Interim Covid-19 Guidance:

NCSA Travel/Events/Purchasing

Campus Air Travel Policy

In accordance with University policy and the convenience of the traveler, employees must seek the lowest available fare when making commercial airline reservations. To obtain the best fares, airline tickets should be purchased as soon as department authorization is received, preferably a minimum of three weeks prior to departure.

NCSA additional Air Travel Policy

  • All travel has to be pre-approved in the Savannah Travel Plan Tool before a ticket can be purchased.  https://internal.ncsa.illinois.edu/mis/travelplan/index.php
  • Any personal time (days) taken at beginning or end of travel requires proof of both fare scenarios. If your personal airfare requirements results in a higher cost to the university, you will be required to buy the ticket and get reimbursed only for the lower fare amount when you return.  ie. conference on Monday, it's reasonable to travel on Sunday but if you wanted to go on Saturday then you need to show an itinerary of both scenarios.   IF going early/staying later is a saving in airfare, a t-card can be used at time of purchase, but you still need to provide both itinerary in TEM.

University Business Travel Policies   https://www.obfs.uillinois.edu/travel/ 

Options to Reserve/Purchase Air Travel

PREFERRED: You can contact our clerical (Deanna Spivey) with travel information and ask her to coordinate with the travel agent to provide airline options.

You can book and pay for your travel arrangements on your personal credit card and request reimbursement after returning from the trip (Not a preferred method by the university, but still acceptable.)  This is not generally recommended because flight changes, conference / meeting cancellations, unexpected circumstances could lead to issues with your reimbursement.

Steps to Plan Travel

  1. Fill out Deanna'a form with your preferences such as frequent flyer number, preferred seats (e.g. aisle), etc. -**Will Update when I know what form this is and where it is (SLB)**
    • You should only need to do this once - the first time you travel
  2. Determine your preferred travel dates
  3. Depending on new NCSA Purchasing Policy to be released in 2020 - you may need to enter your own MIS Tools/Savannah Travel plan (link above) and create a new Travel Plan with these dates and some estimated costs
  4. Contact Deanna to let her know the information - send her
    • conference link
    • justification for travel (a sentence or two)
    • preferred travel dates and example airline flights/prices
    • hotel
    • rental car info if needed
  5. Deanna will work with the travel agent to provide options
  6. You select one of the options
  7. Ask Deanna to book the conference, lodging, car, etc. for associated travel dates
  8. Deanna will create/update the Travel Plan - (which you may have already submitted)
  9. Deanna will create an entry in TEM

After Traveling

  1. Make sure you get a copy of your hotel receipt that shows $0 balance when you check out
  2. Provide all necessary receipts to Deanna
    1. Hotel
    2. Car Rental
    3. Parking Receipts
    4. etc.
    5. Food is not reimbursable since you are paid Per Diem during the days you are traveling
  3. Deanna will enter these in TEM and you will need to approve the TEM entry
  4. This entry will be approved by finance and will be sent to campus for payment/reimbursement (as needed)
  5. You may receive a notification from TEM that says:  "Your expense report titled XXXXXXX has been escalated to Ruth M Franklin Sosnoff because your manager did not approve it within 10 calendar days." Usually in this case it is the Business Office that hasn't "clicked the approve button". In this case, please forward the email to Deanna and she will send it up the chain to be approved.



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