DOE O 1500.4A Chg 1, Travel Charge Card Program
Functional areas: Travel and Transportation
Canceled by DOE O 552.1.
Document text
Text extracted from the attached file. Refer to the original document for the authoritative version.
Section 1
9-15-92
SUBJECT: TRAVEL CHARGE CARD PROGRAM
1. PURPOSE. To transmit revised pages to DOE 1500.4A, TRAVEL CHARGE CARD PROGRAM,
of 4-22-91.
2. EXPLANATION OF CHANGES.
a. Paragraph 7 has been expanded to clarify the responsibilities of
Departmental personnel with regard to the monitoring of delinquent employee
payments for travel charge card purchases.
b. “Chief Financial Officer” has replaced “Controller,” where appropriate, and
other minor editorial changes have been made.
3. FILING INSTRUCTIONS.
a. Remove Pages Dated Insert Pages Dated
3 thru 6 4-22-91 3 thru 6 9-15-92
11 and 12 4-22-91 11 and 12 9-15-92
b. After filing the attached pages, this transmittal should be maintained for
reference purposes.
BY ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF ENERGY:
DOLORES L. ROZZI
Director of Administration
and Human Resource Management
DISTRIBUTION: INITIATED BY:
All Departmental Elements Office of Chief Financial
Officer
4-22-91
SUBJECT: TRAVEL CHARGE CARD PROGRAM
1. PURPOSE. To set forth the Department of Energy (DOE) policies and procedures
for a travel and transportation expense payment system using General Services
Administration (GSA) contractor-issued charge cards and Government travel
system (GTS) accounts to be used by Departmental travelers in procuring
passenger transportation services and making payment to commercial facilities
for subsistence and miscellaneous expenses during official travel.
2. CANCELLATION: DOE 1500.4, TRAVEL CHARGE CARD PROGRAM, of 5-4-88.
3. REFERENCES.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
DOE 1500.2A, TRAVEL POLICY AND PROCEDURES, of 6-7-89, which establishes
the official travel policy and procedures for DOE.
DOE 2200.6, FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING, of 10-24-88, which establishes the
policy and general procedures for financial management of cash, advances,
receivables, inventories and investment of funds; accountability for
plant and capital equipment and current and long term liabilities; and
accounting for equity, revenues, and expenses.
Federal Property Management Regulations (FPMR) Subpart 101-41.2, which
sets forth regulations and procedures governing the procurement of and
the billing and payment for passenger transportation services for the
account of the United States.
FPMR Subpart 101-41.8, Transportation Disbursement Procedures, which sets
forth procedures for processing documents to request issuance of checks
covering freight and passenger transportation services furnished for the
account of the United States, and related forms, and for forwarding
disbursing officers’ paid transportation accounts to GSA for audit in
accordance with section 322 of the Transportation Act of 1940, as
amended.
Title 41 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 301-15, Subpart C, which
prescribes policies and procedures for a travel and transportation
expense payment system which provides for the use of GSA contractor-
issued charge cards, centrally-billed accounts, and travelers checks by
DISTRIBUTION: INITIATED BY:
All Departmental Elements Office of Financial Management
and Controller
2 DOE 1500.4A
4-22-91
Federal agencies and their travelers for the procurement of passenger
transportation services, payment to commercial facilities for subsis-
tence, and miscellaneous travel and transportation expenses during
official travel.
f. Title 10 CFR, Subpart B, 1010.201, Standards of Conduct, which sets forth
DOE regulations prescribing certain standards of conduct designed to
assure the proper performance of Government business and the maintenance
of public confidence in the Government.
Section 2
g. Report on New System of Records Under the Privacy Act of 1974 published
in the Federal Register 9-29-83 (48 FR 44655), which establishes a new
system of records that will be maintained by GSA pursuant to the
provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 United States Code (USC) 552a.
4. BACKGROUND.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Under the FPMR, SF 1169, “U.S. Government Transportation Request” (GTR),
is used normally to purchase passenger transportation services directly
from a common carrier through agency travel offices, commercial travel
agents under contract to GSA, or a Scheduled Airlines Traffic Office. In
addition, travelers are eligible for advances to pay for allowable travel
expenses. Upon completion of the official travel, the employee submits a
travel voucher to the agency for reimbursement of authorized and
allowable travel expense.
In 10-83, GSA entered into a contract with Citicorp Diners Club, Inc., to
issue and maintain charge cards and establish Government travel system
accounts. GSA also contracted with Citicorp for the issuance of
travelers checks to be used by Federal employees to cover subsistence and
other allowable travel and minor transportation expenses. GSA Bulletin
FPMR A-85, “General,” of 10-1-83, was issued announcing the new travel
and transportation payment system and contained provisions applicable to
Federal agencies that had voluntarily agreed to participate in the
program. On 8-22-84, GSA issued FPMR Temporary Regulation A-25 to
implement the program fully.
In 3-84, use of the charge card program on a test basis was initiated by
DOE at the Albuquerque Operations Office (AL). Based on the results of
the AL test, a determination was made to implement the program
Departmentwide.
On 7-22-88, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued OMB Bulletin
No. 88-17, which provided general policies for executive agency travel
advance guidelines. Such guidelines apply to the control of travel
advances and processing of travel vouchers to minimize the amounts of
DOE 1500.4A Chg 1 3
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cash advanced, without imposing a personal financial burden on traveling
employees. The Bulletin required that agencies must offer Government
contractor-issued travel charge cards to all their employees who are
expected to travel at least twice a year and must process the application of
any employee who requests a card and is authorized to travel. DOE
implemented the provisions of the Bulletin in Chg 2, of 2-7-90, to
DOE 1500.2A, TRAVEL POLICY AND PROCEDURES, of 6-7-89.
5. DEFINITIONS.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
Charge Card is a Citicorp/Diners Club charge card to be used by travelers:
(1) to pay for passenger transportation services; (2) to pay commercial
facilities for subsistence expenses; and (3) to pay other allowable travel
and transportation expenses incurred in connection with official travel.
The term includes an individual employee charge card only. The term does
not include personal credit cards issued to employees based upon their own
financial merit by any company which issues charge cards.
Contractor is the Citicorp/Diners Club, Inc.
Program Coordinators are those employees at-each payment office
designated by the officials set forth in paragraph 7C to administer the
Government charge card program.
Government Travel System (GTS) Account is an account established by the
contractor at the request of the officials set forth in paragraph 7C and
used for common carrier charges only through a Travel Management Center or
agency travel office.
Section 3
Program is the GSA Travel Charge Card Program used to pay for major travel
and transportation expenses.
Travel Management Center (TMC) is a commercial travel firm under contract
GSA that provides reservations, ticketing, and related travel management
services for official Government travelers.
Frequent Traveler is anyone who is expected to make at least two trips a
to
year.
6. POLICY.
a. General. It is the policy of the Department to participate in the Travel
Charge Card Program under the Provisions of this Order. Government
contractor-issued travel charge cards are only for official travel expenses
and are to be offered to all DOE employees who are expected to travel at
least twice a year. DOE must process the application of any employee who
requests a travel charge card and is authorized to travel.
b. Exception. If the Head of a Field Element or the Director, Office of
Headquarters Accounting Operations, in coordination with the Director,
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4 DOE 1500.4A Chg 1
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Office of Administrative Services, determines that an employee or group of
employees should not be given a card, he or she must submit a request for an
exception to the policy stated in paragraph 6a above. Such request for an
exception shall be submitted to the Chief Financial Officer.
7. RESPONSIBILITIES.
a. The Chief Financial Officer is responsible for Departmental implementation
of the Travel Charge Card Program as administered by DOE officials whose
responsibilities are set forth in subparagraph c, below.
b. Heads of Departmental Elements shall:
(1) Distribute payment delinquency reports received from the charge card
program coordinators to supervisors of delinquent employees and monitor
the effectiveness of management’s corrective actions.
(2) Ensure that vouchers submitted for approval are processed and forwarded
for payment within 5 workdays after receipt from travelers (see
paragraph 10c). This promptness will allow employees ample time to
receive their reimbursements before their charge card payments are
overdue.
c. The Director, Office of Headquarters Accounting Operations, in coordination
with the Director. office of Administrative Services. and the Heads of Field
Elements shall: .
(1) Designate individuals to serve as program coordinators at each payment
office to perform the duties stated in paragraph 7f.
(2) Determine whether and to what” extent employees will use their charge
cards for obtaining transportation services.
(3) Make available to eligible employees training sessions covering the
operation and benefits of the program before allowing them to use
either the charge card or GTS account.
(4) Ensure that their implementation of the program adheres to the
provisions of this Order.
d. Supervisors shall:
(1) Personally counsel their employees who are delinquent in paying their
charge card bills in private while ensuring confidentiality of relevant
documents.
(2) Advise these employees of the consequences of the Department canceling
their cards and the potential for disciplinary or other administrative
actions.
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DOE 1500.4A Chg 1
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5
(3) FO11OW up with these employees to verify that they paid their
delinquent charge card bills.
e. Employees designated to receive charge cards or who are authorized to travel
and choose to request a charge card shall:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
Section 4
Complete a DC-1616 (07/90), “Diners Club Government Card Program
Employee Card Application-Individual Billing,” to obtain a Diners Club
card. (An example of the form and instructions for preparation are
shown in Attachment 1.)
Sign an Employee Acknowledgment certifying that they have received,
read, and understood the Description of Employee Rights and Obligations
Related to Use of Contractor-Issued Charge Cards. (See Attachments 2
and 3 for examples.)
Forward the DC-1616 and Employee Acknowledgment to their designated
program coordinator. (Those eligible employees who decide not to
receive a card shall receive advances in accordance with page 15,
paragraph llb.)
Promptly report lost cards to Diners Club.
Notify the applicable program coordinator when they resign, retire,
transfer to another Government agency, or transfer to another location
within the Department which is under another payment office.
Meet their financial obligations, including remitting payments on time,
to the charge card contractors set out in paragraph 8j(1).
f. Program Coordinators shall:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
Provide employees who are authorized to travel and who request a travel
charge card with the necessary forms and instructions. (See
Attachment 4 for an example of a memorandum to the employees.)
Ensure completeness of information on the DC-1616 and Employee
Acknowledgment.
Complete Agency Information and Authorization section of the DC-1616.
(Refer to Attachment 1.)
Forward the original of the DC-1616 to the contractor. Maintain the
agency copy (canary) with the Employee Acknowledgment statement.
Take steps outlined on page 10, paragraph 8g, for renewal of employee
charge cards.
Take steps outlined on page 10, paragraph 8h, when employee resigns,
retires, transfers, or relocates.
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6 DOE 1500.4A Chg 1
9-15-92
(7) Periodically review the frequent traveler status of employees to ensure
that all eligible employees are included on the eligibility list. List
is maintained for future reference.
(8) Monitor charge card payment delinquency reports and provide such
reports to the Heads of Departmental Elements for their distribution to
supervisory personnel.
8. INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYEE CHARGE CARDS.
a. Selection Criteria. Employees who expect to make two or more trips per year
or who are authorized to travel and choose to request a charge card may be
issued charge cards.
b. General Card Information.
(1) No credit check will be performed on an individual employee when the
card is issued. However, the contractor has reserved the right to
request a credit report in connection with any update, renewal, or
future extension of credit.
(2) No preset expenditure limit has been placed on cards.
(3) Travel accident insurance of $155,000 is automatically provided free of
charge to the employee when common carrier tickets are obtained with
the charge card and $150,000 when obtained through the GTS, except
where prohibited by State or local law.
(4) Automatic $1,250 insurance for lost or stolen baggage when common
carrier tickets are obtained with the charge card or through the GTS.
(5) Personal check cashing privileges are provided at participating
Citicorp branches worldwide and participating hotels and motels as a
registered guest.
(6) Foreign currency conversion for billing purposes is provided without a
fee.
(7) No interest or 1 ate payment charges will be assessed on employee’s
charge card account.
Section 5
(8) No annual membership fee is charged for the issuance of the charge
card.
(9) The charge cards are valid for a 2-year period from the date of issue.
c. Securitv of the Card.
(1) The employee will receive the card at his or her home address or
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DOE 1500.4A
4-22-91
7
personal post office box and will be responsible for exercising the
same care and responsibility for the security of the card and number
as he or she would with a personal charge card.
(2) The card shall NOT be stored or kept by an administrative officer,
supervisor, or secretary.
d. Use of Charge Cards.
(1)
(2)
(3)
Limited to Official Travel. Employees shall use the charge cards
only for expenses incurred in conjunction with official travel. The
card should be used to pay for such official travel expenses to the
maximum extent possible. Use of charge card for expenses other than
for officially authorized government travel could constitute
violation of the provision under 10 CFR 1010.207, “Use of Government
Property,” and may result in disciplinary actions of the employee.
No Preset Expense Limit. Although there is no preset expense limit
on the charge cards, employees are liable for payment of all charges
incurred. However, the employee shall be reimbursed by DOE for only
authorized and allowable travel and transportation costs. (See page
9, paragraph 8f(2), in case of charges incurred on a lost or stolen
card.)
Obtaining Passenger Transportation Services.
(a) The Heads of Field Elements and the Director, Office of
Headquarters Accounting Operations, in coordination with the
Director, Office of Administrative Services, shall determine
whether and to what extent their employees will use their
charge cards for obtaining transportation services and may
choose to continue issuing tickets to employees using the GTR
(SF 1169). However, in emergency situations such as change in
itinerary while in travel status, employees should use their
Diners Club card to obtain the necessary transportation
services.
(b) If instructed to use their cards for obtaining transportation
services, employees will present their charge cards to the
transportation carrier, SATO, or TMC operated under GSA
contract as payment for passenger transportation services
(including services under contract fares offered by carriers
under contract to GSA). The charge card may not be used to
procure travel and transportation services from travel agencies
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8 DOE 1500.4A
4-22-91
who are not under contract to GSA to provide such services to
the Government traveler. If the employee does not personally
pick up the tickets and present his or her charge card, the
travel facility may require prior authorization from the
traveler before charging his/her charge card account.
(4) Effect on Current Procedures. All travel requirements shall con-
tinue to be observed fully and all official travel must still be
authorized as prescribed by DOE 1500.2A. Use of the charge card
does not relieve the employee of prudent travel practices and
observance of rules and regulations governing official travel as set
forth in the Federal Travel Regulation and DOE 1500.2A. Passenger
transportation services procured with contractor-issued charge cards
under the provisions of this Order are not subject to the $100 cash
limitation. However, any transportation purchases with other credit
cards shall be considered as cash purchases and subject to the $100
cash limitation and related approval requirements. (See DOE
1500.2A, Page III-7, paragraph 2a(3)(c)3, “Use of Cash.”)
Section 6
e. Monthly Contractor Billings and Payment.
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
The employee will receive a billing statement from Diners Club at
his or her home address each month when expenditures are incurred or
when a credit is posted to the account. If a monthly statement is
not received, the employee should contact Citibank/Diners Club
Government Services, at (800) 525-5289 or 303-799-9000. A receipt
copy of charges will be included with the Diners Club billing
statement when the service establishment submits a copy of the
charge to Diners Club. If the service establishment submits charges
to Diners Club on magnetic tape, the charges will be listed
descriptively on the statement instead of a record of charge.
No interest or late charges will be assessed by the contractor.
Payment in full for the amount billed is due and payable directly by
the employee to the Citibank/Diners Club within 25 days of the
billing date. Extended or partial payments are not permitted. If
an amount on the bill is disputed, it can be deducted from the
amount due, but the remaining balance must be paid in full.
If a Diners Club bill contains a disputable amount, it is the
employee’s responsibility to contact Citibank/Diners Club in the
following manner to resolve the dispute:
DOE 1500.4A
4-22-91
9
(a) Call Government Services on (800) 525-5289 or (303) 799-9000
between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time. (8 a.m.
and 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time). Diners Club will need to
know the following: card member’s name and account number;
reference number of the disputed charge (listed on the
statement); establishment where the charge was incurred; amount
of charge; statement date; and details of the dispute.
(b) Confirm the billing dispute in writing and mail to:
Citicorp Diners Club
Attn: Government Services
P. O. BOX 5064
Denver, CO 80217
(c) With this information, research can be conducted to solve the
problem generally within 10 workdays.
f. Lost or Stolen Cards.
(1) If a Diners Club card is lost or stolen, the employee should
immediately call the number nearest his or her location at the time
the loss/theft is discovered.
(a) In the continental U. S., Alaska, Hawaii, and Virgin Islands
(toll free), 1-800-525-9040;
(b) In Canada (call collect), 0-303-779-8235;
(c) In Puerto Rico (call collect), 37-800-525-9040;
(d) In the Caribbean$ 0-809-295-7181;
(e) In Colorado (except Denver) (toll free), 1-800-332-9340;
(f) In Metropolitan Denver (dial direct), 779-8235/779-1504.
(2) The employee is not liable for any charges incurred against a lost
or stolen card. The employee may be required to review all charges
considered fraudulent and sign an Affidavit of Forgery stating that
he or she did not make the charges. An Affidavit of Forgery can be
obtained from the contractor or through the program DOE coordinator
who can obtain the forms from the contractor. All charges will be
the employee’s responsibility should he or she refuse to sign the
affidavit.
10 DOE 1500.4A
4-22-91
(3) A replacement Diners Club card will be mailed to the employee within
24 hours if the card has been lost or stolen in the United States or
Canada. While-you-wait replacement of lost or stolen cards are
available at the following domestic Diners Club offices:
(a) Denver: 183 Inverness Drive West
Englewood, CO 80112
Phone: (303) 799-9000 or
(303) 799-1504
TELEX: 45808
Cable: DINCLUB ENGL
(b) Washington, DC: 12700 Fair Lakes Circle
Fairfax, VA 22033
Section 7
Phone: (703) 276-7505 or
(703) 815-3000
g. Charge Card Renewals. Charge cards are valid for a period of 2 years
from the date of issue. A Projected Renewal Report will be forwarded by
the contractor to the designated program coordinator listing all employee
accounts which will expire within the current 3-month period. Cumulative
9-month monetary activity is also included to assist in determining if
the card should be renewed. The following procedures will ensure
uninterrupted charge card service to employees:
(1) Review the Projected Renewal Report to determine if there are any
employees who have separated from the organization or whose accounts
were canceled but remain on the list;
(2) Delete employee names who should not receive a new card;
(3) Indicate any employee information changes; and
(4) Return the completed list to the contractor within 45 days advising
the contractor that the renewal cards should be sent directly to the
employees.
h. Charge Card Cancellation and Changes. Charge cards may be canceled by
the employee, the authorizing DOE official, or the contractor.
However, the contractor may not unilaterally cancel any charge card
without prior consultation with and concurrence of the authorizing DOE
DOE 1500.4A Chg 1 11
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official. In all cases, cancellation requests may be accomplished by
telephone notification with subsequent written confirmation to the
contractor. Cancellation requests by employees must be confirmed by their
organization.
The contractor will suspend charge card privileges of those employees whose
accounts are 60 days past due; i.e., an account that has had three
consecutive billings for an unpaid, undisputed amount. When the accounts
are 120 days past due, the contractor, after notifying those applicable
designated program coordinators, may cancel charge cards of these delinquent
employees. The contractor reserves the right to refuse account renewals
once canceled.
(1) Employee Separations and Transfers. When an employee resigns, retires,
or transfers to another Government agency, the program coordinator
shall:
(a) Obtain the charge card from the employee;
(b) Immediately notify the contractor by telephone to cancel the
account; and
(c) Cut the card in half and return it to the contractor together with
an Account Cancellation form provided by the contractor.
(2) Employee Transfers or Relocations Within DOE.
(a) Employee transfers or relocations within the same DOE payment
office will be handled internally by that organization.
(b) When an employee transfers to another location within the
Department which is under another payment office, the program
coordinator shall:
1 Coordinate transfer date details with the coordinator at the
receiving unit;
2 Obtain a new billing address, if necessary, from the employee
prior to the actual transfer; and
3 Immediately notify the contractor by telephone and take
required action as instructed by the contractor.
i. Unused and Lost Tickets Originally Charged to Employee’s Charge Card.
(1) If a complete or partial airplane ticket is not usee, the employee
should return the coupons to the TMC, airline representative,
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12 DOE 1500.4A Chg 1
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or agency ticket office as appropriate, and obtain a refund credit.
This receipt must be retained until the appropriate credit is issued on
a subsequent Diners Club statement. The employee shall not submit his
or her unused tickets with the SF 1012, “Travel Voucher.”
Section 8
(2) If a charge appears on the Diners Club statement, but the credit does
not, the employee can receive immediate credit by:
(a) Subtracting the amount of credit from the payment and
(b) Sending a copy of the credit receipt to: Citicorp Diners Club,
P.O. Box 6002, The Lakes, NV 88901-6002. Diners Club will monitor
the account, take whatever steps are necessary to obtain the
credit, and advise the employee of the final resolution.
(3) If an airplane ticket is lost, the same procedures are to be followed
for unused tickets as described in subparagraphs (1) and (2), above,
with the exception that a Lost Ticket Application (available at the
ticketing facility) is to be filed with carrier and a photocopy sent to
Diners Club. The Lost Ticket Application is not submitted with the
SF 1012.
j. Financial Obligations and Liability.
(1) Employee. Except in the case of charges made on lost or stolen charge
cards, employees are liable for all billed charges. (See page 9,
paragraph 8f(2).) Government employees are required to pay their just
financial obligations in a proper and timely manner pursuant to section
1010.210 of 10 CFR part 1010, Conduct of Employees, and section 735.207
of 5 CFR part 735, Employee Responsibilities and Conduct.
(2) Department. The Department-assumes no liability for charges incurred
on employee charge cards, nor is the Department liable for lost or
stolen charge cards issued to employees. The Department is liable only
for authorized charges incurred in conjunction with official travel on
GTS accounts.
k. Acceptability of Diners Club Card.
(1) The Diners Club card is accepted in more than 650,000 establishments
throughout the world. It is expected that employees will use the card
whenever and wherever possible, for airline, hotel, restaurant, and
other expenses.
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DOE 1500.4A
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(2) If a traveler encounters a frequently visited establishment that
does not honor the card, he or she may complete a Diners Club
Establishment Coverage Request form which may be obtained from the
coordinator and send it to Diners Club at the address shown on the
form. (Diners Club will notify the requester of the coverage status
within 30 days after receipt of the form.)
9. GOVERNMENT TRAVEL SYSTEM ACCOUNT.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
may establish GTS accounts with the contractor to purchase commom carrier
uses a TMC, SATO, or inhouse travel office which is compatible with the
Establishment of Account. Appropriate officials (page 4, paragraph 7b)
transportation only. Charge cards are not issued for GTS accounts.
Use of GTS Accounts. GTS accounts may be used only if an organization
account. The account can be used for all travel or travel performed by
individuals who have not been identified as “frequent travelers” and
therefore not holding a charge card.
Contractor Billing and Payment. GTS accounts shall be billed monthly to
the finance office for payment to the contractor. Monthly payment of
charges incurred through the use of GTS accounts is subject to the
provisions of the Prompt Payment Act, as amended, and payment is due in
full within 30 calendar days after the billing date. (See DOE 2200.6,
page I-27, paragraph 6c(15).)
Travel Vouchers. Upon completion of travel, the emplovye shall prepare
and submit an SF-1012 following the usual procedures.
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Section 9
Unused Transportation Tickets. The employee shall submit any unused
tickets to the appropriate travel office, TMC, or SATO that furnished
ticket under a GTS account. Organizations using a GTS account shall
provide instructions to travelers on the procedures to follow when
the
submitting and documenting unused or downgraded passenger transportation
services.
Controls on the Use of GTS Accounts. Appropriate officials (page 4,
paragraph 7b) shall ensure that only designated, authorized personnel use
the accounts and that all tickets purchased are authorized. Tickets
issued under the GTS account shall include the individual’s travel
authorization number and other appropriate identifying codes. Designated
officials authorized to use GTS accounts shall be responsible for
properly utilizing the account and providing the finance office with a
listing of all charges made to the account. The listing shall include
14 DOE 1500.4A
4-22-91
the name, travel authorization number, organization code or other
identifying code, and amount. The finance office is required to perform
a reconciliation for all tickets under GTS with the Diners Club monthly
bill to assure the propriety of all charges prior to payment.
10. TRAVEL VOUCHER CLAIMS.
a. SF 1012, “Travel Voucher”, shall be prepared and submitted by employees
in the usual manner to the payment office (see DOE 1500.2A, page II-22,
paragraph 4a(5), “preparation of SF-1OI2”). Employees will be
reimbursed for authorized and allowable travel and transportation
expenses in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Travel
Regulation and DOE 1500.2A. Expenses incurred in making payments to
Diners Club, such as stamps, envelopes, and personal check charges are
not reimbursable.
b. Transportation Charges. When claiming reimbursement on a travel voucher
for transportation expenses purchased with a credit card, the employee
shall:
(1) Claim only the cost of transportation tickets actually used.
(Refer to page 11, paragraph 8i, and page 13, paragraph 9e, for the
procedure to follow when a complete or partial airline ticket is
not used.)
(2) Initial the preprinted statement on the SF 1012 concerning
assignment of all rights to the United States which the traveler
has in connection with recovery of overcharges from the carrier(s).
c. Voucher Submission and Processing Schedule. The following schedule must
be followed to ensure that employees receive reimbursement for allowable
expenses before payment is due the contractor:
(1)
(2)
(3)
Employees shall submit travel vouchers together with required
receipts to the approving official within 10 workdays following the
completion of the trip or at least once a month during extended
travel assignments. Vouchers may be handwritten legibly in ink or
typed.
Approving officials will submit the voucher to the payment office
within 5 workdays after receipt or return it to the traveler for
revision.
Payment offices will process all properly prepared vouchers within
10 workdays after receipt. Payment offices shall return promptly
to the traveler vouchers that are not prepared properly.
DOE 1500.4A
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11. TRAVEL ADVANCES.
Section 10
a. Frequent travelers who are authorized travel charge cards are expected
to use their charge cards in lieu of cash advances for most travel
expenses. An advance will be limited to cover those travel expenses
that can be expected in connection with authorized travel including
permanent change of station that as a general rule cannot be charged
and must, therefore, be paid using cash. Within the Continental United
States, the amount of the advance in a $26 M&IE area shall be $30 a day
and in a $34 M&IE area shall be $40 a day. For travel outside the
continental United States, the amount advanced for M&IE shall not exceed
50 percent of the per diem or the actual expense rate for the locality.
(See DOE 1500.2A, page II-8, paragraphs 2b and 2c.) Exceptions to the
travel advance limitations are allowed as provided in subparagraph c
below.
b. Advances to those employees who are frequent travelers but elect not to
have the charge card or to those travelers whose travel charge cards
have been suspended or revoked because of delinquent payments will be
limited to cover those travel expenses that can be expected in
connection with authorized travel including permanent change of station
that as a general rule cannot be charged and must, therefore, be paid
using cash. The amounts of the advance mentioned in paragraph ha,
above, for within and outside the continental United States, will
apply. However, the exceptions to the travel advance limitations as
provided in paragraph c below are not allowed for these employees.
c. An exception may be granted when circumstances are expected to preclude
the use of the travel charge card for transportation, lodging, car
rental, or other travel expenses that normally would be chargeable.
(See DOE 1500.2A, page II-8a, paragraph 2d.) Advances under this
exception will be limited to 80 percent of the allowable amount for cash
transaction expenses under DOE 1500.2A, page II-8a, paragraph 2d(4),
“Amount Allowed.”
d. An exception is authorized when the Department determines that in
certain situations an employee or group of employees should not be
issued travel charge cards (see page 4, paragraph 6b, “Exception”).
Infrequent travelers are included under this exception. Advances under
this exception will be limited to the allowable amount for cash
transaction expenses under DOE 1500.2A, page II-8a, paragraph 2d(4),
“Amount Allowed.”
16 DOE 1500.4A
4-22-91
12. SUBMISSION OF PASSENGER TICKETING INFORMATION TO GSA FOR AUDIT.
a. Travel vouchers containing reimbursable transportation charges purchased
with contractor-issued charge cards or issued through GTS accounts shall
not be considered transportation vouchers under 41 CFR 101-41.807 and
are therefore not required to be submitted to GSA by payment offices.
b. Passenger ticketing information is furnished directly by the Diners
Club, Inc., to GSA’s Office of Transportation audits and will be used to
identify and collect carrier overcharges.
13. PRIVACY ACT OF 1974. Refer to 48 FR 44655, of 9-29-83, for the
establishment by GSA of a new system of records for this program as required
under the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974.
14. TRAVELERS CHECKS. [Reserved]
BY ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF ENERGY:
JOHN J. NETTLES, JR.
Director of Administration
and Human Resource Management
DOE 1500.4A
4-22-91
EXAMPLE
Attachment 1
Page 1
DINERS CLUB GOVERNMENT CARD PROGRAM
EMPLOYEE CARD APPLICATION
I N D I V I D U A L B I L L I N G
Attachment 1
Page 2
Section 11
DOE 1500.4A
4-22-91
INSTRUCTIONS
1. EMPLOYEE INFORMATION. These blocks must be completed with the employee’s
complete name; social security number; home and work addresses; home and work
phone numbers; position/title; whether a present or former cardmember; and
account number. The home/mailing address is where Diners Club will mail the
charge card and billing statements. This address may be a personal residence
or a personal post office box. Charge cards and billing statements shall not
be sent to a Government office address.
2. EMPLOYEE APPLICANT SIGNATURE. The employee should read this block carefully
to make sure he or she understands the terms and conditions for issuance of a
Diners Club Government Employee Card before he or she signs and dates.
3. AGENCY INFORMATION AND AUTHORIZATION. All the blocks shall be completed
by the coordinator. The organization code 8900 shall be inserted in Field 2.
The authorized representative will sign the authorizing signature block.
THE DINERS CLUB APPLICATION IS A FOUR PART COLOR CODED FORM. AFTER COMPLETION,
RETAIN PINK COPY AND RETURN ORIGINAL AND OTHER COPIES TO THE COORDINATOR.
DOE 1500.4A
4-22-91
EMPLOYEE ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Attachment 2
Page 1 (and 2)
FORMAT
Department of Energy
Headquarters
Washington, DC
(Location)
I certify that I have received, read, and understand the memorandum (with
attachments) issued by Marvin C. Carling, Director of Financial Management,
2-5-91, entitled “Issuance of Diners Cl ub Government Charge Cards,” and that I
will abide by such policies, procedures, and other instructions as may be issued
by the Department and the Diners Club, Inc., pertaining to the use of any card
issued to me for purposes of conducting official Government travel.
John A. Doe
Name Type or Print)
Office of Programs, AD-81O, Washington, DC
Organization and Location
Employee Signature Date
Supervisor Signature Date
Return to coordinator with white and Canary Copies of the application.
DOE 1500.4A
4-22-91
Attachment 3
Page 1
DESCRIPTION OF EMPLOYEE RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS RELATED
TO THE USE OF CONTRACTOR-ISSUED CHARGE CARDS
Before you sign the enclosed Employee Acknowledgment, you should familiarize
yourself with this description of the rights and obligations of Diners Club
Government Cardholders.
1. HOW IS THE CARD TO BE USED. Employees designated to receive Diners Club
cards are to use them to pay for major expenses connected with official
Government travel, such as common carrier passenger tickets (air, rail, bus),
lodging, meals, and automobile rentals.
2. DOES ISSUANCE OF CHARGE CARDS MEAN A CHANGE IN CURRENT TRAVEL AUTHORIZATION
PROCEDURES? No, you must continue to obtain prior approval and authorization
of official travel in the same manner as you have in the past. Other travel
requirements, such as the use of contract city-pair airlines, Government
contract rental automobiles, Fly America, and use of premium class
accommodations, must continue to be observed fully. If you currently make
your travel arrangements through a Travel Management Center or Scheduled
Airlines Traffic Office, you shall continue to do so.
3. HOW WILL CARDHOLDERS BE BILLED?
a. A separate account will be established in the name of each individual
Government cardholder. Each month, you will receive a statement directly
from the Diners Club, Inc., and you will be expected to send your payment
in full regardless of whether or-not it exceeds the amount which you are
entitled to be reimbursed by the Government.
Section 12
b. Please note that you will receive with your card a detailed statement of
billing and paying procedures, as well as instructions on how to request
billing adjustments and corrections. Disputed charges or other billing
problems may be reported to the Diners Club Government Services by
calling (800) 525-5289 or (303) 799-9000 and writing to:
Citicorp Diners Club
Government Services
P. O. Box 5064
Denver, CO 80217
Attachment 3
Page 2
DOE 1500.4A
4-22-91
4. WILL EMPLOYEES BE REIMBURSED IN TIME TO PAY THE DINERS CLUB BILL?
a. If you are conscientious about filing travel vouchers promptly, you
should receive reimbursement for allowable expenses well before your
payment is due Diners Club. Coincident with the implementation of this
program, employees are expected to submit travel vouchers, along with
appropriate receipts, within 10 workdays after completion of travel.
(Legible handwritten vouchers are acceptable.) In turn, approving
official are required to submit the voucher within 5 workdays to the
payment office which will process all vouchers within 10 workdays after
receipt.
b. AS a general rule, charges made during one month will not show Up on your
statement until the following month. Since you will have 25 days to pay
from the statement date, this means the average lapsed time between the
date when you incur charges and the date by which your payment is due
will be 30 to 40 days. Assuming you file your vouchers promptly, you
should not have to pay for any reimbursable expenses out of your own
personal funds.
5. WHAT SPECIFIC PROTECTION AND FEATURES ARE AVAILABLE TO DINERS CLUB GOVERNMENT
CARDHOLDERS?
a. Under the terms of its contract with the General Services Administration,
the Diner's Club, Inc., may not:
(1) Establish preset expenditure limits.
(2) Conduct credit checks on employees designated to receive Government
cards. (Diners Club has reserved the right to conduct such checks
in connection with any update, renewal, or future extension of
credit.)
(3) Release credit information to other than authorized employing agency,
officials or the individual cardholder.
(4) Sell or otherwise provide employee names or addresses to other
commercial interests.
(5) Charge membership, interest, or late payment fees.
(6) Include commercial advertisements or other forms of solicitation
with monthly billing statements.
(7) Issue or cancel employee cards without the concurrence of authorized
program coordinators.
DOE 1500.4A
4-22-91
Attachment 3
Page 3
(8) Hold employees or their agencies liable for any charges made with
lost or stolen cards. An employee may be required to review all
charges considered fraudulent and sign an Affidavit of Forgery
stating he or she did not make the charges.
b. As a Diner’s Club Government Cardholder, you will receive, either with
your card or with your first billing statement, a brochure which
describes various card features and uses. Major features are summarized
as follows:
(1) Travel accident insurance ($155,000), payable to your estate, which
is automatically in force each time you purchase a common carrier
ticket with your card ($150,000, if ticket is provided through
Government Travel System), except where prohibited by State or local
law. This insurance is provided free of charge to you.
(2) Automatic $1,250 insurance for lost or stolen baggage when com-
mon carrier tickets are obtained with the card or through GTS.
Section 13
(3) Confirmed hotel reservations on your card number regardless of time
of arrival. (Please note that you must notify hotels before 6 p.m.
on the day of arrival if your plans change and ask for and retain
your cancellation number.)
(4) Personal check cashing privileges at participating citibank branches
worldwide and participating hotels and motels as a registered guest.
(5) Foreign currency conversion for billing purposes provided without
fee.
(6) Emergency card replacements within 24 hours, worldwide.
6. WHERE ARE DINERS CLUB CARDS ACCEPTED? The Diners Club Card is accepted in
more than 650,000 establishments, including:
a. All major domestic and international airlines, automobile rental
agencies, AMTRAK, and other common carriers.
Attachment 3
Page 4
DOE 1500.4A
4-22-91
b. Every major domestic hotel and motel chain, as well as other major hotels
in the U.S. and overseas (including most of the hotels and motels listed
in the Federal Travel Directory, published monthly by GSA).
c. Over 34,000 restaurants throughout the United States moderately priced as
well as finer establishments.
7. CAN CARDHOLDERS REQUEST THE DINERS CLUB TO SIGN UP ADDITIONAL ESTABLISHMENTS?
You will receive a postage-paid establishment request card with your Diners
Club monthly statements. - Simply fill in the request card with the names of
establishments you would like to have Diners Club contact to accept the card
and mail it. You will be notified by Diners Club within 30 days of the
action taken on your request. Additional request cards may be obtained at
any time from your program coordinator or by calling the Diners Club
(toll free) Corporate Services at (800) 525-5289.
8. HOW DO CARDHOLDERS REPORT LOST OR STOLEN CARDS?
a. Lost or stolen cards should be reported as soon as you discover they are
lost or stolen to the Diners Club at one of the following numbers:
(a) In the Continental U. S., Alaska, Hawaii, and Virgin Islands (toll
free), 1-800-525-9040;
(b) In Canada (call collect), 0-303-779-8235;
(c) In Puerto Rico (call collect), 37-800-525-9040;
(d) In the Caribbean, 0-809-295-7181;
(e) In Colorado (except Denver) (toll free), 1-800-332-9340;
(f) In metropolitan Denver (dial direct), 779-8235/779-1504.
b. Emergency card replacement will be arranged upon notification.
9. WHERE CAN CARDHOLDERS GET ANSWERS TO ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS AS THEY ARISE? Any
questions related to your account may be referred to Diners Club Corporate
Service officials who can be reached toll free at (800) 525-5289.
DOE 1500.4A
4-22-91
Attachment 4
Page 1
MEMORANDUM FOR
DEPARTMENTAL EMPLOYEES DESIGNED
TO RECEIVE THE DINERS CLUB GOVERNMENT CHARGE CARDS
Attachment 4
Page 2
DOE 1500.4A
4-22-91