DLAI 7600.01

1

Defense Logistics Agency

INSTRUCTION

DLAI 7600.01

Effective Date April 12, 2017

Accountable Office: DLAHQC, Director's Staff Group, (DC) 

SUBJECT: Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Conference Approval Process.

References: Refer to Enclosure 1.

1. PURPOSE: This instruction establishes policy and controls, assigns responsibilities, and

prescribes procedures for preparing, processing, and approving requests for attending nonDepartment of Defense (DoD) conferences, and hosting DoD conferences in accordance with

(IAW) DoD Conference Guidance (Reference (a)).

2. APPLICABILITY: This Instruction applies to all DLA activities.

3. DEFINTIONS: See Glossary.

 4. POLICY: It is DLA policy to:

a. Comply with conference approval processes in References (a) through (i).

Subsequent guidance required for DoD/DLA travel identified but not limited to those listed

in Enclosure 1 governs this process.

b. Adhere to the Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO) categorization that all costs

of attending a conference are travel costs. This includes registration fees for non-training

conferences. Therefore, this clarifies Directive-Type Memorandum (DTM) 13-001,

Government Purchase Card (GPC) (Reference (b)), for payment of conference fees and

approval procedures for non-training conferences.

c. Evaluate all expenses to minimize cost to the U.S. taxpayer to the extent

practicable. The potential benefit the event brings to DLA should exceed the conference

cost.
DLAI 7600.01

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 5. RESPONSIBILITIES: See Enclosure 2.

6. PROCEDURES: See Enclosure 3.

7. INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS

a. Use the Defense Travel System (DTS) to seek and approve attendance at non-DLA 

hosted conferences.

b. DLA Activities hosting or co-hosting a conference must complete a Cost Assessment

& Program Evaluations (CAPE) cost estimate sheet showing accurate and comprehensive

associated resource cost requirements. See Enclosure 3 for CAPE submission and actual cost

reporting instructions.

c. DLAHQ Directors, PLFA Commanders and DLA General Counsel will submit 

monthly reports of all conference approvals to the Office of the Director. See enclosure 3 for 

reporting instructions.

8. INTERNAL CONTROLS: See Enclosure 3.

9. RELEASEABILITY: RESTRICTED. This instruction is approved for use by DLA 

employees only and is available on the Internet from the DLA Issuances Internet Website.

10. EXPIRATION DATE: We will reissue or cancel this Instruction by the fifth anniversary of 

its publication date. If not, it will automatically expire effective April 12, 2027.

For

William M. Bowers

Director, DLA Strategic Plans and Policy

Enclosure(s) 

Enclosure 1 – References

Enclosure 2 – Responsibilities

Enclosure 3 – Procedures

Glossary
DLAI 7600.01

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ENCLOSURE 1: REFERENCES........................................................................5

ENCLOSURE 2: RESPONSIBILITIES.................................................................6

ENCLOSURE 3: PROCEDURES......................................................................11

APPENDIX(ES)

1. MONTHLY CONFERENCE APPROVAL REPORTING TEMPLATE..............15

2. ATTESTATION MEMORANDUM EXAMPLE........................................ 16

GLOSSARY:.............................................................................................. 17

TABLES

1. Approval Authority Thresholds...................................................................11
DLAI 7600.01

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ENCLOSURE 1

REFERENCES

(a) Deputy Chief Management Officer Guidance, DoD Conference Guidance, Version 

4.0, June 26, 2016.

1

(b) Directive-Type Memorandum (DTM) 13-001, Government Purchase Card Issuance,

 December 13, 2013

(c) Federal Travel Regulation (FTR), Part 301-74, Conference Planning

(d) Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memorandum M-12-12, Promoting

Efficient Spending to Support Agency Operations, May 11, 2012.2

(e) DoD Cost Guidance Portal: Attending a Conference Guidance Document October 

1, 2015.3

(f) DoD Cost Guidance Portal: Cost of Hosting An Event Guidance Document October 1, 

2015.4

(g) Director, DLA Finance Memorandum, Senior Leader Travel Policy, April 29, 2013.5

(h) Joint Federal Travel Regulations (JFTR), Volume 1 and 2, Uniformed Service Members,

Department of Defense Civilian Personnel September 1, 2013.6

(i) DoD 5500.7-R, Joint Ethics Regulation (JER), August 30, 1993.7

 1 See URL: http://dcmo.defense.gov/ 

2 See URL: http://dcmo.defense.gov/ 

3 See URL: https://www.cape.osd.mil/costguidance/

4 See URL: https://www.cape.osd.mil/costguidance/ 

5 See URL: http://hqc.dla.mil/

6 See URL: http://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/

7 See URL: http://www.dtic.mil/
DLAI 7600.01

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ENCLOSURE 2

RESPONSIBILITIES

1. DIRECTOR, DLA (D). The DLA D must: 

a. Approve requests to host or co-host conferences whose total cost to the Department of 

Defense (DOD) is between $100,001 and $500,000.

b. Approve conference attendance requests for employees at non-DoD conferences when 

the total cost to the Agency is between $100,001 and $500,000.

c. Ensure compliance with all applicable laws and policy in making written approvals, and

will seek and document with legal counsel before approvals. 

d. Report yearly conferences the Agency hosts, where the total expenses associated with the 

conference exceed $100,000.

e. Conduct continuing reporting for DOD hosted conferences when the total conference 

expenses associated with each conference exceed $20,000.

2. CHIEF OF STAFF, DLA (DC), UNDER THE AUTHORITY, DIRECTION, AND 

CONTROL OF THE DIRECTOR, DLA. The DC must:

a. Develop policies and procedures for the effective and proper control over hosting DLAsponsored conferences.

b. Oversee coordination of D Code conferences to ensure compliance with references and 

confirm that conferences provide mission value for the cost and are the most economical 

alternative to minimize or reduce costs.

c. Ensure effective organizational oversight and controls are in place so:

(1) Requests to attend Conferences comply with this Instruction. 

(2) Review expenses on the annual budgets for travel, travel and per diem, conference 

related fees including conference expenses in accordance with 41 CFR 301-74.2 Conference 

Guidance 4.0 Section V. Determination of Conference Cost. Provide managers with financial 

authority access to support effective monitoring and fiscally prudent decisions. 

d. Coordinate with agency central points of contact to resolve issues and speed up the 

process.

e. Report the number and cost of approved conferences hosted during the preceding fiscal 

year where the net cost for each conference exceeds $500,000 to the DLA Director. In addition, 
DLAI 7600.01

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provide reporting information on DLA’s conference attendance and hosting costs and approvals 

when requested by OUSD(AT&L).

f. Approve requests from the D Codes to host or co-host conferences whose total cost to 

DOD is $100,000 or less.

g. Approve attendance requests for D Code employees at conferences 

hosted by non-DOD activities when the total cost of attendance for DLA is $100,000 or less. 

This may be further delegated as follows:

(1) For conferences with a cost of $5,000 or more per attendee, approval authority may 

be delegated to O-6/GS-15 (or equivalent) with TDY/TAD approval authority.

(2) For conferences with a cost of less than $5,000 per attendee, approval authority may 

be delegated to O-5/GS-14 (or equivalent) with TDY/TAD approval authority.

h. For non-DOD hosted conferences, notify the Director’s Staff Group via email 

(DLAHQ.OfficeoftheDirector@dla.mil) as soon as the approving official reasonably believes 

that more than 10 DOD employees under his or her authority will attend the conference or the 

total cost will exceed $20,000.

i. By the fifth business day of each month, submit to the Office of the Director a 

consolidated report of conferences approved for the Director’s Staff during the prior month (for 

example, The February report should identify conferences [both hosted and non-hosted] 

approved between January 1-31). Submit reports IAW the template in appendix (1) to enclosure 

(3).

j. For all conferences the organization hosts, certify the actual costs via attestation 

memorandum submitted to the Office of the Director by 15 business days after the last day of the 

event [see appendix (2) of enclosure (3) for a sample]. Ensure the accuracy of all costs and 

justify excessive costs in writing.

k. Determine whether an activity listed below is exempt and should not be considered a 

conference even if it meets the general definition of a conference.

(1) Meetings necessary to carry out statutory command and staff oversight functions. 

This exemption would include activities such as investigations, inspections, audits, or nonconference planning site visits. Other considerations include:

a. The meeting is directly tied to language in a statute, government-wide regulation, 

or DoD regulation.

b. The meeting is related to an official inquiry or investigation based upon reported 

wrongdoing or reports of systemic problems. The inquiry or investigation in these cases 

generally is conducted by a single official and is directed by a formal appointment memorandum.

c. The exemption does not apply broadly to meetings designed to improve policies 
DLAI 7600.01

7

or processes or to prepare reports, such as “reengineering,” “strategic planning,” and the like 

even if the product of the meeting is a report mandated by statute or regulation.

(2) Meetings to considere internal agency business matters. This exemption would 

include activities such as meetings that take place as part of an organization’s regular course of 

daily business. Some indicia of a meeting to consider internal agency business are:

a. The host is the Department, the event is held in a Department facility, only local 

travel is involved, and the attendees are solely government personnel; or

b. The meeting is a regular and recurring part of the employee’s job description or 

job duties.

(3) Meetings necessary to carry out planning or execution of operational or operational 

exercise activities or pre-deployment, deployment, or post-deployment activities. This 

exemption would include activities such as planning and preparation for, as well as execution of, 

war games, military exercises, and operational deployments.

(4) Bi-lateral and multi-lateral international cooperation engagements. This exemption 

would include activities such as International Military Education and Training events, 

Traditional Commander’s Activities, and other regional assistance programs. It would also 

include many of the activities of the Department’s Regional Security Centers.

(5) Formal classroom training. This exemption would include activities such as regular 

courses of instruction and training seminars. These activities may be offered by government 

organizations, institutions of higher learning or professional licensure/certification, or other 

training entities. However, events are not exempt simply because they offer continuing 

education credits or the equivalent. Even when a portion of a larger event involves formal 

classroom training, this does not mean that the event as a whole falls within the exemption. For 

instance, if the annual meeting of Organization X has sessions that are comprised of formal 

classroom training, but the remainder of the meeting is not formal classroom training, the event 

as a whole does not fall within the scope of the exemption. Some indicia of formal classroom 

training are:

a. The sole purpose is training, as opposed to networking, sharing best practices, or 

other similar purposes;

b. Continuing education credit is available for all event sessions other than meals;

c. The event is held in a facility regularly used for training such as a university 

classroom and not a hotel conference center. However, even if an event is held in a hotel 

conference center and all event sessions other than meals consist of classroom training, the event 

may qualify under the exemption. While location is not determinative, there should be special 

scrutiny if the training is held at a resort or other location; or

d. The means of instruction is typically in a classroom setting with an instructor and 
DLAI 7600.01

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not speaking with exhibitors or obtaining others’ views through participation in small groups.

(6) Change of command, official military award, funeral, or other such ceremonies.

(7) Events where the primary purpose of DoD’s participation is military or civilian 

recruiting and/or recruitment advertising.

(8) Meetins of advisory committees subject to DoD Instruction 5105.04m Department of 

Defense Federal Advisory Committee Management Program, where the membership of the 

committee consists of one or more individuals who are not full-time or permanent part-time 

Federal officers or employees or military personnel.

3. DLA GENERAL COUNSEL (DG). DG must: 

a. Coordinate on all requests for hosting and attending conferences with a total cost over 

$100,000.

b. Advise DLA HQ and PLFA Directors and Commanders in conference planning as 

needed. 

4. THE DIRECTOR’S STAFF GROUP, UNDER THE AUTHORITY, CONTROL, 

DIRECTION OF THE DC. The Director’s Staff Group must:

a. Establish and manage the DLA Conference Oversight Program, to include Conference 

Approval Processes and maintain oversight and management controls for all Agency 

conferences.

b. Ensure Agency compliance with the policy and procedures contained in this 

Instruction and the applicable DoD policies. 

c. Mediate conference impasses between DLAHQ and PLFA Directors and Commanders in 

regards to conference designation and attendance.

d. Respond to queries about conference management and administration, as well as help the 

HQ and PLFA Directors and Commanders fulfill their responsibilities to host DLA conferences.

e. Serve as the official record keeper for DLA conferences. Oversee, maintain, and keep 

supporting documentation that makes up the official record of developing and hosting these 

conferences. 

f. Coordinate with J1 to provide DLA Conference Program training, when necessary. 

g. Ensure the Agency complies with Deputy Chief Management Officer (DCMO) 

thresholds in references.
DLAI 7600.01

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h. Report to DCMO and OUSD(AT&L) DLA-hosted and co-hosted conferences over 

$20,000.

5. DIRECTOR, DLA LOGISTICS OPERATIONS (J3). The Director, J3 must appoint the 

Foreign Visit Coordinator in J31 to serve as the point of contact for DLA staff on foreign 

national visitors to DLA locations for DLA-hosted conference attendance. 

6. DIRECTOR, DLA ACQUISITIONS (J7). The Director, J7 must: 

a. Coordinate on large dollar conferences where a more economical means to acquire 

services for the event may be practicable. 

b. Advise the Director’s Staff Group and action officers of acquisition policy, processes, 

procedures, and responsibilities for contracts associated with DLA-hosted conferences and the 

proper use of payment if under the J7 purview. 

7. DIRECTOR, DLA FINANCE (J8). The Director J8 must:

a. Coordinate on all conferences that exceeds $100,000 to ensure compliance with financial 

policy and procedures.

b. Advise the Director’s Staff Group and action officers of financial policy, processes, 

procedures, and responsibilities for DLA-hosted conferences. 

8. DIRECTOR, DLA HUMAN RESOURCES (J1). The Director J1 must ensure DLA does 

not process requests for conferences on the SF182 with partial payment (i.e.; registration fees) 

via GPC, if events are regular conferences. Registration fees must be paid on the individual 

Government Travel Card (GTC).

9. DIRECTOR, DLA PUBLIC AFFAIRS (DP). The Director DP must process DLA Form 

1923 in coordination with DLA Intelligence; Security Pre-Publication Review Request for 

Release of DLA Information, Nov 2013 for conference attendees requesting to present/speak at a 

venue open to the public.

10. DIRECTOR, DLA INTELLIGENCE (DI). The Director, DI must: 

a. Coordinate on DLA-hosted conferences that involve access to classified information 

and/or foreign national attendees to ensure compliance with security requirements. For nonDLA conferences, the host is responsible for ensuring compliance with security requirements.

b. Advise action officers on security policy, processes, procedures, and responsibilities for 

conferences. 

c. Process DLA Form 1923 in coordination with DLA Public Affairs; Security PrePublication Review Request for Release of DLA Information, Nov 2013 for conference 
DLAI 7600.01

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attendees requesting to present or speak at a place open to the public.

11. DLAHQ DIRECTORS, PLFA COMMANDERS and DLA GENERAL COUNSEL. The 

Directors, Commanders, and General Counsel must:

a. Approve requests for respective Directorate/PLFA to host or co-host conferences whose 

total cost to DOD is $100,000 or less.

b. Approve attendance requests for Directorate/PLFA employees at conferences hosted by 

non-DOD entities when the total cost of attendance is $100,000 or less. Delegation of this 

authority is permissible under the following circumstances:

(1) For conferences with a cost of $5,000 or more per attendee, Directors and 

Commanders may delegate approval authority to O-6/GS-15 (or equivalent) with TDY/TAD 

approval authority.

(2) For conferences with a cost of less than $5,000 per attendee, Directors and 

Commanders may delegate approval authority to O-5/GS-14 (or equivalent) with TDY/TAD 

approval authority.

 c. Ensure compliance with references and that conference attendance provides:

(1) Value

(2) The most economical alternative to minimize or reduce costs. Where the

situation is the latter, ensure disclosure of the total conference costs.

 d. Coordinate with the DLA Director before considering hosting a conference that costs 

over $100,000.

e. Oversee coordination on activity-hosted conferences ensuring compliance with references 

and confirming that the conference provides mission value for associated cost, and use of the 

most economical option to minimize or reduce costs.

f. For non-DOD hosted conferences, notify the Director’s Staff Group via email 

(DLAHQ.OfficeoftheDirector@dla.mil) as soon as the approving official reasonably believes 

that more than 10 DOD employees under his or her authority will attend the conference or the 

total cost will exceed $20,000.

g. By the fifth business day of each month, submit to the Office of the Director a 

consolidated report of conferences approved by the respective Directorate or PLFA during the 

prior month (for example, the February report should identify conferences [both hosted and nonhosted] approved between January 1-31). Submit the report IAW the template in appendix (1) of 

enclosure (3).
DLAI 7600.01

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h. For all conferences, the organization hosts, certify the actual costs via attestation

memorandum submitted to the Office of the Director by 15 business days after the last day of 

the event [see appendix (2) of enclosure (3) for a sample]. Ensure the accuracy of all costs and 

excessive costs are justified in writing.

i. Determine whether an activity listed below is exempt and should not be considered a 

conference even if it meets the general definition of a conference.

(1) Meetings necessary to carry out statutory command and staff oversight functions. 

This exemption would include activities such as investigations, inspections, audits, or nonconference planning site visits. Other considerations include:

a. The meeting is directly tied to language in a statute, government-wide regulation, 

or DoD regulation.

b. The meeting is related to an official inquiry or investigation based upon reported 

wrongdoing or reports of systemic problems. The inquiry or investigation in these cases 

generally is conducted by a single official and is directed by a formal appointment memorandum.

c. The exemption does not apply broadly to meetings designed to improve policies 

or processes or to prepare reports, such as “reengineering,” “strategic planning,” and the like 

even if the product of the meeting is a report mandated by statute or regulation.

(2) Meetings to considere internal agency business matters. This exemption would 

include activities such as meetings that take place as part of an organization’s regular course of 

daily business. Some indicia of a meeting to consider internal agency business are:

a. The host is the Department, the event is held in a Department facility, only local 

travel is involved, and the attendees are solely government personnel; or

b. The meeting is a regular and recurring part of the employee’s job description or 

job duties.

(3) Meetings necessary to carry out planning or execution of operational or operational 

exercise activities or pre-deployment, deployment, or post-deployment activities. This 

exemption would include activities such as planning and preparation for, as well as execution of, 

war games, military exercises, and operational deployments.

(4) Bi-lateral and multi-lateral international cooperation engagements. This exemption 

would include activities such as International Military Education and Training events, 

Traditional Commander’s Activities, and other regional assistance programs. It would also 

include many of the activities of the Department’s Regional Security Centers.

(5) Formal classroom training. This exemption would include activities such as regular 

courses of instruction and training seminars. These activities may be offered by government 

organizations, institutions of higher learning or professional licensure/certification, or other 

training entities. However, events are not exempt simply because they offer continuing 
DLAI 7600.01

12

education credits or the equivalent. Even when a portion of a larger event involves formal 

classroom training, this does not mean that the event as a whole falls within the exemption. For 

instance, if the annual meeting of Organization X has sessions that are comprised of formal 

classroom training, but the remainder of the meeting is not formal classroom training, the event 

as a whole does not fall within the scope of the exemption. Some indicia of formal classroom 

training are:

a. The sole purpose is training, as opposed to networking, sharing best practices, or 

other similar purposes;

b. Continuing education credit is available for all event sessions other than meals;

c. The event is held in a facility regularly used for training such as a university 

classroom and not a hotel conference center. However, even if an event is held in a hotel 

conference center and all event sessions other than meals consist of classroom training, the event 

may qualify under the exemption. While location is not determinative, there should be special 

scrutiny if the training is held at a resort or other location; or

d. The means of instruction is typically in a classroom setting with an instructor and 

not speaking with exhibitors or obtaining others’ views through participation in small groups.

(6) Change of command, official military award, funeral, or other such ceremonies.

(7) Events where the primary purpose of DoD’s participation is military or civilian 

recruiting and/or recruitment advertising.

(8) Meetins of advisory committees subject to DoD Instruction 5105.04m Department of 

Defense Federal Advisory Committee Management Program, where the membership of the 

committee consists of one or more individuals who are not full-time or permanent part-time 

Federal officers or employees or military personnel.
13

ENCLOSURE 3

PROCEDURES

1. APPROVAL AUTHORITY THRESHOLDS. 

a. Approval Authority Thresholds for conference attendance follow: 

Table 1 –Approval Thresholds

Conference Type Threshold

(Total Cost)

Approval Authority

DLA 

Suggested 

Timeline 

DLA Hosted or CoHosted

> $500K USD/AT&L 6 Months

>$100K -

$500K

DLA HQ Director 3 Months

</= $100K J Code Director/PLFA 

Commander/DLA Chief of Staff (D 

Codes)

3 Months

DLA Personnel 

Attending non-DOD 

Hosted Event

>$500K USD/AT&L 6 Months

>$100K -

$500K

DLA Director 1 Month

</=$100K

J Code Director/PLFA 

Commander/DLA Chief of Staff (D 

Codes), delegable as follows:

10 Business 

Days

Total cost of 

$5,000 or more 

for each attendee

O-6/GS-15 (or 

equivalent) with 

TDY/TAD 

approval authority

Total cost of less 

than $5,000 per 

attendee

O-5/GS-14 (or 

equivalent) with 

TDY/TAD 

approval authority

b. These thresholds are all conference costs excluding manpower. See the Glossary and 

reference (a) for Conference Costs definition. The Director’s Staff Group will ensure the 

Agency does not breach any of the thresholds listed in Table 1. Each activity must follow the 

methods and principles on the Cost Guidance Portal8 to estimate costs for attending or hosting a 

conference. DLAHQ requires conference requests to meet the following criteria.

2. DETERMINING CONFERENCE COSTS

 a. Establish cost using the DTS Portal for Meals/Per Diem. If you are awaiting final travel

approval before creating your travel authorization/orders in DTS, Per Diem and Mileage Rates

 8 See URL: https://www.cape.osd.mil/CostGuidance/
14

are accessible through the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Website.

 b. Consider all travel related expenses for the cost estimate, i.e., tolls, baggage fees,

registration fees, rental car, parking, gas, etc.

c. Find more information and guidance on which costs to include in calculating conference 

costs in reference (a) and the Glossary.

3. ATTENDANCE AT CONFERENCES HOSTED BY OTHER ENTITIES (DOD OR NONDOD)

a. APPROVAL:

(1) Record conference attendance requests and approvals in DTS. Cost Assessment 

Program Estimates (CAPEs) are not required. 

(2) Complete these steps in DTS to ensure accurate tracking of conference expenses:

• Select “Conference Attendance” from the “Trip Purpose” dropdown menu.

• In the “Trip Description” field, provide the following information:

1. Conference Name

2. Dates Attending

3. Location

4. Organization Hosting the Conference

5. Indicate if this is a DOD Hosted or Co-Hosted Conference

(3) When approving the conference, the approving official should certify that all 

information is accurate and complete to the best of their ability, and provide the proper 

information in the “Trip Description” field. Try to remove any cost for meals or heavy 

refreshments with the conference. If this is not possible, separate meals and heavy refreshments 

from the conference cost, and the approving official should ensure the requester reduces their per 

diem by the cost of the meals. 

(4) The DLA Director must approve in writing attendance at conferences hosted by nonDoD entities in which the total cost to the Agency is more than $100,000. The Director’s Staff 

Group will work with DLAHQ Directorates/PLFA Commanders, and General Counsel to receive 

the DLA Director’s written approval on high cost conferences. Further guidance is in Paragraph 

5 below. 

b. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS-

(1) Email the Director’s Staff Group (DLAHQ.OfficeoftheDirector@dla.mil) whenever 

the approving official decides more than 10 DOD employees under his or her authority will 

attend the conference or the total cost will exceed $20,000.
15

(2) DLAHQ Directorates/PLFAs/General Counsel/DLA Chief of Staff- Submit a 

consolidated monthly 

report of all conference approvals to the Director’s Staff Group 

(DLAHQ.OfficeoftheDirector@dla.mil) by the fifth of each month. The format for this report is 

in appendix (1) to enclosure (3). 

(3) Attestation Memos are not required.

4. HOSTING AND CO-HOSTING CONFERENCES

a. The thresholds and time lines for hosting or co-hosting conferences are in Table 1 –

Approval Thresholds. Any DLA Activity seeking approval to Host or Co-Host an event with a 

total cost over $100,000 must coordinate with the Director’s Staff Group to obtain DLA 

Director’s approval.

b. When a DLA Component hosts a conference and it appears the total cost to the 

Department of Defense will exceed $100,000, the conference host must obtain approval for the 

conference for the entire Department.

c. Report Foreign Nationals attending a DLA-hosted conference to the Foreign Visit 

Coordinator in J31 and DLA Intelligence.

d. APPROVAL. Requests to host a Conference must meet the following criteria:

(1) Complete a Cost Assessment Program Estimate (CAPE): You must complete a CAPE

for DLA-hosted or co-hosted conferences. Complete all blocks on the Event Hosting Cost 

Estimate found at: 

https://www.cape.osd.mil/costguidance/CostOfHostingEvent/HostingEventWorksheet_PROD.as

p

(2) Documenting approval:

(a) For hosted conferences with a total cost of $100,000 or less, the approval 

authority should certify that all information provided on the CAPE is accurate and complete to 

the best of their ability. Approval to host the conference shall be documented through a 

memorandum on organizational letterhead signed by the approval authority. 

(b) For hosted conferences requiring DLA Director or above approval (>$100,000), 

submit the conference request package via TMT as directed in paragraph 5 below.

e. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS:

(1) Send a copy of the CAPE and the approval memorandum to the Director’s 

Support Group (DLAHQ.OfficeoftheDirector@dla.mil). 
16

(2) By 15 business days after the end of the hosted or co-hosted conference, the

hosting activity must provide actual costs to the DLAHQ.OfficeoftheDirector@dla.mil via an 

Attestation Memorandum (Appendix 2 to Enclosure 3). Complete the attestation memorandum

on your organization’s letterhead.

 

(3) Additional reporting is necessary when the costs of hosted or co-hosted conferences

exceeds $20,000. The Director’s Staff Group will report DLA-hosted conference attendance 

actual costs to OUSD(AT&L) via the DoD Conference Tool 

(https://eitsdext.osd.mil/sites/DoDConferenceTool/Pages/home.aspx) when required.

5. CONFERENCES REQUIRING DLA DIRECTOR’S APPROVAL

a. The DLA Director must approve in writing conferences with a total cost to the Agency 

of more than $100,000. The Director’s Staff Group will work with DLAHQ Directorates/PLFA 

Commanders/General Counsel to identify high cost conferences and will provide more guidance 

on a case-by-case basis. 

b. Once the J/D Code Director, PLFA Commander or DG has approved attendance, 

submit the conference request package via TMT by following these steps:

(1) The requesting organization begins a new request and fills out all the required

areas for submission to DLAHQ DSG.

(2) The “subject” should read: Conference – [the name of the conference]. Be sure to 

include the word “Conference in the Subject Line. Press SAVE and annotate your TMT number 

for your records.

(3) Next, Click “OTHER ACTION”

(4) Next, Click “SUBMIT FOR COORDINATION APPROVAL”

(5) In the “hour glass” search for “conference” and the DSG APPROVAL 

TEMPLATE” 

will appear

(6) Click Ok, and upload documents into the “MY TABS” section.

6. PRESENTING OR SPEAKING AT A CONFERENCE

 a. If presenting or speaking at a place open to the public, submit the material and request 

approval form DLA Intelligence and DLA Public Affairs on DLA Form 1923. Submit the

conference request with the presenting or speaking material and the approved DLA Form 1923 

for final DLA DG (General Counsel) review. If there is no physical material, include a summary

of the material. All DLA employees who intend to speak at a non-DoD hosted event must obtain 

a legal opinion from their ethics counsel before their participation.
17

APPENDIX 1 TO ENCLOSURE 3

MONTHLY CONFERENCE APPROVAL REPORTING TEMPLATE

Event Date Event Event Location

TMT 

Number

# of 

Attendees Host

 Est. Cost of 

Event 

 Projected 

Travel Costs 

 Total 

Conference 

Expenses 

Approving 

Authority / 

Date

Brief Explanation How Conf. 

Advances Agency Mission ORG

DoD 

Hosted

NonDoD 

Hosted

DoD CoSponsor

09.28.2015 

(3 Days)

Capitalware's MQ Technical 

Conference v2.0.1.5 (MQTC) Sandusky, OH 20772 1 Capitalware Inc. $ 500.00 $ 985.15 $ 1,485.15

Mr. John Doe

9/1/2015

Technologies critical to all of 

the diverse MQ related 

applications used by DLA and 

others in DoD are covered

J62 X

09.28.2015 

(3 Days)

NDTA USTRANSCOM Fall 

Meeting/Expo '15 National Harbor, MD 22827 4 NDTA $ 3,015.00 $ 2,107.00 $ 5,122.00

Ms. Jane Smith

7/23/2015 Booth Reps J34 X
18

APPENDIX 2 TO ENCLOSURE 3

ATTESTATION MEMORANDUM EXAMPLE

 
19

GLOSSARY

PART I. ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

CFR Code of Federal Regulations

CAPE Cost Assessment & Program Evaluations

DLA Defense Logistics Agency

DLAHQ Defense Logistics Agency Headquarters

DTIC Defense Technical Information Center

DTMO Defense Travel Management Office

DTS Defense Travel System

DoD Department of Defense

DCMO Deputy Chief Management Officer

DTM Directive-Type Memorandum

FTR Federal Travel Regulation

GSA General Services Administration

GPC Government Purchase Card

IAW In Accordance With

JER Joint Ethics Regulation

JFTR Joint Federal Travel Regulation

OMB Office of Management and Budget

OUSD(AT&L) Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology

and Logistics)

OUSD(P&R) Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and

Readiness) OSD Office of the Secretary of Defense

TMT Task Management Tracker

PART II. DEFINITIONS

Conference: The term “conference” is defined in this Issuance as it is in the Federal Travel 

Regulation (FTR), Joint Federal Travel Regulations (JFTR), and Joint Travel Regulations

(JTR) as, “[a] meeting, retreat, seminar, symposium, or event that involves attendee travel. 

The term ‘conference’ also applies to training activities that are considered conferences 

under 5 CFR 410.404.”9 Indicia of a formal conference often include, but are not limited to, 

registration, registration fees, a published substantive agenda, and scheduled speakers or

discussion panels. Events within the local duty location that do not require travel 

authorization may also qualify as a conference for the purposes of this guidance. 

Conference vice Training: The term ‘conference’ also applies to training activities

considered to be conferences under 5 CFR 410.404, “Determining if a Conference is a

Training Activity”. Some training events may qualify as conferences for the purposes of this

 9 Deputy Chief Management Officer Guidance, DoD Conference Guidance, Version 4.0, June 26, 2016.
20

Issuance, particularly if they take place in a hotel or conference center. Formal classroom

training, however, includes activities such as regular courses of instruction or training

seminars. These activities may be offered by government organizations, institutions of higher 

learning, or professional licensure/certification, or other training entities. Some indicia of 

formal classroom training are:

(1) The sole purpose is training, as opposed to networking, sharing best practices, or 

other similar purposes.

(2) Continuing education credit is available for all event sessions other than meals.

(3) The event is held in a facility regularly used for training such as a university 

classroom and not a hotel or conference center. However, if an event is held in a hotel or 

conference center and all event sessions other than meals consist of classroom training, the 

event may qualify under the exemption. While location is not determinative, there will be 

special scrutiny if the training is held at a resort or other location.

(4) The means of instruction is typically in a classroom setting with an instructor and 

not speaking with exhibitors or obtaining others’ views through participation in small groups. 

Conference Expenses: Conference expenses are defined as all direct and indirect conference

costs paid by the Department, IAW 41 CFR 301-74.2, whether paid directly by agencies, or

reimbursed by agencies to travelers or others associated with the conference. For the 

purposes of this guidance, conference expenses include, but are not limited to:

(1) Authorized travel and per diem expenses for all DoD-sponsored attendees, 

including both government and non-government employees

(2) Hire of rooms for official business

(3) Audiovisual and other equipment usage

(4) Computer and telephone access fees

(5) Light refreshments and other food and beverages

(6) Printing

(7) Registration, exhibitor, sponsor, or conference fees for all DoD-sponsored 

attendees, including both government and non-government employees

(8) Ground transportation and/or parking fees

(9) Outlays for conference preparation and planning
21

(10) Speaker fees

(11) Administrative expenses

Do not include Federal employee time for conference preparation, attendance, or travel time 

in route. Also, do not include security costs to ensure the safety of attending government 

officials in conference expense calculations. 

Virtual Conferences: Virtual conferences are defined as any remotely accessed conference.

DLAHQ approval for virtual conferences is required IAW Enclosure 3, Approval

Procedures, only if there is a fee associated with it.