Travel/Conservancy-Travel-Policy.tex

@@ -0,0 +1,346 @@
+%% LyX 2.0.1 created this file.  For more info, see http://www.lyx.org/.
+%% Do not edit unless you really know what you are doing.
+\documentclass[english]{article}
+\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
+\usepackage[latin9]{inputenc}
+\usepackage{babel}
+\begin{document}
+
+\title{Software Freedom Conservancy Travel and Reimbursable Expense Policy }
+
+\maketitle
+
+\section{Purpose }
+
+This Travel and Reimbursable Expense Policy (``Policy'') applies
+to all Conservancy Member Projects (``Projects'') of Software Freedom
+Conservancy (``Conservancy'') and has been created to memorialize
+Conservancy's reimbursement policies relating to travel and other
+business expenses incurred by employees, project volunteers, and while
+engaged in business on behalf of, or at the behest Conservancy or
+Project (``Travelers''). 
+
+Conservancy must maintain effective control of business­-related expenses
+in order to maintain its financial viability and tax exempt status.
+As such, Conservancy expects persons to use good judgment and to claim
+reimbursement for only those expenses that are necessary and reasonable.
+Excessive expenses, including but not limited to luxury accommodations
+and services unnecessary for or unrelated to the furtherance of Conservancy's
+charitable mission are not eligible for reimbursement. 
+
+Any travel expense that adheres to this Policy is considered In-Policy
+and does not require special approval, so long as the trip itself
+has been approved in writing by Conservancy's Executive Director or
+by a Project's Leadership Committee (``PLC'') in a regular and documented
+PLC vote. Conservancy and/or a PLC can limit allowable travel expenses
+to an amount less than what would otherwise be considered acceptable
+according to this Policy. If so, the smaller budget is the maximum
+allowed expense. 
+
+
+\section{Project Leadership Committee Review}
+
+Conservancy foresees the need for periodic reasonable exceptions to
+this Policy. Persons working on behalf of a specific Project seeking
+an exception to this Policy must petition their PLC to obtain written
+approval from Conservancy authorizing the exception. Persons working
+directly on behalf of Conservancy must seeking an exception to the
+Policy must obtain written approval from Conservancy authorizing the
+exception. 
+
+PLCs are responsible for creating procedures for requesting exceptions,
+and submitting to Conservancy reimbursement requests associated with
+their respective Projects. PLCs are also responsible for making available
+a list of required response times for inquiries, including but not
+limited to, the following two cases: a specific number of days to
+respond to regular reimbursement requests, and a specific number of
+days to respond to preauthorization requests. 
+
+
+\section{Air Travel}
+
+
+\subsection{Overall Airfare Cost }
+
+Domestic travel greater than U.S.\$750 requires Conservancy approval
+prior to booking, even if all other Policy conditions have been met.
+International travel greater than U.S.\$1,500 requires Conservancy
+approval prior to booking, even if all other Policy conditions have
+been met.
+
+
+\subsection{Class of Service }
+
+Coach Airfare is the only acceptable class for all flights (domestic
+and international) unless a PLC provides a special exception and a
+valid reason to Conservancy for written approval. Travelers may select
+their airline of choice (e.g., for the purpose of collecting airline
+miles and rewards), provided that the resulting air fare otherwise
+meets the requirements of this Policy. Travelers should not book out-of-Policy
+trips (and thus pay a higher fare) in order to qualify for a mileage
+upgrade. 
+
+
+\subsection{Advance Purchase }
+
+Travel should be booked at least 14 days in advance; any travel booked
+less than 14 days in advance requires written preauthorization by
+Conservancy. Flights beyond 365 days in advance also require written
+preauthorization by Conservancy. 
+
+
+\subsection{Low Fare}
+
+Conservancy aims to balance cost savings with convenience and considers
+flights that are within U.S.\$200 of the lowest logical fare to be
+within Policy. Any flights greater than U.S.\$200 over the lowest
+logical fare require written pre­-authorization by Conservancy. PLCs
+shall use Kayak.com as the comparison shopping site for determining
+the baseline lowest fare. 
+
+
+\subsection{Reasonable Flights }
+
+Conservancy asks that travelers allow for flexibility with respect
+to departure times during a desired day of travel, as well as longer
+trips in order to reduce cost. However, Conservancy does consider
+flights with two or more connections as unreasonable and does not
+expect travelers to consider those flight options to be reasonable.
+
+
+\subsection{Additional Days of Travel}
+
+Travelers often seek to add extra days before or after an approved
+trip (e.g., the weekend before a conference). A traveler may seek
+approval for the expenses associated with an extended stay prior to
+booking the trip, provided that the additional days are solely to
+enable a traveler to conduct work within the PLC's objectives and
+Conservancy's charitable mission. Travelers may seek approval to book
+travel itineraries that include extra days for personal reasons, so
+long as the cost of the flight meets the other requirements of this
+Policy. Other expenses incurred during extra personal days beyond
+air fare and transportation to and from the airport are not reimbursable. 
+
+
+\subsection{Excess Baggage }
+
+Should a team member travel on an airline that charges for a single
+piece of checked baggage, such a baggage expense is eligible for reimbursement.
+Team members are responsible for charges on any baggage beyond a single
+piece. 
+
+
+\subsection{Out-of-Policy Bookings }
+
+All air travel not adhering to the above Policies are considered Out-of-Policy
+and require written preauthorization by Conservancy's Executive Director.
+
+
+\subsection{Cancellation Fees}
+
+Cancellation fees and other penalties incurred result of a change
+of plans are reimbursable at Conservancy's discretion. In general,
+Conservancy shall reimburse such fees if the traveler can submit a
+valid reason for the change of plans. Acceptable reasons include Conservancy
+and/or the PLC canceling or altering the trip or unexpected delays
+in flight connections. In instances where these fees are incurred
+without adequate explanation, Conservancy reserves the right to refuse
+to reimburse the cost of the fees. 
+
+
+\section{Other Reimbursable Expenses }
+
+Conservancy will reimburse persons for Project-related expenses that
+are incurred while traveling on approved Project business and/or approved
+Conservancy business. Only necessary, ordinary and reasonable expenses
+are eligible for reimbursement, and only those categories of expenses
+listed in this document qualify. 
+
+
+\subsection{Lodging }
+
+In some cases, Conservancy or a PLC may decide to book lodging on
+behalf of travelers. In this case, Conservancy­-booked lodging is
+always considered In-Policy. If a traveler wants to stay elsewhere
+or self-book at the same location, Conservancy will only reimburse
+the team member the amount that it would otherwise have paid. Travelers
+are expected to be cost-conscious and prudent when booking lodging
+for approved trips. Lodging documentation submitted as part of a reimbursement
+request must include a copy of the hotel invoice detailing all charges
+(credit card receipts alone are unacceptable). Conservancy will not
+reimburse travelers for any costs associated with an upgrade of room
+accommodations. 
+
+
+\subsection{Meals \& Incidental Expenses}
+
+
+\subsubsection{Overview. }
+
+Travelers can submit for reimbursement receipts for meals and incidental
+expenses for every day of a trip devoted to PLC- and/or Conservancy-related
+mission work, including the day(s) of travel itself. Expenses shall
+be reimbursed up to a ``per diem'' limit. Per diem limits within
+the United States shall be based on the United States General Services
+Administration's Per Diem calculator (www.gsa.gov/perdiem), using
+the ZIP code of the travel destination. For example, a traveler based
+in Pao Alto, CA heading to a conference in Atlanta, GA (with a layover
+in Dallas, TX each way) will use the ZIP code of the destination in
+Atlanta to calculate the per diem for the entire trip, including days
+of travel. Per diem rates for locations outside of the United States
+shall be based on the United States Department of State's ``Foreign
+Per Diem Rates by Location'' calculator's ``Meals \& Incidental
+Expenses'' (M\&IE) column (http://aoprals.state.gov/web920/per\_diem.asp),
+using the name of a listed city closest to the travel destination.
+For example, a traveler based in Pao Alto heading to a conference
+in London, England (with a layover in New York City) will use an M\&IE
+per diem for London for the entire trip, including days of travel. 
+
+
+\subsubsection{Group Meals}
+
+For groups of travelers on an In-Policy trip, a single traveler can
+submit for reimbursement a receipt for a group meal. To do so, that
+traveler must include the names of the other travelers who participated
+the meal in his/her expense report, and the average cost of each meal
+will be applied towards the per diem limit for each traveler. Travelers
+may not submit for reimbursement the cost of meals and incidental
+expenses for third parties not traveling at the behest of the PLC
+and/or Conservancy (e.g., friends, contacts met at a conference, etc.)
+unless the purpose of the meal is within the PLC's technical objective
+and/or Conservancy's mission. However, even reimbursable meals within
+third parties are subject to the traveler's calculated per diem limit.
+As an example, a traveler may expense a lunch with a contact met at
+a conference to discuss trending issues relating to free software.
+The expense of both meals would be reimbursable up to the limits of
+the traveler's per diem. In contrast, if that same traveler had dinner
+with an old college friend in town to catch up, only the traveler's
+meal would be reimbursable. The college friend's meal would not be
+reimbursable, even if the traveler's daily meals and incidental expenses
+were otherwise under his/her per diem limit. 
+
+PLCs and/or Conservancy retain the right to allocate a separate budget
+for anticipated large group meals beyond the individual per diem limits
+of each traveler, provided that they are wtihin the PLC's technical
+objectives and/or Conservancy's mission. Travelers anticipating a
+need to cover such a large group meal may seek pre-approval from his/her
+PLC and/or Conservancy for such expenses before the trip. If pre-approval
+is granted, the expenses of the large group meal will not be counted
+toward the individual per diem limits of any participants traveling
+on behalf of his/her PLC and/or Conservancy.
+
+
+\subsubsection{No Entitlement to Balance of Per Diem}
+
+Travelers who submit for reimbursement receipts that total up to less
+than the available per diem for their location shall not be entitled
+to the balance of the per diem as a pay out. Travelers who book itineraries
+that include extra days for personal reasons will not be allotted
+a per diem for the additional days. 
+
+
+\subsubsection{Phone Call Charges Part of Per Diem}
+
+Charges for personal phone calls (e.g., made from a hotel, or via
+a mobile phone in international travel) are reimbursable, and count
+towards a traveler's per diem. 
+
+
+\subsection{Ground Transportation }
+
+Ground transportation necessary as part of authorized Project trips
+is considered to be a reasonable expense. Public ground transportation,
+such as taxis, shuttles, buses and municipal transit, are generally
+the most cost-eff­ective options and are the standard for eligible
+ground transportation reimbursements. All car rentals require pre-authorization
+by the PLC or by Conservancy's Executive Director. When car rentals
+have been pre­-approved, the rental of compact cars is encouraged;
+mid-size vehicles are authorized when necessary (e.g., when compact­-sized
+vehicles are not available or the number of passengers or volume of
+baggage makes a compact vehicle impractical). 
+
+
+\subsection{Rail Transportation}
+
+Rail transportation as a means of travel for an authorized Project
+trip is considered to be a reasonable expense. All rail transportation
+must be in economy class in North America. 
+
+
+\subsection{Use of Personal Vehicles }
+
+When circumstances require travelers to utilize their personal vehicles
+for Project purposes, he/she can be reimbursed at the current IRS
+rate per mile, plus any related parking expenses and toll fees.
+
+
+\section{Non-reimbursable Expenses}
+
+Non-reimbursable expenses are identified throughout this policy. The
+following items are typically non-reimbursable expenses: 
+\begin{itemize}
+\item Partner, spouse, and/or companion travel
+\item First class travel
+\item Upgrades to air travel, car rentals, or hotel rooms
+\item Purchase of clothing, luggage, toiletries and other miscellaneous
+personal items 
+\item Supplemental travel or car rental insurance
+\item Fines, penalties, or legal fees
+\item Personal entertainment or recreational expenses beyond the alotted
+per diem
+\end{itemize}
+
+\section{Satisfaction of IRS Requirements }
+
+Reimbursed travel expenses are subject to examination by the Internal
+Revenue Service (IRS). Travelers are responsible for retaining documentary
+evidence that all expenses are strictly for Project-related purposes,
+not personal in nature, and therefor not includable as taxable income
+to the traveler. Receipts are required for all expenses, no matter
+the amount.
+
+
+\section{Currency Exchange Rates }
+
+Expenses incurred in foreign currencies will be converted to US dollars
+based on the exchange rate on the date of incursion. The currency
+exchange rate of record shall be the one posted at Oanda.com. 
+
+
+\section{Expense Reporting}
+
+Travelers seeking reimbursement must submit an expense report to Conservancy
+with the following information:
+\begin{itemize}
+\item Name of traveler 
+\item Brief description of trip and trip's purpose (e.g., ``August 2011
+trip to XYZ conference for ABC project, served as planning committee
+member''; ``Feb. '12 FOO hackfest in Portland, OR; contributed code'')
+\item Itemized list of expenses
+\item Receipts (or scans of receipts) to substantiate each expense
+\item In the event that it is impractical to obtain a required receipt or
+if such receipt has been inadvertently destroyed, the traveler should
+furnish a written statement to that effect, as well as an explanation
+of the expenditure involved
+\end{itemize}
+Any expense without a substantiated receipt and/or a supporting written
+statement will not be reimbursed. 
+
+Conservancy requests that all expense reports be submitted within
+two weeks of travel. Expense reports filed more than 60 days after
+expenses are incurred will not be reimbursed without the approval
+of Conservancy's Board. 
+
+
+\section{Consequences of Policy Violations}
+
+Failure to comply with this policy may result in the denial of, or
+delay in payment for, reimbursement requests. 
+
+
+\section{Policy Changes }
+
+The Conservancy reserves the right to change any terms of this Policy
+from time to time. The Policy of record shall be the Policy most recently
+distributed by the Conservancy. 
+\end{document}