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Recommendations on New Travel Business Model for LBNL January 11, 2007

Recommendations on New Travel Business Model for LBNL January 11, 2007. Project Participants. Outline. Travel Facts The Problem Feedback from Travelers & Divisions Recommendations. LBL Travel Facts (FY06). Business Analysis-The Problem. Lack of leadership; staffing issues

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Recommendations on New Travel Business Model for LBNL January 11, 2007

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  1. Recommendations on New Travel Business Model for LBNL January 11, 2007

  2. Project Participants

  3. Outline • Travel Facts • The Problem • Feedback from Travelers & Divisions • Recommendations

  4. LBL Travel Facts (FY06)

  5. Business Analysis-The Problem • Lack of leadership; staffing issues • Multiple business processes; no institutional consistency • Administration of travel is costly • Reimbursement can take a long time • 100% audit • too many errors • missing receipts • Pre-trip approval process for foreign trips is lengthy • Gelco system not intuitive, buggy, broken • Divisions, users and the Travel Office unable to easily get the information they need

  6. Feedback from Travel Surveys • 10% of travelers responded; primarily scientists • Most travelers want to be able to easily make their own reservations and prepare expense reports • Majority want Gelco system replaced • Most consider 1-2 weeks a reasonable amount of time to be reimbursed (from the time an expense report is completed) • 21% of scientific divisions agree with concept of eliminating formal pre-authorizations of domestic trips • A number of divisions wanting formal authorization are in favor of waiving trip expense approval; (UC policy requires post trip approval) 6

  7. Recommendations Core Travel Team’s Guiding Principles: Faster reimbursement Improve the customer experience Keep it simple Minimize cost of processing Consider what is right for the institution

  8. Summary of Key Recommendations • Develop one consistent institutional process * • Divisions are currently handling pre & post-travel processes in many different ways: • Some don’t require pre-approval • # of approvals vary • Use of Gelco varies by division • Domestic travel: require pre-approval within divisions; recommend using email • Reimburse traveler only after all required receipts have been submitted * • Continue current practice of reimbursing for actual cost of meals & incidental expenses (M&IE) up to maximum per diem rates, and clarify policy • Default reimbursement (other than airfare) directly to employee’s bank account rather than disbursing checks* • Move expense reimbursement of travel to Disbursements * • If above recommendations are adopted, replace Gelco with an intuitive, user-friendly interface coupled with PeopleSoft travel module, and also mandate use of system • The system should be used by all travelers *Represents best practice *Represents best practice

  9. What the Process Will Look Like -4 steps(status provided at each step) -One travel document 3 4 2 1 Final Approval of Expense Report (trip approved by funding division or supervisor) Reimbursement (Payment issued to traveler’s bank account) Expense Information (trip expenses entered in same document created in step 1; traveler certifies expense report and it is forwarded to approver) • Trip Info • Where • When • Purpose • Project id • Cost estimate Pre-trip Domestic trip? Post-trip • Obtain pre-approval within division (email recommended) Foreign trip? Trip # assigned (regardless of funding source): • Request for approval automatically emailed to traveler’s division director (or designee) • Option will be provided to email notification to organization that is funding the trip • Trip approved by traveler’s division director (or designee) Note: Additional trip info will be captured in Step 1; data will be uploaded to FTMS; all foreign travel requests must be submitted to DOE (via FTMS) and approved before trip occurs Note: Conference travel requiring SC approval:New travel system should support process to extent possible Trip # assigned

  10. Next Steps • Implement elements of business model that are independent of a new system (e.g., training) • Develop project plan for implementation of PeopleSoft Travel & Expense module • Need scientific representation by ALD

  11. Backup

  12. Recommendations: Process • Develop one consistent institutional process* • Domestic travel: require pre-approval; recommend using email • Eliminate recording of liens before trip occurs* • Expense airfare immediately to division project* • Require one approval on expense report (must be in Lab’s Signature Authorization System) *Represents best practice

  13. Recommendations: Process (Cont) • Provide option for approval to “follow the money” • Default reimbursement (other than airfare) directly to employee’s bank account rather than disbursing checks* • Continue current practice of reimbursing for actual cost of meals & incidental expenses (M&IE) up to maximum per diem rates and clarify policy • Improve reimbursement turnaround time - 2 weeks from the time a traveler certifies expense report. Continue to reduce over time to meet industry standards. *Represents best practice

  14. Recommendations: Controls • Provide cash advances via US Bank corporate travel card only • Provide training on how to complete an expense report • Reimburse traveler only after all required receipts have been submitted* • Return incomplete expense reports to traveler’s division* • Develop robust reporting* • Perform random audit of expense reports (by Acctg)* • Complete timely accounting reconciliations* • Provide reliable data. Database needs significant clean-up* • Improve ongoing communication (Web, updates, announcements) * *Represents best practice

  15. Recommendations: System • If all other recommendations are adopted, replace Gelco with an intuitive, user-friendly interface coupled with PeopleSoft travel module, and also mandate use of system • The system should be used by all travelers • Fully utilize system audits* • Enable a traveler to fill out expense report off-line and upload to system at later date • Explore scanning technology • Provide easy means to status where expense report is in the process * Represents best practice

  16. Recommendations: Organization • Provide strong leadership • Move expense reimbursement of travel to Disbursements* • Fully train staff *Represents best practice

  17. FY06 Travel Cost by Division

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