Non-Employee Travel and Travel Arranger Responsibilities

TABLE OF CONTENTS

OVERVIEW

8.1 What is the purpose of this chapter? This chapter provides guidance and procedures for non-employees performing official Temporary Duty Travel (TDY) on behalf of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) and for travel arrangers who arrange their travel.

8.2 What is the scope of this chapter? 

A. This chapter applies only to TDY travel for people who are not Service employees. See section 8.7 for more information about who the non-employees are who travel on behalf of the Service.

B. This chapter does not cover:

(1) Permanent Change of Station (PCS) travel (see 266 FW 1),

(2) Temporary Change of Station (TCS) travel (see Federal Travel Regulation (FTR), 41 CFR Part 302, Subpart E), or

(3) Local travel in and around a permanent duty station (see 265 FW 12).

8.3 What is the overall policy?

A. We may reimburse non-employees for traveling on behalf of the Service. We generally cover the costs associated with transportation and lodging, up to a maximum allowable rate, and provide a daily meal and incidental expense (M&IE) allowance.

B. When traveling on behalf of the Service, non-employees must follow the FTR, U.S. Department of the Interior (Department) policy, and Service policy in Part 265. This chapter supplements, rather than substitutes for, the other TDY travel policies in Part 265.

C. Non-employees may not access the electronic travel system to reserve or authorize their own travel. Instead, we assign a travel arranger to each non-employee who travels on our behalf. The travel arranger completes all required actions in the electronic travel system on behalf of the traveler.

8.4 What are the authorities for this chapter? See 265 FW 1 for a list of the authorities for all the chapters in Part 265.

8.5 What terms do you need to know to understand this chapter?

A. Approving officials are supervisors, Directorate members (i.e., Regional Directors; Assistant Directors; Director, National Conservation Training Center (NCTC); Chief, National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS)), and other officials who approve travel-related transactions (e.g., authorizations and vouchers). 

B. ConcurGov is the name of the electronic travel system the Service must use.

C. Corporate cards allow Regions and programs to purchase transportation tickets for individuals without a Government-issued travel charge card. These individuals may include invitational travelers, employees serving without an appointment, new employees who have not yet received a Government-issued travel charge card, and employees with a suspended or closed Government-issued travel charge card account.

D. Electronic travel system provides an automated process for Service employees and approving officials to plan, document, manage, and monitor TDY travel (see 265 FW 2). ConcurGov is the Service’s current electronic travel system.

E. TDY travel is travel that is performed for official purposes and is over 50 miles from the traveler’s permanent duty station and commuting residence.

F. T-entered stamp is the stamp a travel arranger applies to an invitational traveler’s voucher after the invitational traveler has signed a hard copy of the voucher, which is included with the receipt packet.

G. Travel arranger is a staff member who books, documents, and adjusts travel reservations on behalf of others, including invitational travelers. The staff member could be a Service employee or contractor.

H. Travel authorization is the form the Service uses to approve official TDY travel and travel-related expenses. These forms are created and approved in the electronic travel system. All travelers must receive written authorization from their approving official before traveling, except in emergencies (see 265 FW 4 for more information).

I. Travel Management Center (TMC) (i.e., Duluth and El Sol Travel) is responsible for assisting travelers with booking and adjusting travel itineraries. The TMC charges higher fees to assist with booking travel and adjusting reservations than those associated with self-service booking through ConcurGov.

J. Travel voucher is the form the Service uses to approve travelers for reimbursement of travel-related expenses. These forms are created and approved in the electronic travel system.

K. Travelers are employees and non-employees who are authorized to conduct TDY travel on behalf of the Service.

RESPONSIBILITIES

8.6 What are the responsibilities related to non-employee travel? See Table 8-1.

Table 8-1: Responsibilities for Non-Employee Travel

INVITATIONAL TRAVELER

8.7 Who is a non-employee? Non-employees include, but are not limited to:

A. Invitational travelers (section 8.8),

B. Volunteers (section 8.12),

C. Employees of other Government agencies (section 8.13), 

D. Staff on Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) assignments (section 8.15), and

E. Contractors or cooperators (section 8.16).

8.8 Who can be an invitational traveler? The following can be invitational travelers:

A. A person who is not a Federal employee, who is not under contract with the Service, and who meets any of the following criteria:

(1) Authorized by an approving official to complete any of the following activities on behalf of the Service:

     (a) Participate in a Service meeting or conference (see 265 FW 11),

     (b) Serve as a subject matter specialist or consultant (not on contract or cooperative agreement),

     (c) Provide training to Service employees,

     (d) Fulfill a one-time official commitment to the Service,

     (e) Receive, as a former Federal Government employee or other individual, an honor at a Federal Government awards ceremony, or

     (f) Travel as an attendant to a Service employee with a special need or disability.

(2) Authorized by a supervising Directorate member (i.e., Regional Directors; Assistant Directors; Director, NCTC; Chief, NWRS), Division Chief, or Office Chief to travel to an interview for employment with the Service (see 225 FW 9).

(3) A spouse or family member of an employee if the employee's supervising Directorate member authorizes them to attend a Presidential or Departmental award ceremony honoring the employee.

B. A Service employee in the following situation(s):

(1) To attend a non-Federal meeting or conference related to official duties, but which is funded by a non-Federal source (e.g., State or local governmental agency, private company, non-profit organization).

(2) To perform travel entirely outside of the United States, but which is funded by a foreign government. See the Department’s Office of International Affairs website for policy and additional information on approvals required for foreign travel.

8.9 Can invitational travelers qualify for travel reimbursement from the Service? Yes, invitational travelers can qualify for travel reimbursement. To reimburse an invitational traveler, the traveler must travel farther than 50 miles from their permanent duty station (if applicable) and permanent residence to fulfill an official commitment to the Service. The permanent duty station is the location where they perform duties on behalf of the Service.

8.10 How does the Service reimburse invitational travelers for travel-related expenses? We:

A. Cover the cost of transportation while the traveler is in TDY status. Transportation that the travel arranger books in the electronic travel system is charged to the Service’s corporate card included in the invitational traveler's profile. The travel arranger must book transportation in accordance with 265 FW 5.

B. Reimburse the invitational traveler for the actual cost of lodging, up to the maximum lodging rate the General Services Administration (GSA) has established for the TDY location, or obtain approval for actual subsistence on a case-by-case basis (see 265 FW 6). The travel arranger will reserve lodging in the electronic travel system, but the invitational traveler must pay using a personal credit card or other personal form of payment. The travel arranger must list the expenses as "reimbursable" on the travel voucher. As an alternative, we may use a purchase order to pay for invitational travelers' lodging.

C. Provide invitational travelers with a daily allowance for meals and incidental expenses using the Lodgings-Plus method of reimbursement (see 265 FW 6).

D. Reimburse invitational travelers for other travel-related expenses required to complete the mission of the trip (see 265 FW 7).

8.11 Is pre-employment interview travel a type of invitational travel? Yes, the Service may pay for pre-employment interview travel expenses when the trip is in the best interest of the Government. Interviewees may not receive a travel advance.

8.12 What process applies to volunteers when they are required to travel on behalf of the Service? The method we reimburse volunteers for travel-related expenses depends on whether they are working from their volunteer duty station or traveling to an alternate location.

A. If the volunteer must travel to an alternate site that is farther than 50 miles from their volunteer duty station and permanent residence, we may reimburse them for the transportation cost.

B. We may also provide reimbursement, at the discretion of their approving official, for the actual cost of lodging and an allowance for meals and incidental expenses up to 100% of the GSA per diem rate for the TDY location (Lodgings-Plus method).

(1) The volunteer may only claim one type of reimbursement per day. If receiving reimbursement (see 150 FW 3), the volunteer must suspend it for the duration of the TDY trip to claim Lodgings-Plus reimbursement (see 265 FW 6).

(2) We use the volunteer's travel status and location at 12:00 a.m. (midnight) to determine the appropriate method of reimbursement for that day.

OTHER NON-SERVICE EMPLOYEE TRAVELERS

8.13 How does the Service fund travel for an employee of another bureau/agency? We must use the U.S. Government Order Form (U.S. Department of the Treasury Form 7600B) and obligate funds in the Financial and Business Management System (FBMS). The other bureau’s/agency’s employee should make all the travel arrangements through their bureau/agency and bill the Service for reimbursement using their procedures.

8.14 What process applies to Pathways Internship or Presidential Management Fellows program participants who travel on behalf of the Service? 

A. If the participant does not receive a salary, they are considered a volunteer and are eligible for reimbursement in accordance with section 8.12.

B. If the participant receives a salary, they must adhere to the same process as Service employees (265 FW 4 - 7).

8.15 What process applies to individuals on IPA assignments who travel on behalf of the Service?

A. IPA participants (e.g., employees, including non-Federal employees) may receive reimbursement of either per diem allowance (see 265 FW 9) or limited relocation expenses (see 266 FW 1) for the period of the assignment. The IPA service agreement must specify the method of reimbursement.

(1) We may reimburse the individual the full allowable amount for transportation and a reduced per diem rate of 55% of the GSA maximum rate for the assignment duration (see 265 FW 9). Reimbursement is limited to a maximum of 1 year, unless we extend the IPA assignment. Payments for IPA assignments for 1 year or longer must be reported to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as taxable income.

(2) We may reimburse the individual for limited relocation expenses:

     (a) Travel and transportation expenses to and from the assignment location (see FTR 302-2);

     (b) Travel and transportation expenses the individual's immediate family incurs while traveling to and from the assignment location (see FTR 302-2);

     (c) Transportation and temporary storage expenses of the individual's household goods and personal effects (see FTR 302-8 and FTR 302-9);

     (d) Temporary quarters subsistence expenses for the period immediately preceding the assignment and the period immediately following the assignment (see FTR 302-6); and

     (e) A miscellaneous expense allowance (see FTR 302-3).

(3) We may not cover the cost of selling or buying a residence or the cost associated with property management services during the assignment.

B. We may reimburse an individual on IPA assignment who must travel farther than 50 miles from their IPA duty station, permanent duty station, and permanent residence for transportation and per diem costs associated with the trip. The Service may reimburse these costs regardless of whether the individual receives standard IPA reimbursement or limited relocation IPA reimbursement.

(1) Individuals may only claim per diem reimbursement under one method per day. Travelers who receive standard IPA reimbursement must suspend the IPA per diem allowance for the duration of the TDY trip.

(2) We use the individual's travel status and TDY location at 12:00 a.m. (midnight) to determine the appropriate method of per diem reimbursement for that day.

8.16 How does contractor or cooperator travel differ from that of other non-employees? We must not issue travel authorizations for contractors or cooperators or allow them to use the electronic travel system to arrange their own travel.

A. Contractors or cooperators must arrange their own travel and cover all costs associated with travel. We may reimburse contractors or cooperators for travel-related costs if the contract/cooperative agreement authorizes it. The contractual or cooperative agreement governs travel reimbursement between the Service and the contractor/cooperator, and not Part 265 of the Service Manual.

B. Travel vendors do not have to make Government fares or rates available to our contractors or cooperators, but they may choose to do so. We may provide a contractor or cooperator a letter of identification to help them obtain Government fares and rates.

TRAVEL ARRANGER

8.17 What do travel arrangers need to do for a non-employee traveling on behalf of the Service?

A. Non-Service employees are not given access to the electronic travel system to reserve their own travel. Travel arrangers will coordinate travel authorizations, make travel arrangements, and complete travel vouchers for non-employees. An authorization must exist in the electronic travel system for a voucher to be completed.

B. The first time that a non-employee must travel on our behalf, the travel arranger must:

(1) Complete the ACH Vendor/Miscellaneous Payment Enrollment Form (Standard Form 3881) and submit it to the Interior Business Center (IBC).

(2) Complete the ConcurGov Profile Maintenance Form and submit it to the Travel team. We use this form to set up the traveler in the electronic travel system even though, as a non-employee, the traveler will not access the system directly. 

C. The travel arranger must complete all of the travel-related activities listed below for each TDY trip that the non-employee conducts on our behalf.

(1) Submitting the Authorization for Use of Corporate Account form (FWS Form 3-2313) to the designated account holder;

(2) Reserving the transportation for the trip;

(3) Creating a travel authorization in the electronic travel system;

(4) Obtaining approval on the travel authorization;

(5) Assisting the traveler with any updates to the travel itinerary;

(6) Requesting receipts and supporting documentation from the traveler;

(7) Creating a travel voucher in the electronic travel system within 5 business days from the traveler’s return, and attaching all supplied receipts and supporting documentation;

(8) Printing a copy of the travel voucher, obtaining the traveler's signature on the voucher, and uploading a copy of the signed voucher to the voucher supporting documents; and

(9) Signing the travel voucher using the T-entered stamp (if the travel arranger has the T-enter role) or requesting the document be T-entered by the Travel team, and submitting it for reimbursement.

8.18 Who should travel arrangers and approving officials contact with questions about non-employee travel? Non-employee travelers (except contractors or cooperators), travel arrangers, and approving officials should contact the Travel team with questions about travel.