As the bureau's property manager, Rayleen Cruz says central billing is an administrative boon. And as a federal traveler, she says, she's a convert. I really like not having to do all that. Because, like private companies, the federal government is wary of being charged for things it shouldn't pay for, such as mini-bar and video use. Even worse, the government could be charged for hotels with rates above per diem or for travel that isn't official or approved.
Employees pay charges for mini-bars and videos with a personal card or cash at checkout.
Nine months into the program, says finance and accounting manager Tom Lab, the bureau's nationwide service center examined the thousands of vouchers filed since the direct billing pilot started. Fewer than 1 percent had improper charges on them. The employees like central billing so much that they don't want to lose it. With more than a year of success at the Bureau of Reclamation, Interior is considering using central billing for all of its 55,000 cardholders. With the proper management controls in place, Sonderman expects the whole department to be billing hotels centrally by October.