Business practice improvement
Laboratory employees approved for official domestic travel will be able to make their own flight, hotel and car rental reservations, submit expense claims electronically, and be reimbursed more expeditiously as part of a new travel system the Lab is piloting.
The change is part of the Laboratory’s continuing effort to implement best business practices by reducing costs and improving efficiencies, said Bani Chatterjee of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Division.
The Laboratory hired Concur Technologies to provide an integrated, online booking and expense reporting system that will be managed off-site. Concur is an industry leader in corporate expense management with a large global corporate market share of the automated travel expense reporting industry.
Only domestic travel is being moved to the new system at this time. Foreign travel will continue on the legacy system and will be supported in-house for now.
Chatterjee said the new system will be piloted with the Theory, Simulation and Computation (ADTSC) and Experimental Physical Sciences (ADEPS) directorates. The plan is to implement the system Labwide on a phased basis before the end of the fiscal year, with required training of administrative personnel in the 2007 fiscal year. As this training is completed, organizations will be directed to Concur and access to the legacy system for domestic travel will be closed.
Central Training (CT) Division will offer the required training to Laboratory personnel on the new travel system. E-mails to administrative staff (by each PAD/AD organization) to register for training on the Virtual Training Center will be sent as part of the phased implementation. There is no cost for training before October 1, 2007. After October 1, personnel will be charged for the training.
Managers will be notified electronically of official Lab travel within their organization, prior to the employee leaving on travel, and will have the flexibility to design their own system to ensure official travel is appropriately authorized. Upon return and submission of expense reports, automated business rules will determine payment, and employees can be reimbursed through direct deposit.
To make the system effective for travelers, Lab employees will be required to use the corporate travel card for official travel transactions. The card can be obtained online through the Travel Office home page. The Web page also has information on additional benefits a corporate travel card provides.
Use of the corporate travel card maximizes the benefit of an integrated travel system and reduces the turnaround time on employee reimbursements. Chatterjee said Lab employees will have 24-hour access to online booking and expense reporting, which could reduce the frustration that often comes with an intermediary booking flights and lodging, renting a vehicle, and being reimbursed.
Employees’ personally identifiable information is protected through Laboratory security standards, and reimbursements will be made electronically. Employees can sign up to have travel reimbursements directly deposited to their personal bank accounts. The Travel Office will be shortly requesting travelers to sign up for the corporate travel card and designate the account of their choice. for electronic travel reimbursements.
For more information, contact Chatterjee at 5-7495 or bani@lanl.gov by electronic mail, or go to the CFO Travel home page.
