only the Approver can use the Delete Documents feature in the NBS Travel System.
_**Prepared, Certified, Adjusted, Reviewed, or Conditionally Approved**_**:** The HPOC is the only one who can make the request to the NBS Management Center through the Help Desk to have the documents deleted. However, The Planner/Reviewer must make the request to the HPOC to have the document deleted and must provide the Traveler Name and Document Number.
_**Please Note:**_
- Antoinette Wills has replaced Jill Hughes as the HPOC for the DCP ARC.
- Lanette will still act as the backup for Antoinette.

## Constructed Travel

- In the infamous ADB the phrase “Could Have” voucher was used for a constructed trip.
- A constructed trip is defined as when a privately owned vehicle (POV) is used in lieu of a Common Carrier.
- You will have one voucher, but two trip numbers for the document.  You will need to construct expenses and Lodging/M&IE for a common carrier trip to compare costs.  The lower cost trip is the one that is processed in NBS Travel System and sent to OFM for payment.

## This must be done in three steps as follows:  

1.  Create a Travel Authorization for a Privately Owned Vehicle (POV) authorized trip (as normal). 
Create a Voucher: Until you get to “Review Comments”           
                                    GO NO FURTHER WITH            				THIS FIRST TRIP.

- 1.  Create a Travel Authorization for a Privately Owned Vehicle (POV) authorized trip (as normal).
- Create a Voucher: Until you get to “Review Comments”
-                                     GO NO FURTHER WITH            				THIS FIRST TRIP.

- Constructed Travel (continued)

##      We are now ready to create the constructed trip:

- Constructed Travel (continued)

## Constructed Travel (continued)

## Constructed Travel (continued)

## Constructed Travel (continued)

## Constructed Travel (continued)

## Constructed Travel (continued)

## Constructed Travel (continued)

- Constructed Travel (continued)

## Constructed Travel (continued)

- Constructed Travel (continued)

- The amount

## Constructed Travel (continued)

- Constructed Travel (continued)

- amount

- G

- 28.  From this point on, continue as normal then stamp and route the        document.

## Constructed Travel (continued)

- Constructed Travel (continued)

## Other Authorizations List

- A master list of “Other Authorizations” is attached to this meeting’s handouts.
- A proper ‘Other Authorization’ selection is important because they drive which roles appear on each document’s routing list.
- There are more “Other Authorizations” than most people realize- use the list to double check your travel authorization.

## Other Authorizations List (continued)

- Other Authorizations List (continued)

**12-24 Hour Trip w/o Lodging - 3/4 M&IE** – If the trip duration and lodging requirements fit this description
**ACTUAL EXPENSE** – This other authorization fills in automatically if actuals exists in the document
**ANNUAL LEAVE OR NON-DUTY DAYS** – This other authorization fills in automatically if annual leave exists in the document
**CASH ADVANCE AUTHORIZED** - is for those that will have an advance deposited into their banks before the trip takes place - usually FELLOWS or INFREQUENT TRAVELERS
- 	(employees who take 1 or less per year).
**CASH TICKET** – When a ticket has a payment method of Other (cash) in the document
**CONFERENCE ALLOWANCE** - This other authorization fills in automatically if conference allowance exists in the document
**CONTINUING RESOLUTION FUNDING** – For a FY travel that has no official Government funding yet
**FOREIGN FLAG CARRIER** – When the TMC requires clearance for traveler to use foreign flag carrier for part or all of the trip
**FOREIGN TRAVEL** – If trip is foreign travel (at least one per diem location is foreign)
**GOV'T TRAVEL CARD EXEMPT** - When a frequent traveler is exempted from having to use their Government Travel Card for a particular trip because special circumstances prevent 	them from doing so (e.g. foreign location does not have ATM accessibility).
**GOVT-OWNED VEHICLE AVAILABLE** – If traveler is using POV when a Government-owned vehicle is available or mandated
**MEALS PROVIDED** - This other authorization fills in automatically if a meals provided box was ‘checked’ in the Lodging/M&IE section
**MIXED MODE TRAVEL** – Using 2 or more carrier tickets of different modes (air and train, or train and boat, etc.)
**NON FEMA LODGE** – Incurring lodging that has not been approved by FEMA
**NON-CONTRACT AIR FARE** – When TMC issues a ticket when no contract fare is available OR contract carrier ticket at non-contract cost
**NOT LOWEST PRICE CONTRACT CARRIER** – If the ticket purchased is not the lowest price contract carrier
**OTHER (See remarks below)** – Anything that an IC wants to have an AO see and authorize (miscellaneous)
**OTHER PRIVATELY-OWNED VEHICLE** - This other authorization fills in automatically if POV exists in the document
**PATIENT TRAVEL** – Used by Clinical Center Patient travel entry staff only
**PER DIEM IN LOCAL AREA** – Do not use
**PERSONAL DEVIATION-ITINERARY/TRANS MODE** – If a side trip was taken while on official trip
**POV USE NOT ADVANTAGEOUS TO GOVERNMENT** – Used on “constructed trip” when airfare is less expensive than POV
**PREMIUM CLASS TRAVEL** – If ticket is purchased with class type not equal to economy class
**REGISTRATION FEES** - This other authorization fills in automatically if registration fee expense type exists in the document
**RENTAL CAR AUTHORIZED** - This other authorization fills in automatically if rental car expense type exists in the document
**SPONSORED TRAVEL** – If trip is sponsored travel

## NETG Travel Orders

- A NETG (No Expense to Government) travel Authorization can be used in the NBRSS Travel System to “authorize” the traveler to be away from the office.
- State where they are going, what they are doing, and when they will be in travel status.
- Enter “0” for all monies.
- In comments, state that this NETG Travel Authorization is being done for documentation of the traveler being away from their duty station.

## NETG Travel Orders (continued)

- NOTE:  The approver never actually “APPROVES” the travel authorization, but only “CONDITIONALLY APPROVES” it.
- This will allow for the print out of the authorization for the file.
- The Travel Authorization then just sits there in the system and never requires vouchering.

## Travel Card Issues

- Important information to pass on to your travelers:
- Please keep in mind that all charges on the Gov’t Travel Card that take place in the _local area_ must be considered as _misuse_ unless the card is used for a taxi, meal _in an airport_, or parking in the process of conducting TDY travel (ie Domestic/foreign travel).

## Travel Card Issues (continued)

- Further examples of misuse of the Gov’t travel card:
- Use of the Gov’t Travel Card in the local area to put gas in a POV is considered misuse.
- Use of the Gov’t Travel Card to purchase a meal in the local area as a traveler departs or returns from the TDY site is also considered misuse of the card.
- Use of the card to purchase an airfare ticket directly with an airline must only be done under emergency circumstances.

- Refer to Joel Papier’s 3/23/04 email “Trans No. 141” for addit’l information  (attached)

## 348 Travel:  Recording In Kind Payment Method

- Expenses provided by a sponsor as “In-Kind” must always retain a dollar value on the travel authorization.
- LODGING
- Retain dollar values (standard Per Diem) and select “In-Kind” payment method option.

## 348 Travel:  Recording In Kind Payment Method

- M&IE
- Click “Meals Provided” as applicable.  NCI will pay for any meals not provided by the sponsor.
- REGISTRATION
- If the sponsor is waiving the registration fee, indicate the amount on the travel authorization.

## OFM Transmittal No. 136- “Authorization for Use of Lower Cost Airfares” 

- If you find that a non-contract carrier offers a lower cost fare that is available to the general public, and with all things being equal, you will not incur any other additional costs, i.e., per diem, and related travel expenses, your delegated official may authorize that use of the non-contract carrier lower fare.
- Omega should have access to most lower cost non-contract carrier fares available to the general public and lower cost contract carrier fares that are not the contract city-pair fares.
- If lodging exceeds Per Diem, and conference rate can’t be used, use the “Override” button and input dollar amount for the day in the field.

## However, be aware that most of the non-contract fares are non-refundable and carry restrictions.
If the traveler makes a change to a restricted non-refundable airfare ticket due to personal actions (such as illness or lateness), the traveler will be held liable for any costs associated with the ticket and any corresponding penalties.  NIH will not pay for these charges.  
If the non-refundable fare has restrictions or eligibility requirements and you are not reasonably assured that you will use the ticket, you are advised to procure the higher cost, fully refundable ticket in order to avoid paying for these potential charges out of pocket.

- If the traveler makes a change to a restricted non-refundable airfare ticket due to personal actions (such as illness or lateness), the traveler will be held liable for any costs associated with the ticket and any corresponding penalties.  NIH will not pay for these charges.
- If the non-refundable fare has restrictions or eligibility requirements and you are not reasonably assured that you will use the ticket, you are advised to procure the higher cost, fully refundable ticket in order to avoid paying for these potential charges out of pocket.

- OFM Transmittal No. 136- “Authorization for Use of Lower Cost Airfares”

## PROCUREMENT

## Close Out Open Files

- Reminder:  It’s half way through the fiscal year and there are many PSO’s and Records of Call that have not been closed out.
- Remember, receiving should be done 7 days after the meeting.
- For PSO’s, the receiving date should be the last day of the meeting.
- Please check your files to see what’s open.
- But if you’re unsure, please contact your corresponding Admin Tech or A.O.

## OPEN DISCUSSION

- Problems?  Issues? Concerns?
- Anything you’d like to see on next month’s agenda?
- Do you have something you’d like to present?
- Just let us know!