Executive Travel Implementation Process

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Executive Travel Implementation Process

• BSC Directors Meeting, Aug 24, 2006

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Why the Change?

• A recent internal audit report requested by
  Cornells Audit Committee executive travel
  approval practices at Cornell are inconsistent
  and controls need to be strengthened.
• Management to implement policies and procedures
  to ensure supervisory review of travel or their
  delegate representative.
• Deans Vice Provosts expense reimbursements will
  be submitted to the Provost.

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Why the Change?

• Vice Presidents will submit their expense
  reimbursements to the Executive Vice President or
  President, dependant on reporting lines.
• All Department Chairs should submit their
  reimbursement requests to their Dean or
  designated Associate Dean and so on throughout
  campus.
• Please be assured the Audit Committee is trying
  to minimize any burdensome requirements while
  maintaining strong internal controls to ensure we
  are not one of the institutions identified in the
  media for inappropriate practices.

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Roles Responsibilities

• Traveler approval obtained in the trip system
• Supervisor/Delegate approval obtained as the
  Reviewer on the payment request
• UBSC approval obtained as Payment Approver on
  the payment request

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Traveler ResponsibilityPre-trip

• Any CU online travel reservations, which include
  air, bus or auto need to be submitted by
• clicking Yes to notify Travelers
  Supervisor/Delegate and enter email address and
  name
• selecting appropriate UBSC Customer Service Rep
  from the drop down list
• Any cash advance needs to be processed via a
  payment request charging G21-A100-61XX and select
  the appropriate UBSC Customer Service Rep from
  the drop down list.

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Traveler ResponsibilityPre-trip

• DFA highly recommends signing up for direct
  deposit. The direct deposit feed to the bank is
  done daily and travelers receive an email
  notifying them of the transaction. Check writing
  is done only twice weekly and there are no
  notifications of the status of the transaction.
  To sign up for direct deposit for reimbursement,
  go to https//workflow.dfa.cornell.edu/forms/apac
  h/DirectDeposit.asp
• NOTE Direct deposit for reimbursements is
  separate from direct deposit for Payroll. You
  must be enrolled in direct deposit for Payroll in
  order to sign up for direct deposit for
  reimbursements.

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Spousal Travel Pre-trip

• Spousal travel needs to be approved by the
  supervisor or delegate prior to the travel
  commencing. This should be done via email and
  the approved request should be part of the
  supporting documentation electronically
  attached to the trip.
• Documentation of how the spousal travel will
  benefit the University must be included in the
  approval request.

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Traveler/Spousal ResponsibilityPost trip

• If you received a cash advance and owe Cornell,
  please forward your check to the UBSC, 341 Pine
  Tree Rd in order for us to deposit it into our
  account.
• Report all trip costs including all pre-trip
  expenses i.e. CU online travel reservations,
  cash advances, conference registrations, etc.
• Trip story needs to be complete. For example,
  if a hotel night is missing within the dates of
  travel, explain why in the Comments section of
  the trip.
• Comply with all IRS requirements, as well as the
  Cornell Travel Policy
• Adequately documenting business purpose
• Business purpose must be understandable by an
  internal/external auditor with no knowledge of
  the person or the trip and how it benefited the
  mission of the University.
• Report travel costs that are ordinary, necessary,
  reasonable, and actual. Per diem is considered
  actual.

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Traveler/Spousal ResponsibilityPost trip,
contd.

• Comply with sponsor requirements
• Certify to the accuracy of all expenses and that
  no expenses for which you are seeking
  reimbursement were paid for by any other means.
• If you are the traveler or if you are preparing
  the trip on behalf of a traveler, scan and
  electronically attach all supporting
  documentation in the trip system.
• Obtain supervisor or delegate approval as
  Reviewer on the payment request.

10
Traveler/Spousal ResponsibilityPost trip,
contd.

• Reimbursement requests need to be submitted
  within 30 days of the trip return date. If/when
  theyre not, an explanation needs to be included
  in the trip system.
• Assign appropriate Customer Service Rep from the
  UBSC as Payment Approver that your travel will
  be expensed to.
• Forward all documentation with payment request
  cover sheet as you currently do to DFA, 341 Pine
  Tree.

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Payment Request Preparer

• Payment request Preparer needs to track
  trip/reimbursement to completion
• For example, the payment approver will not know
  they have a role in the process until the
  Reviewer forwards the payment request to them.

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Supervisor Responsibility

• If you delegate Supervisor responsibility, a
  letter needs to be on file in the appropriate
  Central Offices.
• Audit, Disbursement, Review Tax the UBSC
• NOTE The delegate representative can not
  review/approve their supervisors trip.
• Review CU online travel reservations from the
  Cornell Travel Office

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Supervisor Responsibility

• Review the travel reimbursement request for the
  following
• An authorized trip with a valid business purpose
• Approval of funding source, i.e. the accounts
  being charged
• Reasonableness in costs appropriateness and
  amount
• NOTE a supervisor or delegate should review to
  the level of detail necessary to perform an
  adequate review of expenses. All supporting
  documentation is scanned and electronically
  attached to the trip.
• Ensure reimbursement requests are submitted
  within 30 days of the trip return date. If/when
  theyre not, an explanation needs to be included
  in the trip system.

14
UBSC Responsibility Payment Approver

• Ensure cash advances have been properly accounted
  for.
• Responsible for policy compliance by reviewing in
  detail the following
• Adequate supporting documentation
• Supervisor/Delegate approval
• Accurate per diem rates used, if applicable
• Appropriate/special accounting, which means
• account numbers will be validated against a list
  to be provided to the UBSC
• 4th digit object code utilization, project, duo
  code, etc.

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UBSC Responsibility Payment Approver, contd.

• If a payment request is rejected back to the
  preparer
• and changes are needed on the trip, the payment
  request will need to be voided and all approvals
  will be needed again.
• or if changes are only needed on the payment
  request, please make the appropriate changes and
  forward back to the Payment Approver.
• If the paperwork has already been forwarded to
  DFA and the payment request is rejected, the UBSC
  will be responsible for reprinting the new cover
  sheet and attaching it to the paperwork in DFA.

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Some Homework.

• By 8/29/06
• Due date for return of account numbers and other
  "special accounting" information (4th digit of
  object code, project, duo codes).
• By 8/31/06
• Supervisor delegation plan, if applicable to the
  UBSC
• Payment approver authority changes for the UBSC
  to be completed.
• Email information to ubsc-mailbox_at_cornell.edu

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UBSC Approver Assignments

• AAP, Mohsen Mostafavi
• AAD, Charles Phlegar
• AS, Peter Lepage
• CALs, Susan Henry
• CompSci, Bob Constable
• Engin, Kent Fuchs
• EVP, Steve Golding
• Hotel, Michael Johnson
• HumEc, Lisa Staiano-Coico
• ILR, Harry Katz
• JGSM, Bob Swieringa
• Law, Stewart Schwab
• Library, Sarah Thomas
• Vet, Don Smith
• VP/Res, Bob Richardson
• VP/SAS, Susan Murphy

Sandy Dennis-Conlon, sad6, 5-2246 Sandy Sweazey,
sls22, 5-8766 Lynne Cacciotti, lcc11,
5-8761 Sandy Sweazey, sls22, 5-8766 Lynne
Cacciotti, lcc11, 5-8761 Sandy Dennis-Conlon,
sad6, 5-2246 Lynne Cacciotti, lcc11, 5-8761 Sandy
Dennis-Conlon, sad6, 5-2246 Lynne Cacciotti,
lcc11, 5-8761 Sandy Sweazey, sls22, 5-8766 Sandy
Dennis-Conlon, sad6, 5-2246 Sandy Dennis-Conlon,
sad6, 5-2246 Sandy Sweazey, sls22, 5-8766 Sandy
Dennis-Conlon, sad6, 5-2246 Lynne Cacciotti,
lcc11, 5-8761 Sandy Sweazey, sls22, 5-8766
18
Questions?