DOE O 550.1, Official Travel
Functional areas: Foreign Travel, Travel and Transportation
To supplement the Federal Travel Regulation [41 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Parts 300–304], which is the principal source of policy for Federal employee travel and relocation matters, and to establish Department of Energy’s (DOE) requirements and responsibilities governing official foreign travel by contractor employees.
Superseded By:
DOE O 550.1 Chg 1 (LtdChg), Official Travel on Dec 13, 2019
Cancels:
DOE O 551.1D Chg 2 (Minor Revision), Official Foreign Travel on May 02, 2019
Version history and related documents
Superseded by
A newer version replaces this document.
- DOE O 550.1 Chg 1 (LtdChg)Official Travel (Dec 13, 2019)
Document text
Text extracted from the attached file. Refer to the original document for the authoritative version.
Section 1
U.S. Department of Energy ORDER
Washington, DC DOE O 550.1
Administrative Change to Combine
DOE O 551.1D Chg 2, dated 8-9-2016
DOE O 552.1A Chg 2, dated 10-26-2016
Approved: 5-2-2019
SUBJECT: OFFICIAL TRAVEL
1. PURPOSE. To supplement the Federal Travel Regulation [41 Code of Federal
Regulations (CFR), Parts 300–304], which is the principal source of policy for Federal
employee travel and relocation matters, and to establish Department of Energy’s (DOE)
requirements and responsibilities governing official foreign travel by contractor
employees.
2. CANCELS/SUPERSEDES. DOE O 552.1A Chg 2, Travel Policy and Procedures,
dated 10-26-2016, and DOE O 551.1D Chg 2, Official Foreign Travel, dated 8-9-2016.
Cancellation of a directive does not, by itself, modify or otherwise affect any contractual
or regulatory obligation to comply with the directive. Contractor Requirements
Documents (CRDs) that have been incorporated into a contract remain in effect
throughout the term of the contract unless and until the contract or regulatory
commitment is modified to either eliminate requirements that are no longer applicable
or substitute a new set of requirements.
3. APPLICABILITY.
a. Departmental Applicability. Except for the exclusions in paragraph 3.c., this
Order automatically applies to all DOE elements including those created after the
Order is issued.
The Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) must
assure that NNSA employees comply with their responsibilities under this
directive. Nothing in this directive will be construed to interfere with the NNSA
Administrator’s authority under section 3212(d) of Public Law (P.L.) 106-65 to
establish Administration-specific policies, unless disapproved by the Secretary.
b. DOE Contractors. Except for the equivalencies/exemptions in paragraph 3.c., the
Contractor Requirements Document (CRD), Attachment 1, sets forth
requirements of this Order that will apply to site/facility management contracts
that include the CRD.
(1) The CRD must be included in all site/facility management contracts that
contain the clause at Title 48 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
952.247.70 Foreign Travel.
(2) This Order may not automatically apply to other than site/facility
management contracts. Application of any requirements of this directive to
other than site/facility management contracts will be communicated
AVAILABLE ONLINE AT: INITIATED BY:
www.directives.doe.gov Office of Management
http:www.directives.doe.gov
http:952.247.70
2 DOE O 550.1
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separately from this Order through the inclusion of the CRD. (See
paragraph 5, Responsibilities.). The officials identified in the
responsibilities paragraphs are responsible for notifying contracting
officers of which site/facility management contracts are affected. Once
notified, contracting officers are responsible for incorporating the CRD
into affected site/facility management contracts through the laws,
regulations, and DOE directives clause of the contracts.
(3) As the laws, regulations, and DOE directives clause of site/facility
management contracts states, regardless of the performer of the work,
site/facility management contractors with the CRD incorporated into their
contracts are responsible for compliance with the requirements of the
CRD. Affected site/facility management contractors are responsible for
flowing down the requirements of the CRD to subcontractors at any tier to
the extent necessary to ensure the site/facility management contractors’
compliance with the requirements. In doing so, the contractor shall not
unnecessarily or imprudently flow down requirements to subcontracts.
That is, the contractor shall both ensure that it and its subcontractors
comply with the requirements of this CRD; and only incur costs that
would be incurred by a prudent person in the conduct of competitive
business.
Section 2
c. Equivalencies/Exemptions for DOE O 550.1.
(1) Equivalency. In accordance with the responsibilities and authorities
assigned by Executive Order 12344, codified at 50 USC sections 2406 and
2511 and to ensure consistency through the joint Navy/DOE Naval
Nuclear Propulsion Program, the Deputy Administrator for Naval
Reactors (Director) will implement and oversee requirements and
practices pertaining to this Directive for activities under the Director's
cognizance, as deemed appropriate.
(2) Exemption. This Order does not apply to grantees.
(3) Exemption. This Order does not apply to the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission as an independent commission.
4. REQUIREMENTS. For specific requirements not stated below, Federal employees only,
see DOE M 552.1-1A (hereafter the Travel Manual).
a. General.
(1) Travelers must receive final DOE approval in the Foreign Travel
Management System prior to traveling. Travel arrangements authorized
without DOE approval and not recorded within FTMS are at the risk of the
traveler and may not be reimbursable.
3 DOE O 550.1
5-2-2019
(2) Individuals traveling abroad for DOE are expected to comply with
applicable immunization requirements associated with the travel, unless a
medical exception is granted.
(3) Official foreign travel for DOE must be on air carriers that are licensed by
a foreign country with a Category 1 rating as determined by the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) International Aviation Safety Assessment
(IASA) Program, or, countries that have achieved effective
implementation of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
Safety Standards unless an exemption is granted by the Responsible
Program Secretarial Officer.
(4) Personal leave in conjunction with official travel and travel to perform
Strategic Partnership Projects (SPP) may be granted, when approved by
the traveler’s supervisor in accordance with DOE O 322.1C, Pay and
Leave Administration and Hours of Duty. Per diem or actual expenses
during leave or non-workdays (weekend, legal Federal Government
holiday, or other scheduled non-workdays), while on official travel may be
reimbursed for Federal employees in accordance with the Federal Travel
Regulation, Chapter 301, Part 301-11.
b. Foreign Travel Management System.
(1) The Foreign Travel Management System (FTMS) is the official
Departmental system for tracking, monitoring, reporting, and securing
approval of all foreign travel conducted by Federal and contractor
employees.
(2) All official foreign travel requests shall be entered in the FTMS. This
documentation should be added at least 30 calendar days before the
proposed departure date, unless exigent circumstances exist. The FTMS
request must be approved prior to departure.
(3) If the traveler is NOT able to select an air carrier that is licensed by a
country with adequate implementation of ICAO safety standards then:
(a) The traveler shall enter the travel request in FTMS and include all
planned air carriers that serve their proposed flight routes.
(b) Final approval is not to be entered into FTMS until country
clearance has been received and recorded in FTMS, as outlined in
paragraph 4.c.
c. Host Country Clearance Requests.
(1) U.S. Government (USG) policy requires that country clearances be
obtained for official travel to a foreign country. Individuals traveling in an
official capacity for DOE must request and receive a country clearance
4 DOE O 550.1
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Section 3
from the U.S. Embassy in the country to be visited. Verbal approval
should be followed up by the U.S. Embassy via an email or fax to the
requesting program element.
(2) Requests for country clearance should be submitted as soon as possible to
receive appropriate and timely clearance to enter that country.
(3) Adhere to the Department of State’s training requirements for overseas
travel. More information on required training may be found at
http://www.state.gov/m/fsi/tc/securitytraining/index.htm and
https://fsitraining.state.gov/Home/Index/8.
(4) The Deputy Chief of Staff will notify the Office of Cabinet Affairs, the
White House, of proposed travel by Secretarial Officers and the Secretary
of Energy.
d. Passports.
(1) The Department will provide an official or diplomatic passport to U.S.
citizens, at DOE expense for approved foreign travel to conduct official
departmental business abroad. The acquisition of a diplomatic passport
depends on the type of activities conducted by the traveler for USG.
(2) All Federal employees who are U.S. citizens traveling to a foreign country
on official business for DOE must obtain an official or diplomatic passport
and, when required, appropriate official visas prior to leaving the United
States. It is a “violation of sovereignty” for federal employees to use a
tourist (personal) passport when traveling in an official capacity. It
misrepresents the true purpose for which the traveler has entered the
country. This can have a serious and adverse effect on our reciprocal
relations with foreign countries and is strongly discouraged by the U.S.
Department of State.
(3) The DOE Office of Travel Management maintains Departmental
responsibility for the management and accountability of all DOE official
and diplomatic passports.
(4) When the official and/or diplomatic passport is not in use the traveler has
the responsibility to safeguard their own passports.
(5) Prior to receipt of a passport, each traveler or person with authorization for
pickup must sign and date the record of release maintained in the Office of
Travel Management. If a field traveler does not have a local contact that
would pick up and forward the passport to the traveler, the Office of
Travel Management will overnight mail the traveler’s passport to the
traveler and sign and date the record of release and note the shipping
account number used to forward the passport.
https://fsitraining.state.gov/Home/Index/8
http://www.state.gov/m/fsi/tc/securitytraining/index.htm
5 DOE O 550.1
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(6) DOE emergency response teams or designated personnel including
personnel required to cross an international border to conduct business on
a daily or short notice basis must provide protocol for the maintenance and
protection of their official/diplomatic passports.
(7) Employees must turn in their Official and/or Diplomatic passport to the
Office of Travel Management when there is a change in employment
status, such as a transfers to other agencies, resignation, or retirement.
e. Review Procedures.
(1) Each organization must have an approval process for official foreign
travel. FTMS will issue notification of travel to the appropriate security
and program officials (i.e., Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence,
Office of Headquarters Security Operations, and Office of Defense
Nuclear Nonproliferation) to ensure review for compliance with U.S. and
DOE official security policies and guidance.
Section 4
(2) Final approval for official foreign travel conducted by federal employees
can be granted only by the Responsible Program Secretarial Officer or
Under Secretary and Administrator, NNSA or their designee that is
funding the official foreign travel, or if there is no DOE funding, the
official having programmatic responsibilities associated with the official
foreign travel.
(3) Substantial changes listed below will require reapproval:
(a) addition of one or more countries in the trip request, and
(b) change in trip sensitivity from nonsensitive to sensitive.
f. Counterintelligence Briefings. All Federal employees traveling to sensitive
countries, and/or interacting with sensitive country foreign nationals regardless of
destination country, will be provided appropriate prebriefings and debriefings by
and at the discretion of the Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence.
g. Trip Closeout.
(1) The Responsible Program Secretarial Officer or Deputy Administrator,
NNSA, is responsible for determining trip report requirements by the
traveler upon completion of travel, where appropriate, after return to duty
station, with the exception of advance and security personnel supporting
travel by the Secretary, the Deputy Secretary, or an Under Secretary.
(2) Classified information shall NOT be included in trip reports. If a Program
Element requires a trip report outside of FTMS for a trip that concerns a
classified subject area, the report must be reviewed by a derivative
classifier to ensure that it contains no classified or controlled unclassified
6 DOE O 550.1
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information, in accordance with DOE O 475.2, “Identifying Classified
Information,” or its successors as well as applicable regulations and
directives for Official Use Only and Unclassified Controlled Nuclear
Information.
(3) The traveler/travel arranger will provide the estimated travel cost for
reimbursement, into the FTMS.
(4) All trip requests should be closed out in FTMS within 60 calendar days of
traveler’s return date.
h. Travel by the Office of the Secretary of Energy and Program Secretarial Officers.
(1) For the purposes of this Order, the Chief of Staff (COS) to the Secretary or
designee serves as head of the organization and in that capacity, approves
and authorizes travel for the Office of the Secretary and all officials who
report directly to the Secretary.
(2) After authorizing travel for the Secretary, the COS must approve a draft
budget for the trip and forward it to the Office of Management. Only the
COS or his/her designee may authorize trip expenditures. No expenses in
excess of the approved mission budget can be incurred without prior
approval from the COS or his/her designee.
(3) The COS reviews and approves all participation in Secretarial travel,
including that of DOE employees, contractors, representatives from other
agencies, and private sector participants.
(4) Due to the unique nature of travel by the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, or
Under Secretaries, trip reports, where appropriate, for their travel will be
maintained by the Executive Secretary.
i. Security.
(1) Each organization will have access to official foreign travel data under its
cognizance in FTMS. The Office of the Secretary, Office of Management,
and Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence will have access to all
FTMS data.
Section 5
(2) Access to FTMS information on travel of the Secretary, Deputy Secretary,
and Under Secretaries, members of their staffs, and security personnel
directly supporting them will be limited to the Office of the Secretary, the
Office of Management, and the designated Agency ethics official. The
Office of Management may distribute this information only with the
authorization of the Office of the Secretary.
(3) Disclosure of information contained within FTMS, except for the purpose
of obtaining country clearance, is prohibited unless approved by the Office
7 DOE O 550.1
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of the Secretary. Reports for disclosure outside DOE will be prepared by
or coordinated with the Office of Management for review and approval by
the Office of the Secretary. The Office of Management will coordinate and
develop approval procedures with the Office of the Secretary to meet its
approval requirements.
(4) Nothing in this Order will preclude access to FTMS information by
Federal law enforcement agencies. Disclosures pursuant to the Freedom of
Information Act and the Privacy Act will be in accordance with applicable
Departmental regulations and directives, including classification review
requirements for public release found in DOE O 475.2A, “Identifying
Classified Information,” and its successors. When appropriate, the Deputy
Chief of Staff will be notified before disclosures to Federal law
enforcement agencies or pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act and
Privacy Act.
(5) Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence should establish procedures
to review official foreign travel involving interactions with sensitive
country individuals.
j. Private Sector Participation.
(1) Private sector participants may accompany travelers when their
participation is consistent with the goals of travel.
(2) Mission-specific, objective criteria for selecting participants from the
private sector must be approved by the head of the organization before
such participation is invited in accordance with 10 CFR 1060.101. Final
approval for foreign travel by a private sector participant must be
submitted to the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, or the responsible Under
Secretary.
5. RESPONSIBILITIES.
a. Deputy Chief of Staff to the Secretary. Represents the Office of the Secretary to
implement the requirements set forth in paragraph 4.h. of this Order, as
appropriate.
b. Assistant Secretaries, Deputy Assistant Secretaries, Deputy NNSA
Administrators, and NNSA Assistant Deputy Administrators. Designate isolated
official duty stations under the conditions specified in Chapter 302, Part 8, of the
Federal Travel Regulation (FTR)
c. Office of Management (MA).
(1) Ensures implementation of statutes, Executive orders, and regulations
related to official travel, transportation, and relocation.
8 DOE O 550.1
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(2) Drafts policies relative to the payment of expenses for official travel,
transportation, and relocation.
(3) Ensures travel-related training is made available when needed.
(4) Approves and/or designates employees to approve the use of first-class
and business-class accommodations by employees under the cognizance
of non-NNSA Headquarters organizations. (See DOE M 552.1-1A,301-
10.122.)
(5) Approves and/or designates employees to approve emergency cash
purchases of common carrier transportation in excess of $100 made by
employees or invitational travelers under the cognizance of non-NNSA
Headquarters organizations. (See DOE M 552.1-1A, 301-51.102.)
Section 6
(6) Approves requests for extensions in time for Senior Executive Service
(SES) employees under the cognizance of non-NNSA Headquarters
organizations to begin their “last move home.” (See DOE M 552.1-1A,
302-3.315.)
(7) Acts as the DOE liaison to the General Services Administration for all
policy issues relating to employee travel and relocation.
(8) Provides oversight for the DOE travel management program involving use
of travel management services, passenger transportation, relocation policy,
and travel charge card services.
(9) On a case-by-case basis for employees under the cognizance of non-
NNSA organizations, approves exceptions to requirements in the Travel
Manual.
(10) Approves requests for exemption from mandatory use of the travel charge
card from employees under the cognizance of non-NNSA Headquarters
organizations (does not apply when an employee’s card was canceled due
to delinquency or misuse).
(11) Designates an employee to serve as the DOE program coordinator for
travel charge card issues.
(12) Waives regulatory relocation allowance limitations for employees under
the cognizance of non-NNSA Headquarters organizations when the
employees are relocating to or from remote or isolated locations. (See
DOE M 552.1-1A, 302-2.106.)
(13) Approves releases from terms of relocation service agreements when an
employee under the cognizance of a non-NNSA Headquarters
organization does not fulfill the terms of the agreement. (See DOE M
552.1-1A, 302-2.14.)
http:302-2.14
9 DOE O 550.1
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d. Office of Travel Management.
(1) Maintains the contents of this Order.
(2) Acts as the primary point-of-contact with the Department of State on
Department of Energy foreign travel matters and with full participation by
the program element on all foreign travel matters specific to that program
element.
(3) Maintains in FTMS up-to-date points of reference for the FAA IASA
website and the ICAO Safety Audit Information website.
(4) Reviews and processes Program and Staff offices internal travel guidance
and requirements that are outside the provisions of this Order, for possible
inclusion into the FTMS, prior to placement upon travelers by such
Elements.
e. Office of the Chief Financial Officer. Maintains the Foreign Travel Management
System (FTMS).
f. NNSA Associate Administrator for Management and Administration.
(1) Approves and/or designates employees to approve the use of first-class
and business-class accommodations by employees under the cognizance
of NNSA organizations. (See DOE M 552.1-1A, 301-10.122.) Within 10
business days after the end of the fiscal year, supplies report of approved
requests in the format required by the FTR to the Director, Office of
Management.
(2) Approves and/or designates employees to approve emergency cash
purchases of common carrier transportation in excess of $100 made by
employees or invitational travelers under the cognizance of NNSA
organizations. (See DOE M 552.1-1A, 301-51.102.)
(3) Approves releases from terms of relocation service agreements when an
employee under the cognizance of an NNSA organization does not fulfill
the terms of the agreement. (See DOE M 552.1-1A, 302-2.14.)
(4) Waives regulatory relocation allowance limitations for employees under
the cognizance of NNSA organizations when the employees are relocating
to or from remote or isolated locations. (See DOE M 552.1-1A, 302-
2.106.)
Section 7
(5) Approves requests for extensions in time for Senior Executive Service
(SES) employees under the cognizance of NNSA organizations to begin
their “last move home.” (See DOE M 552.1-1A, 302-3.315.)
http:302-2.14
10 DOE O 550.1
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(6) On a case-by-case basis for employees under the cognizance of NNSA
organizations, approves exceptions to requirements in the Travel Manual
in consultation with the Director, Office of Management.
(7) Approves requests for exemption from mandatory use of the travel charge
card from employees under the cognizance of NNSA organizations (does
not apply when an employee’s card was canceled due to delinquency or
misuse).
g. Heads of Departmental Elements (including the NNSA Administrator).
(1) Approve their own travel, official travel of employees and other persons
traveling for DOE, and employee relocation allowances in accordance
with the requirements set out in the Travel Manual.
(a) Approval authority (except authority to approve their own travel)
may be delegated to subordinates with the authority to redelegate
at any level.
(b) Individuals delegated this authority will be referred to as
approving officials in the Travel Manual.
(2) Approve actual expense reimbursement not to exceed 300 percent of
locality per diem under special or unusual circumstances as identified in
the FTR.
(a) Redelegation of this authority is limited to two levels below the
head of the Departmental element.
(b) Requests for exceptions to this policy will be forwarded to the
Director, Office of Management for non-NNSA organizations or
the NNSA Associate Administrator for Management and
Administration for NNSA organizations.
(3) Ensure employees are fully informed of official travel and relocation rules
and regulations and, as needed, are provided access to prescribed travel
management services.
(4) Distribute travel charge card delinquency and misuse reports to
supervisory personnel to ensure that supervisors are aware of
noncompliant cardholders.
(5) Approve employee acceptance of payments by sources outside the Federal
Government for travel expenses after obtaining legal review.
(6) Designate an employee and an alternate to serve as the element’s travel
coordinators for travel issues.
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h. Heads of Field Elements. In addition to responsibilities listed in paragraph 5.g.,
heads of field elements will do the following.
(1) Approve the use of first-class or business-class air transportation for
employees under the cognizance of the respective field element. (See
DOE M 552.1-1A, 301-10.122.) Within 10 business days after the end of
the fiscal year, supply report of approved requests in the format required
by the FTR to the Director, Office of Management.
(2) Approve emergency cash purchases made by employees or invitational
travelers for transportation expenditures in excess of $100. (See DOE M
552.1-1A, 301-51.102.)
(3) Approve releases from terms of relocation service agreements when an
employee under the cognizance of the respective field element does not
fulfill the terms of the agreement. (See DOE M 552.1-1A, 302-2.14.)
(4) Waive regulatory relocation allowance limitations for employees under
the cognizance of the respective field element when the employees are
relocating to or from remote or isolated locations. (See DOE M 552.1-1A,
302-2.106.)
(5) Approve requests for extensions in time for SES employees under the
cognizance of their respective field elements to begin their “last move
home.” (See DOE M 552.1-1A, 302-3.315.)
Section 8
(6) Designate an employee and an alternate to serve as the field element’s
travel charge card program coordinators for travel charge card issues.
(7) Approve field employees’ requests for exemption from use of the travel
charge card (does not apply when an employee’s card was canceled due to
delinquency or misuse).
(8) Report approval of exemptions from use of the travel charge card to the
Office of Travel Management within 5 working days of approval.
(9) Approve employee acceptance of payments by sources outside the Federal
Government for travel expenses after obtaining legal review.
i. Responsible Program Secretarial Officer. A term used by the DOE foreign travel
community and in this Order to describe the approving Secretarial Officer or
NNSA Deputy Administrator that is funding or has programmatic interest in the
trip.
(1) Ensures implementation of the requirements of this Order in facilities
under his/her cognizance.
http:302-2.14
12 DOE O 550.1
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(2) Instructs Field Element Managers to notify affected site/facility
management contracting officers to incorporate the Contractor
Requirements Document (CRD) of this Order into contracts. Ensures that
procurement requests for new non-site/facility-management contracts
require inclusion of the CRD of this Order in the resulting contracts, if
appropriate.
(3) Develops and issues instructions for implementing this Order to
organizations under his/her programmatic cognizance. Instructions for
implementation are not to supersede this Order but provide additional
program guidance to the travelers to accomplish the specific program
element’s missions and goals.
(4) Coordinates any additional requirements outside of this Order through the
Office of Travel Management.
(5) Ensures that appropriate country clearances have been granted before
official foreign travel can begin.
(6) Ensures that official/diplomatic passports are obtained for official travel.
(7) Communicates with the traveler/travel arranger as to when an approval
decision will be forthcoming.
(8) Grants or delegates the granting of final approval of official foreign travel
funded by the program element under his/her cognizance, or if there is no
DOE funding, having programmatic responsibilities associated with the
requested travel.
(9) Establishes requirements for trip reports.
(10) Ensures completion of foreign travel closeout in FTMS within 60 calendar
days of traveler’s return.
j. Designated Agency Ethics Official.
(1) Establishes policies and procedures for DOE acceptance of travel
payments from non-Federal sources.
(2) Provides advice, as necessary, regarding invitational travel under 5 United
States Code 5703 (see 10 CFR, Part 1060, “Payment of Travel Expenses
of Persons Who Are Not Government Employees”).
k. Human Resources Directors. When appropriate, concur with travel authorizations
for interview travel of potential employees (invitational travel) initiated by the
organizational elements requesting the interviews and, for current Federal
employees, authorizations issued at the request of other DOE organizations
wishing to interview.
13 DOE O 550.1
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l. Head of Traveler’s Organization.
(1) Ensures compliance with:
(a) programmatic requirements for travel, security issues, and
effective use of resources;
(b) requirements governing conference management, adequacy of
funding, and non-Federal source travel;
Section 9
(c) U.S. national security, counterintelligence, and nonproliferation
policies for travel to countries on the Sensitive Countries List or
involving sensitive subjects;
(d) U.S. export control laws and regulations; and
(e) procedures established by the Office of Defense Nuclear
Nonproliferation for reviewing official foreign travel to countries
on the list of state sponsors of terrorism maintained by the
Department of State.
(2) Ensures that travel requests are entered into FTMS 30 calendar days prior
to departure to comply with all requirements for review, approval, and
country clearance unless exigent circumstances exist.
(3) Ensures that official/diplomatic passports are obtained for official travel.
(4) May request that an official passport be provided to contractor personnel
who engage in frequent travel for the Department of Energy. The
Department of State will determine whether an official or diplomatic
passport must be issued.
(5) Ensures that, prior to approving official foreign travel, consideration has
been given to employee safety regarding travel including airline carriers
and short-term medical and evacuation coverage to all countries.
(6) May grant or delegate approval and oversight of all official foreign travel
under their purview.
(7) Ensures closeout of trip requests in the FTMS within 60 calendar days of
traveler’s return date.
m. Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence. Establishes procedures to review
official foreign travel involving sensitive items, i.e. country, subject, interactions
with sensitive country individuals.
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n. Supervisors.
(1) Authorize the issuance of travel charge cards, as needed, to subordinate
employees.
(2) Counsel employees who are delinquent in paying their travel charge card
bills or have questionable or inappropriate charges to their accounts; allow
employees the opportunity to explain delinquencies or questionable
charges and maintain records of the meetings and the explanations.
(3) Contact the servicing human resources office for determinations of
appropriate disciplinary actions if explanations for delinquencies or other
questionable charges/activities are inadequate, and take appropriate
actions. At the discretion of the supervisor, the travel charge card may be
canceled at this time.
(4) Notify the travel charge card program coordinator to suspend the travel
charge card if there is a second instance of inappropriate use, and
reactivate the card on an as needed basis.
(5) Notify the travel charge card program coordinator to cancel the travel
charge card if there is a third instance of inappropriate use, an explanation
for delinquency is inadequate, or the employee is leaving the Department.
(6) On an annual basis, identify those employees who have not traveled for 1
year or more and determine, based on the employees’ future travel
requirements, whether their individual travel charge cards should be
canceled. For those travel charge cards that should be canceled, notify the
travel charge card coordinator to cancel the cards.
(7) Sign relocation service agreements when required.
(8) Certify an itemized list of professional books, papers, and equipment
(PBP&E) as necessary for the employee to perform his/her new job when
relocation requires an excess weight allowance for PBP&E.
o. DOE Travel Charge Card Program Coordinator.
(1) Manages the DOE travel charge card program.
(2) Serves as the primary contact point for the travel charge card contractor.
Section 10
(3) Monitors DOE summary reports of delinquent activity for centrally billed
travel accounts and individually billed travel accounts, and as necessary,
consults with travel charge card program coordinators for improving
delinquency performance.
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(4) Notifies travel charge card program coordinators of changes in the travel
charge card program.
p. Travel Charge Card Program Coordinators.
(1) Ensure completeness of information on travel charge card applications.
(2) Complete DOE information and authorization sections of travel charge
card applications.
(3) Forward original applications to the travel charge card vendor and
maintain copies of the applications with employee acknowledgment
statements.
(4) Monitor pre-suspension reports and delinquency reports and notify the
affected employees and the heads of their respective Departmental
elements of the status of accounts.
(5) Review account activity reports on a monthly basis for charges that are not
travel-related, and notify the employees and the heads of Departmental
elements of inappropriate charges.
(6) Coordinate temporary increases or decreases in individual employee
charge limits with the travel charge card vendor. Record permanent
changes online on the travel charge card vendor Web site.
(7) Cancel an employee’s travel charge card when notified to do so by the
employee’s supervisor when an employee has resigned, retired, transferred
to another Agency, or transferred to another DOE duty station and the
account has not transferred within 30 days of the employee’s transfer.
(8) Contact the gaining organization’s travel charge card program coordinator
when an employee transfers to another geographic location within the
Department, and initiate transfer of responsibility for oversight of the
travel charge card account.
(9) Obtain the new supervisor’s signed approval before transferring-in an
employee’s travel charge card account at the new duty station.
(10) Monitor the individual travel charge card account listing to ensure that all
open accounts are for current employees and that all accounts for
employees who resigned, retired, transferred to another Agency, or
otherwise left the employ of the Department have been canceled.
(11) Forward travel charge card vendor requests for salary offset of delinquent
account balances to the appropriate payroll office.
16 DOE O 550.1
5-2-2019
q. DOE Site Relocation Coordinators (SRCs).
(1) Act as primary liaisons between DOE and relocation services companies.
(2) Provide advice and guidance to relocation coordinators regarding
relocation issues.
r. Relocation Coordinators.
(1) Act as primary points of contact for employees and program offices to
provide guidance on relocation allowances under the guidance of the FTR,
Travel Manual, and SRCs.
(2) Provide required paperwork to employees eligible for relocation
allowances.
(3) Review completed paperwork, including forms and travel authorizations,
for compliance with the FTR and Travel Manual. Consult with program
offices and approving officials regarding corrections and/or additional
justifications/information to support authorizations.
(4) Facilitate or make arrangements for the relocation of eligible employees.
s. Travel Coordinators (Arrangers).
(1) Respond to inquiries from employees, including experts or consultants
employed intermittently, regarding travel issues.
(2) Act as liaisons between employees, accounting service centers, and the
Office of Travel Management.
Section 11
t. Contracting Officers.
(1) After notification by the appropriate program official, incorporate the
CRD into affected site/facility management contracts in accordance with
the laws, regulations and DOE Directives clause of the contracts.
(2) Assist procurement request originators who want to incorporate the
requirements of the CRD of this Order in new non-site/facility
management contracts, as appropriate.
u. Federal Travelers.
(1) Meet travel charge card obligations in a proper and timely manner
pursuant to 5 CFR, Part 2635, “Standards of Ethical Conduct for
Employees of the Executive Branch,” or be subject to appropriate
disciplinary action such as reprimand, suspension, or dismissal.
DOE O 550.1
5-2-2019
17
(2) Report lost or stolen travel charge cards to the travel charge card
contractor and local travel office or travel charge card program
coordinator immediately.
(3) Notify the local travel office or travel charge card program coordinator
when they resign, retire, or transfer to another Agency.
(4) Immediately upon transferring to another duty station within DOE, obtain
the new supervisor’s signed approval to transfer the travel charge card
account to the new duty station and forward the approval to the travel
charge card program coordinator at the new duty station.
(5) Reviews and becomes familiar with appropriate Federal travel regulations,
DOE policies, orders, and guidance related to official foreign travel and
aviation safety.
(6) Provides the required information for entry and approval in FTMS and
provides required country clearance information in sufficient time to
permit approval by the appropriate programmatic elements and to obtain
clearance, as required, from the U.S. Embassy in the country to be visited.
(7) Provides a copy of the appropriate paperwork, i.e. granted country
clearance, letter of invitation, to his/her program element when traveling
for another organization.
(8) Receives country clearance, as required, from the U.S. Embassy in the
country to be visited, through the Responsible Program Secretarial Office
or Deputy Administrator, NNSA, before travel begins.
(9) Ensures that official/diplomatic passports are obtained for official travel.
(10) Ensures that visas, when required, are obtained for official travel.
(11) Checks with their Medical Support Staffs to ensure awareness of safety
and health issues of the country to be visited.
(12) Discusses, with appropriate management, safety concerns related to
upcoming or past travel.
(13) Declines travel if there is a concern about their personal safety.
(14) Ensures that information is submitted to update the FTMS when official
foreign travel requests were entered and subsequently canceled or
disapproved.
(15) Ensures that FTMS trip requests are closed out within 60 calendar days of
return.
18 DOE O 550.1
5-2-2019
(16) Ensures that information as to conference attendance, including but not
limited to agenda and presentation, are attached to trip request in FTMS.
v. Emergency Response Personnel. Provide briefings to appropriate offices/officials
as requested upon return from emergency response activities travel.
w. Office of Scheduling and Advance. Manages all Secretarial travel logistics.
6. INVOKED TECHNICAL STANDARDS. This Order does not invoke any DOE
technical standards or industry standards as required methods.
7. REFERENCES. See Attachment 2.
8. DEFINITIONS. See Attachment 3.
Section 12
9. CONTACT. Questions concerning this Order should be addressed to the Office of
Travel Management at 202-586-4048.
BY ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF ENERGY:
ELIZABETH SHERWOOD-RANDALL
Deputy Secretary
DOE O 550.1 Attachment 1
5-2-2019 Page 1
CONTRACTOR REQUIREMENTS DOCUMENT
DOE O 550.1, OFFICIAL TRAVEL
Regardless of the performer of the work, the contractor is responsible for compliance with the
requirements of this Contractor Requirements Document (CRD). The contractor is responsible
for flowing down the requirements of this CRD to subcontracts at any tier to the extent
necessary to ensure the contractor’s compliance with the requirements.
This CRD establishes the requirements for Department of Energy (DOE) contractors.
Disclosure of information contained in the Foreign Travel Management System (FTMS),
except for the purpose of obtaining country clearance, is prohibited unless approved by the
Office of the Secretary. Foreign travel information may also be classified or unclassified
controlled information and subject to the protections applicable to the corresponding
category of information. In addition to the requirements in this CRD, contractors are subject
to the information set forth in Attachments 2 and 3 to DOE O 550.1.
1. In preparing for or performing official foreign travel, contractors must comply with the
following requirements.
a. Review, approve, and oversee all foreign travel under their purview.
b. Establish appropriate internal controls to ensure accountability within their
organizations.
c. Laboratory and other facility site contractors are delegated the authority to
approve foreign travel at the site/facility. This authority will enable the
site/facility to purchase airline tickets in a more timely manner with potential cost
savings to the site/facility. The Responsible Program Secretarial Officer or
Deputy Administrator, NNSA, will have five (5) business days from the date of
the site/facility approval to review the travel and disapprove, if necessary. In
addition, the Responsible Program Secretarial Officer or Deputy Administrator,
NNSA, may request clarification or justification of costs at any point in the
process as part of financial due diligence of appropriated funds. If a Contractor
fails to meet the requirements set forth in the CRD, including specifically that of
securing granted country clearance prior to departure, the corresponding
laboratory/site may have its delegation of authority revoked.
d. Ensure that official or diplomatic passport requests are submitted to the
Responsible Program Secretarial Officer or Deputy Administrator, NNSA for
review, approval, and submission to the Department of State. The Department of
State does not require contractors to obtain an official passport when conducting
USG business, but the Program Office may decide that based on the contractor’s
mission that it would be beneficial for the contractor to have an official passport
and request the Department of State to issue an official passport. The Department
of State will determine whether an official or diplomatic passport is warranted. If
an official or diplomatic passport has been issued to the contractor, then the
Attachment 1 DOE O 550.1
Page 2 5-2-2019
contractor must only travel on the official or diplomatic passport (except in cases
where the USG does not have diplomatic relations with another country).
Section 13
e. Coordinate the review of official foreign travel as necessary with DOE officials
responsible for export control and technology concerns and with DOE officials
responsible for intelligence, counterintelligence and security when the traveler has
an SCI clearance or the trip is for official DOE business.
f. Ensure travelers are on airline carriers that are licensed by IASA Category 1
countries or those countries that have implemented ICAO Safety Standards. The
site/facility will have responsibility to establish procedures and policy involving
the traveler for reviewing and making a determination as to the necessity to travel
and the method of travel when an airline carrier is not licensed by a Category 1
country on FAA IASA Results list or a country that has not achieved adequate
implementation of ICAO Safety Standards.
g. Consult with export licensing officials at the Department of Commerce, State,
Energy and Treasury, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, as appropriate, to
ensure compliance with U.S. export laws and regulations applying to specific
foreign travel requests.
h. Comply with the following requirements for obtaining country clearance.
(1) Provide sufficient information for the Responsible Program Secretarial
Officer or Deputy Administrator, NNSA, to provide notification to the U.S.
Embassy in the country to be visited.
(2) Receive country clearance from the U.S. Embassy in the country to be
visited before the start of the travel.
i. Comply with pre-briefings, as appropriate, prior to the start of official foreign
travel and provide debriefings, as appropriate, upon return by and at the discretion
of the Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence when travel is to a sensitive
country, and/or interacting with sensitive country foreign nationals regardless of
destination country, regardless of whether the traveler holds a security clearance.
j. Coordinate with emergency response personnel to provide briefings to appropriate
offices/officials as requested upon return from travel.
k. Consider the travel risk and employee safety regarding travel including airline
carriers and short-term medical and evacuation coverage to all countries.
l. Check with Medical Health Support Services to ensure awareness of safety and
health issues of the country to be visited.
m. Ensure that visas, when required, are obtained for official travel
DOE O 550.1 Attachment 1
5-2-2019 Page 3 (and Page 4)
n. Adhere to the Department of State’s training requirements for overseas travel.
More information may be found at
http://www.state.gov/m/fsi/tc/securitytraining/index.htm and
https://fsitraining.state.gov/Home/Index/8.
o. Ensure that when traveling for an organization other than DOE or the contractor, a
copy of the appropriate paperwork is provided to his/her Responsible Program
Secretarial Officer, i.e. granted country clearance, letter of invitation.
2. In controlling official foreign travel, contractors must comply with the following
requirements.
a. Utilize FTMS as the official Departmental system for tracking, monitoring,
reporting, and securing approval of all foreign travel conducted by contractor
employees. Trip information and approvals shall be entered into FTMS by
contractors with appropriate authorities.
b. All official foreign travel requests shall be entered in the FTMS. This
documentation should be added at least 30 calendar days before the proposed
departure date, unless exigent circumstances exist. The FTMS request must be
approved prior to departure.
Section 14
c. Ensure that foreign travel does not begin unless all required approvals have been
finalized.
d. Substantial changes listed below will require reapproval:
(1) addition of one or more countries in the trip request, and
(2) change in trip sensitivity from nonsensitive to sensitive.
e. Ensure for those attending conferences that conference agendas and presentations,
where applicable, are uploaded into FTMS.
f. Perform periodic self-assessment of implementation of requirements contained in
this CRD.
3. Contractors must comply with the following trip closeout requirements.
a. For each trip, contractors must complete close out in FTMS within 60 calendar
days after return to their duty station.
b. Classified information is NOT to be included in trip reports. If the trip concerns a
classified subject area, a review of the report by a derivative classifier is required
to ensure it contains no classified information.
c. For each trip, contractors must provide estimated travel costs, including but not
limited to lodging and meal costs into FTMS.
DOE O 550.1 Attachment 2
5-2-2019 Page 1
REFERENCES
This Attachment provides information applicable to contracts in which the CRD (Attachment 1
to DOE O 550.1) is inserted.
1. Title XXXII of P.L. 106-65, National Nuclear Security Administration Act, as amended.
2. Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 1017, Identification and Protection of
Unclassified Controlled Nuclear Information.
3. 10 CFR 1060, Payment of Travel Expenses of Persons Who are Not Government
Employees.
4. Implementation regulations at 10 CFR 1060.101, Persons who may be paid.
5. 41 CFR 300–304, Federal Travel Regulation.
6. Title 41 CFR, Chapter 301, Federal Travel Regulations, Temporary Duty (TDY) Travel
Allowances.
7. Title 41 CFR, Chapter 304, Federal Travel Regulations, Payment from a Non-Federal
Source for Travel Expenses.
8. 5 U.S.C. 5703, “Per Diem, Travel, and Transportation Expenses; Experts and
Consultants; Individuals Serving Without Pay” (see 10 CFR Part 1060, Payment of
Travel Expenses of Persons Who Are Not Government Employees.).
9. Executive Order 13589 “Promoting Efficient Spending,” effective 11-9-11.
10. Presidential Decision Directive 12, Security Awareness and Reporting of Foreign
Contacts, dated 8-5-93.
11. Open Skies Agreement, http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/103191.
12. Chapter 925 Per Diem Supplement to the Department of State’s Standardized
Regulation (Government Civilian Foreign Areas).
13. DOE O 440.2B, Aviation Management and Safety, dated 11-27-2002.
14. DOE O 471.1B, Identification and Protection of Unclassified Controlled Nuclear
Information, dated 3-1-10.
15. DOE O 471.3, Identification and Protecting Official Use Only Information, dated
8-9-03.
16. DOE O 475.1, Counterintelligence Program, dated 12-10-04.
17. DOE O 475.2A, Identifying Classified Information, dated 2-1-11.
http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/103191
Attachment 2 DOE O 550.1
Page 2 5-2-2019
18. DOE M 471.3-1, Manual for Identifying and Protecting Official Use Only Information,
dated 4-9-03.
19. DOE M 552.1-1A, U.S. Department of Energy Travel Manual, dated 2-17-06.
20. DOE Handbook on Overseas Assignments, dated March 2011.
DOE O 550.1 Attachment 3
5-2-2019 Page 1
DEFINITIONS
This Attachment provides information applicable to contracts in which the CRD (Attachment 1
to DOE O 550.1) is inserted.
1. Budget and reporting (B&R) codes. Those used to reflect the Departmental source of
funding for a trip.
Section 15
2. Classified information. Restricted Data or Formerly Restricted Data as defined by the
Atomic Energy Act or 10 CFR part 1045; TFNI Classified by the Atomic Energy Act;
and NSI classified by E.O. 13526 or prior Executive orders.
3. Country clearance. Notification from the U.S. Embassy of the country to be visited that
a request to travel to that country has been approved. Some U.S. Embassies from time to
time will agree (with appropriate language in the cable) that clearance may be assumed.
4. Emergency response. The national technical capability to respond to radiological and
nuclear incidents and accidents within the United States and abroad. This capability
typically supports the Department of Energy, Department of Defense, Department of
State, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and other Government agencies.
5. Foreign Travel Management System (FTMS). The official Departmental system for
tracking, monitoring, reporting and securing approval of all foreign travel conducted by
Federal and contractor employees. Trip information and approvals are entered into
FTMS by users with appropriate authorities.
6. Head of Traveler’s Organization. The top official for the organization in which the
traveler is employed. For a Federal employee, the responsible Assistant Secretary or
equivalent; for a contractor employee, the head of the contractor organization.
7. Official foreign travel. Approved travel (whether wholly or partly on official business)
from the United States (including Alaska, Hawaii, the Commonwealths of Puerto Rico
and the Northern Mariana Islands, and the territories and possessions of the United
States) to a foreign country and return or travel between foreign countries by persons,
including foreign nationals, whose salaries or travel expenses or both will ultimately be
funded in whole or in part by DOE from its appropriations. Official foreign travel also
includes travel funded by non-DOE (work for others) for which the traveler represents
the Department or conducts business on behalf of the U.S. Government.
8. Responsible Program Secretarial Officer (or Deputy Administrator, NNSA). Not
necessarily a program officer, this is the senior DOE Headquarters official whose office
will fund the requested travel or, if there is no DOE funding, the Federal official having
responsibilities associated with the purpose of the requested travel. For Federal
employees, this may be the same person as the head of the traveler’s organization.
9. Sensitive country. A country to which particular consideration is given for policy
reasons. Countries may appear on the sensitive country list for reasons of national
security, nuclear nonproliferation, regional instability, threat to national economic
Attachment 3 DOE O 550.1
Page 2 5-2-2019
security, or terrorism support. The Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence
maintains the list.
10. Sensitive subjects. Unclassified subjects/topics identified in existing Federal regulations
governing export control as well as those identified by the Department as unique to its
work, which involve information, activities, and/or technologies that are relevant to
national security.
Section 16
1.PURPOSE.
2.CANCELS/SUPERSEDES.
3.APPLICABILITY.
a. Departmental Applicability.
b. DOE Contractors.
c. Equivalencies/Exemptions for DOE O 550.1.
4. REQUIREMENTS.
a.General
b.Foreign Travel Management System.
c.Host Country Clearance Requests.
d.Passports.
e.Review Procedures.
f.Counterintelligence Briefings.
g.Trip Closeout.
h.Travel by the Office of the Secretary of Energy and Program Secretarial Officers.
i.Security.
j. Private Sector Participation.
5. RESPONSIBILITIES.
RESPONSIBILITIES.a.Deputy Chief of Staff to the Secretary.
b.Assistant Secretaries, Deputy Assistant Secretaries, Deputy NNSA Administrators, and NNSA Assistant Deputy Administrators.
c.Office of Management (MA).
d.Office of Travel Management.
e.Office of the Chief Financial Officer.
f.NNSA Associate Administrator for Management and Administration.
g.Heads of Departmental Elements (including the NNSA Administrator).
h.Heads of Field Elements.
i.Responsible Program Secretarial Officer.
j.Designated Agency Ethics Official.
k.Human Resources Directors.
l.Head of Traveler’s Organization.
m.Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence.
n.Supervisors.
o.DOE Travel Charge Card Program Coordinator.
p.Travel Charge Card Program Coordinators.
q.DOE Site Relocation Coordinators (SRCs).
r.Relocation Coordinators.
s.Travel Coordinators (Arrangers).
t.Contracting Officers.
u.Federal Travelers.
v.Emergency Response Personnel.
w.Office of Scheduling and Advance.
6.INVOKED TECHNICAL STANDARDS.
7.REFERENCES.
8.DEFINITIONS.
9.CONTACT.
CONTRACTOR REQUIREMENTS DOCUMENT
REFERENCES
DEFINITIONS