SQA DOMESTIC ASSOCIATE TRAVEL AND BUSINESS EXPENSE POLICY

Transcription

1 SQA DOMESTIC ASSOCIATE TRAVEL AND BUSINESS EXPENSE POLICY It is SQA s plicy t maintain a clear and cnsistent travel and business expense plicy that prvides Assciates with prper and unambiguus guidelines, and adheres t the prevailing tax rules and regulatins. SQA Assciates are expected t exercise gd judgment in ensuring that travel and business expense charges and reimbursements are limited t thse that are reasnable and necessary t accmplish the bjectives f the business activity. It is imperative that Assciates adhere t this travel and business expense plicy. Assciates wh fail t adhere t the plicy may be held respnsible fr ut-f-plicy charges incurred. SQA reserves the right t deny reimbursement, r cnsider as the Assciate s persnal expense, lavish and inapprpriate expenses. 1. TRAVEL AUTHORIZATION & PURCHASE 1.1 SQA Assciates that have been assigned t events that require any frm f travel must submit their expenses fr apprval befrehand. 1.2 Travel authrizatin and travel arrangements fr SQA assignments must be btained by any f the means listed belw, appearing in rder f preference: Self-service thrugh SQA s travel agency, Egencia. With SQA s Travel Manager assistance. With agent assistance thrugh Egencia s custmer service line. 1.3 Egencia agent-assisted bkings shuld be a last resurce, as these incur higher transactin fees. Egencia s Transactin Fee Schedule can be fund in Appendix B. 1.4 Except in unavidable circumstances, emplyees must plan their travel as early as pssible (minimum f fur and up t six weeks in advance, if the situatin allws it) t access better fares and avid last-minute purchases that are typically the mst expensive. 1.5 Assciates are respnsible fr exercising sund business judgment in searching fr and presenting the mst cst-effective itinerary that will best serve the purpse f the business travel. 1.6 The Prgram Manager will issue an apprval r respnd t the traveler with cmments r questins abut the submitted itinerary within the next business day. SQA's Assciate Travel and Business Expense Plicy SQA SERVICES, INC. Page 1 f Silver Spur Rd, 3rd Flr Rlling Hills CA Phne (310) (800) Fax (310) Website: inf@sqaservices.cm

2 Travel requests must be submitted n later than Thursdays at 2:00 pm PST, in rder t get a cnfirmatin r a respnse frm the Prgram Manager befre the end f the wrking week. 1.7 Assciates requesting travel thrugh the Egencia site must always make sure t ppulate the fields requesting infrmatin abut n-the-rad expenses such as Meals, Mileage, Taxi/Train/Tlls, Phne/Fax, Parking, and Other Travel Expenses in rder t present a full picture f their travel. 1.8 SQA will make available its crprate credit card t pay fr travel arrangements f thse Assciates wh, fr any reasn, prefer nt t use their persnal cards t purchase their travel. In such cases, travel must be crdinated thrugh SQA s Travel Manager and the amunt fr Meals, Mileage, Taxi/Train/Tlls, Phne/Fax, Parking, and ther applicable travel expenses must be prvided alng with the request. 1.9 Assciates are t create and maintain Egencia prfiles t facilitate all travel purchases. It is als recmmended that Assciates dwnlad the Egencia app int their mbile devices, in rder t mnitr and manage their wn travel while n the rad Egencia s cntact infrmatin and hurs f peratin can be fund in Appendix A. SQA Travel Manager s cntact infrmatin can be fund in Appendix C. 2. AIR TRAVEL 2.1 All air travel must be bked by the traveler thrugh Egencia r by the Travel Manager. In all cases, a flight reservatin with the lwest lgical airfare in the apprpriate class f travel must be selected, withut cnsideratin f preferred airlines r frequent flyer prgrams. Class f Travel All Assciates will fly ecnmy class. Upgrades t first class r business class are nt allwed unless there is n cst t upgrade, the Assciate uses his r her wn frequent flyer mileage, r payment fr the upgrade is made by the Assciate. In rder t get the best rates, the selectin f nn-refundable fares is encuraged whenever practicable. 2.2 Changes t a nn-refundable flight itinerary must be submitted fr apprval t the Prgram Manager with a brief explanatin f the nature f the change. 2.3 In the event that a trip is canceled after the ticket has been issued, the traveler shuld immediately infrm the Travel Manager s that arrangements can be made fr the use f the same ticket fr future travel r t initiate a refund, whenever pssible. 2.4 Airline lunge/club membership dues are nt t be charged t the cmpany. Assciates wh chse t have membership in airline clubs must pay fr the dues n their wn. 2.5 Excess baggage fees (unless traveling with Cmpany materials), air travel insurance, alchlic beverages, additinal charges incurred fr flight upgrades, flight change fees fr nn-business reasns, in-flight mvie charges, and ther persnal charges related t air travel are nt t be reimbursed. Visa fees and ther cuntry entry/exit csts that are required fr the business travel are reimbursable, but passprt fees are nt. SQA's Assciate Travel and Business Expense Plicy SQA SERVICES, INC. Page 2 f Silver Spur Rd, 3rd Flr Rlling Hills CA Phne (310) (800) Fax (310) Website: inf@sqaservices.cm

3 3. AIRPORT PARKING 3.1 Reasnable airprt parking fees are cnsidered reimbursable t emplyees. Emplyees wh drive vehicles t the airprt must chse the mst ecnmical but safe parking ptin. Emplyees must cnsider ff-site parking lcatins that charge less fr airprt parking. The clser a parking structure is t the airprt, the higher the fees usually are. 3.2 In chsing a frm f transprtatin t the airprt, travelers shuld cmpare the ttal cst f driving and parking a vehicle against ther available means f transprtatin. 4. LODGING 4.1 All ldging must be bked by the traveler thrugh Egencia r by the Travel Manager. As htel rates vary frm city t city, Assciates are expected t stay in a prperty with reasnable accmmdatins/amenities. The apprved rm categry is a standard rm and the suggested htel rate is $125 plus applicable taxes. Htel selectin must be made withut cnsideratin f preferred prperties r htel lyalty prgrams. Acceptable prperties may be lcated up t ten r fifteen miles away frm the event venue, and/r represent up t a thirty minute cmmute. The selectin f prperties ffering free cancellatin until day prir t arrival r day f arrival, plus amenities such as breakfast, WiFi, airprt shuttle service and/r parking with their rate is encuraged. When using Egencia, travelers must select the lwest lgical rate frm the ptins displayed (i.e., gvernment rates when/if n gvernment cntract assignment r specific membership rates, such as Marritt Rewards, AAA, Hiltn Hnrs, etc.). If nne f these are a gd fit, travelers must always lk fr the Egencia Business Rate (Egencia Preferred). 4.2 Nn-lcal Assciates traveling t headquarters r Tech Center 25 must take advantage f SQA s standard rm crprate rates at the DubleTree by Hiltn Trrance and the Residence Inn by Marritt Rednd Beach. When the crprate rate at these prperties is unavailable, travelers shuld reach ut t the Travel Manager fr alternative htels r select a htel within the same price range. 4.3 All Assciates must identify and pay fr all persnal expenses n the htel bill upn checkut (e.g., mvies, mini-bar, excess in-rm dining charges ver the maximum allwable individual meal limit, laundry/dry cleaning services, excess persnal lng-distance telephne charges, additinal charges fr rm upgrades, health club and spa fees, and ther persnal charges related t ldging). A cpy f the itemized htel bill must be submitted with the expense reprt r crprate credit card statement. 4.4 Assciates are respnsible fr canceling their wn htel reservatins. If they are unable t d s, they must infrm the Travel Manager t ensure that the reservatin is canceled in a timely manner and that penalties are nt incurred. Emplyees wh fail t cancel a reservatin may be held SQA's Assciate Travel and Business Expense Plicy SQA SERVICES, INC. Page 3 f Silver Spur Rd, 3rd Flr Rlling Hills CA Phne (310) (800) Fax (310) Website: inf@sqaservices.cm

4 respnsible fr any resulting charges that are incurred, unless the failure was due t circumstances beynd an Assciate s cntrl. When cancellatins are made, an cnfirmatin f the cancellatin and a cancellatin number must be requested and kept fr reference purpses. 4.5 Use f Htel Business Center. Assciates must refrain frm using the htel business center and any ther public lcatin cmputer fr wrk prduct. Traveling with a laptp is strngly encuraged. 5. GROUND TRANSPORTATION 5.1 Airprt Shuttle/Public Transprtatin/Ride Share/Taxi Public transprtatin r ride share cmpanies such as Uber r Lyft shuld be tried befre using a taxi. The use f free r lw-cst airprt shuttle services shuld be taken advantage f whenever pssible. Taxis shuld nly be used when a mre ecnmical mde f transprtatin is nt available r is nt practical. 5.2 Aut Rental The use f rental cars shuld be cnsidered nly when public transprtatin and ride shares are mre expensive, nt available, r nt practical t use. An intermediate r smaller size mdel shuld be used unless the number f peple traveling warrants the selectin f a bigger car. N luxury cars may be rented. SQA has cntracted rates with Natinal, Enterprise, Avis and Budget. Rental cars must be bked within this pl f ptins (listed in rder f preference), unless significantly better rates are fund elsewhere r the apprpriate car class is nt available at SQA s preferred vendrs at the time the reservatin is made. At the time f rental, the car shuld be inspected, and any damage fund shuld be nted n the cntract befre the vehicle is accepted. Rental cars must be returned in the cnditin in which they were received t avid charges fr damages. In the event that any damage is detected upn vehicle pick-up, the traveler must dcument the damage and send the infrmatin t the Travel Manager immediately s that it can be reprted t the rental car cmpany n later than the fllwing business day. If damages are detected when the vehicle is returned, the traveler must als dcument thse and send the infrmatin t the Travel Manager. Pictures and a brief descriptin f the cnditin f the vehicle will suffice. The prepaid fuel r fuel service ptin ffered by mst rental cmpanies shuld nt be accepted. Travelers must always return the car with a full tank f gas. Mst rental cmpanies generally charge substantially mre fr fuel than lcal gas statins d. Filling up SQA's Assciate Travel and Business Expense Plicy SQA SERVICES, INC. Page 4 f Silver Spur Rd, 3rd Flr Rlling Hills CA Phne (310) (800) Fax (310) Website: inf@sqaservices.cm

5 the fuel tank within a mile r a cuple f miles frm the drp-ff lcatin is recmmended t avid ptential surcharges. One-way rentals with drp-ff charges shuld be avided unless abslutely necessary. If n ther alternative is available, ne-way rentals shuld be bked thrugh SQA s crprate ne-way prgram with Natinal, whenever pssible. Shuld a rental car accident ccur, travelers shuld immediately cntact the rental car cmpany and lcal authrities, as required. They shuld als cntact the Travel Manager and prvide a detailed descriptin f the incident, alng with pictures and the ther party s infrmatin, in cases where anther driver is invlved. The traveler must btain and keep a cpy f the accident/plice reprts prvided by lcal authrities, if applicable. Assciates are respnsible fr extending r canceling their rental car reservatins when necessary. Shuld they be unable t d s, they must infrm the Travel Manager, wh will then ntify the rental car cmpany t make sure that n late fees and/r additinal surcharges are incurred. Add-ns that might be ffered at the cunter, such as GPS, insurance, and tll transpnders, must be declined. Assciates are respnsible fr carrying adequate aut insurance that prvides at the very minimum liability cverage when driving rental cars. Fines fr parking r speeding vilatins and resulting administrative fees frm car cmpanies, when applicable, are nt t be paid fr by the cmpany. Travelers must have a valid driver s license suitable fr driving the type f car rented, and must cmply with all state driving laws and car rental cmpany regulatins. 5.3 Persnal Car Usage If the use f a persnal vehicle is the mst cst-effective methd f attending a cmpany business activity, SQA will reimburse mileage at a rate n higher than that allwed by the IRS standard fr the current year. The cmpany will als reimburse Assciates fr reasnable parking and tll charges. Damage t an Assciate s persnal vehicle is the Assciate s respnsibility. It is the Assciate s respnsibility t maintain adequate aut insurance cverage fr the Assciate s prtectin and the prtectin f any passengers. Assciates will nt be reimbursed fr any repairs t their persnal car resulting frm business travel. 5.4 Parking Tickets and Other Fees Fines fr parking, speeding tickets, and vehicle twing fees resulting frm parking vilatins are nt t be paid by the cmpany. SQA's Assciate Travel and Business Expense Plicy SQA SERVICES, INC. Page 5 f Silver Spur Rd, 3rd Flr Rlling Hills CA Phne (310) (800) Fax (310) Website: inf@sqaservices.cm

6 6. MEALS 6.1 Persnal Meals Persnal meals are meal expenses incurred by the traveler while dining alne n an utf-twn business trip. Actual dcumented expenses plus gratuities incurred fr the reasnable cst f persnal meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) while n ut-f-twn business trips may be reimbursed. Meal charges must be supprted by riginal receipts. Travelers shuld refer t the current Per Diem rates fr meals and incidental expenses (M&IE) fr their destinatin city, as set by the General Services Administratin (GSA), fr guidelines n reasnable csts f M&IE. These may be fund at the GSA prtal: Tipping fr Meals Tips included n meal receipts will be reimbursed r may be charged t crprate credit cards, prvided that they are reasnable (typically 15%). Excessive tips will be rejected and cnsidered as a persnal expense. 7. EXPENSE REPORTING 7.1 All expenses shuld be reprted using STEPQ s T&E Reprt feature within the same week the business travel is cmpleted. 7.2 T&E Reprts shuld be cmpleted accurately and legibly and apprved by the Prgram Manager befre the reimbursement prcess can be initiated. 7.3 All expenses must be substantiated with receipts. SQA s Accunting & Finance Department will nt be able t reimburse travel expenses withut payment prf stating the final amunt charged t the methd f payment and a reference t the accunt ultimately charged fr these expenses. 7.4 Travel arrangements prepaid r paid using SQA s crprate credit card must nt be included in the T&E Reprt, since these are nt charges t any Assciate accunts. 7.5 The late submissin f T&E Reprts may result in delay r nn-reimbursement f expenses. 7.6 T&E Reprts that are incrrect r incmplete will be returned t the apprval authrity fr crrective actin and may result in the delay r nn-reimbursement/payment f the full T&E r specific expense items. SQA's Assciate Travel and Business Expense Plicy SQA SERVICES, INC. Page 6 f Silver Spur Rd, 3rd Flr Rlling Hills CA Phne (310) (800) Fax (310) Website: inf@sqaservices.cm

7 APPENDIX A EGENCIA BUSINESS TRAVEL CONTACT INFORMATION AND HOURS OF OPERATION Regular Business Hurs Mnday Friday 5:00 a.m. t 6:00 p.m. PST General Inquires NE 4 th Street Bellevue, WA Supprt crptravel@custmercare.egencia.cm SQA's Assciate Travel and Business Expense Plicy SQA SERVICES, INC. Page 7 f Silver Spur Rd, 3rd Flr Rlling Hills CA Phne (310) (800) Fax (310) Website: inf@sqaservices.cm

8 APPENDIX B EGENCIA S TRANSACTION FEE SCHEDULE SQA's Assciate Travel and Business Expense Plicy SQA SERVICES, INC. Page 8 f Silver Spur Rd, 3rd Flr Rlling Hills CA Phne (310) (800) Fax (310) Website: inf@sqaservices.cm

9 APPENDIX C SQA S TRAVEL MANAGER CONTACT INFORMATION CARLA HUGUET Travel Manager SQA Services, Inc. - Glbal Quality Assured D: M: E. chuguet@sqaservices.cm 550 Silver Spur Rd. Rlling Hills, CA SQA's Assciate Travel and Business Expense Plicy SQA SERVICES, INC. Page 9 f Silver Spur Rd, 3rd Flr Rlling Hills CA Phne (310) (800) Fax (310) Website: inf@sqaservices.cm