UCF Travel Manual: A Comprehensive Guide to Policies and Procedures
This article provides a comprehensive overview of the University of Central Florida's (UCF) travel policies and procedures. It is designed to guide employees and students through the process of planning, booking, and being reimbursed for official university travel. Understanding these guidelines ensures compliance with Florida Statute §112.061 and facilitates smooth travel experiences.
Accommodation
Airbnb
Effective June 11, 2019, the prohibition on reimbursing expenses incurred through Airbnb services while on official state business was lifted. This change came after the governor’s office announced on June 4th that Airbnb was removed from the scrutinized companies list.
Mileage Reimbursement
Commuting Mileage
A department may reimburse mileage to and from the employee’s primary work location to the UCF campus where the meeting is being held. However, the department may not reimburse mileage between any Orlando UCF campus and the traveler’s home, regardless of when duties end at the meeting location.
Example: If an employee’s main work location is the UCF main campus and they attend a meeting at UCF Downtown campus from 4:00-5:00 PM, the department may reimburse mileage between UCF main campus and UCF Downtown. If the employee then drives home, mileage from the downtown campus to home is not reimbursable.
Travel Between Work Locations
If an employee regularly works at two locations during one day, the transportation expenses incurred to get from one workplace to another are reimbursable. However, expenses incurred by the employee to travel to or from their home to their secondary work location are not reimbursable.
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Example: If an employee regularly works three days a week at the UCF main campus and two days a week at the UCF downtown campus and is required to travel to meetings at the downtown campus on days that he is at the main campus, the transportation expenses incurred for travel between UCF main campus and UCF downtown campus are reimbursable.
Vehicle Usage
Voyager Gasoline Credit Card
Each Voyager gasoline credit card is assigned to a specific UCF vehicle and can be used to purchase gasoline at any facility that accepts credit cards.
Rental Cars
UCF encourages travelers to use the Avis/Budget contract for official UCF business travel because the university’s contract with Avis/Budget includes insurance. If the traveler rents from another company, they should purchase collision damage waiver insurance. Once insurance is added to the base rental cost, the total rental cost per day will likely make renting a car from another company more expensive. Students may only use the Avis/Budget contract for official UCF business travel. The University discourages travelers from renting SUVs, travelers should rent a van instead.
Air Travel
Increased Ticket Costs
The increased cost of a ticket should be reasonable, considering the traveler's time, impact on productivity, cost of transportation, and per diem or subsistence required, as per Fla. Stat. § 112.061(7)(a)(2) (2008).
Personal Travel Combined with Business Travel
The university will reimburse the traveler the round-trip cost to the business destination; however, the traveler must pay the additional cost to the personal destination.
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Alternative Flights
A traveler may purchase a ticket if they have made all reasonable efforts to resolve the situation with the airline and waiting for the next available flight on that airline would inconvenience the traveler.
Travel Between Conferences
If a traveler immediately travels to another location to attend a second conference that begins a few days after the first one ends, reimbursement is possible.
Transportation to the Airport
If a family member transports the traveler to the airport, round-trip mileage and tolls are permissible.
Reimbursement for Driving vs. Flying
The traveler may be reimbursed up to the amount it would have cost to fly to his or her destination.
Miscellaneous
GPS Devices
If a traveler will be in an unfamiliar area, a GPS device can help the traveler arrive at his or her destination in a timely manner.
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Office of Research Requirements for Contracts & Grants (C&G)
To ensure appropriate monitoring of awards, the UCF Office of Research is required to review certain categories of travel expenditures to confirm they are allowable on a specific C&G account.
Spend Authorization
A Spend Authorization must be created in Workday prior to the travel date, in accordance with Florida Statute §112.061. This is the university’s formal document for travel approval. The travel requisition is routed to the Office of Research (OR) for approval. If sponsor approval is required, OR will consult the PI before contacting the sponsor. OR’s review is solely to determine allowability per the award’s terms.
International Travel
International travelers on federal grants may qualify for exemptions but must obtain prior authorization. International travel with UCF-owned equipment may be subject to export control restrictions.
Equipment Purchases
Federal Property Control System Analysis regulations require the Office of Research to review all C&G equipment purchases for allowability. Prior to making a purchase (via requisition, computer store, expense card, or PCard), the PI or designee must submit a requisition in Workday. If agency approval is required, OR will consult the PI before proceeding. This decal data must be included in the Workday record so Property and Inventory Control can apply the correct identifier.
Personnel Policies
Personnel policies for C&G-funded projects follow the same procedures used for departmental (E&G) funding.
