Operation Staff Meeting OSM November 2003

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Operation Staff Meeting (OSM)November 2003

• Presented by the
• DCP ARC

National Institutes of Health
DHHS
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AGENDA

• TRAVEL ISSUES
• LOCAL TRAVEL
• FY04 Appropriation Number
• Submit Your Local Vouchers Quarterly
• The Difference Between Govt Non-Govt
  Sponsored trips
• How To Enter an Electronic HHS-99
• GENERAL TRAVEL ISSUES
• New Routing Procedures in the ARC
• Final Voucher Check-Box
• The Buddy System
• Contract Airfare Website
• P.O.S. Lead Times
• Delegations of Authority
• Amending a Travel Authorization
• Separating Omega Fees
• Canceling an Order
• PROCUREMENT ISSUES
• Registry in the CCR
• HIGHLIGHTS FROM LAST MONTHS MEETING

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Travel Issues

• Local Travel

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Local Travel Issues

• Please submit Local Travel Vouchers (for Govt
  Sponsored Meetings) quarterly unless a large
  amount of money is involved.
• Multiple trips can be combined on one voucher.

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Local Travel Issues (continued)

• Govt vs- Non-Govt Sponsored Meetings
• Whats the difference?
• Gov't Sponsored -- The local voucher travel
  document is a travel document that is not created
  from a travel authorization.  No prior formal
  authorization is required.  Registration fees may
  be pre-paid with the Purchase Card with all other
  expenses paid by the traveler to be reimbursed by
  a local voucher in the Travel Manager system.
• The planner would choose  'Local Voucher' as the
  document type

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Local Travel Issues (continued)

• Govt vs- Non-Govt Sponsored Meetings
• Non-Gov't Sponsored -- Used when an individual is
  attending a conference in the local travel area
  that is sponsored by a non-Government group. 
  Prior approval is required
• The travel authorization (order) is prepared and
  routed for AO approval. 
• This document becomes a "substitute" for the
  current HHS-99. 
• A regular voucher is prepared for reimbursement
  of travel allowable expenses. 
• Travel Manager automatically calculates the per
  diem at 0. 
• The planner would choose 'Authorization' as the
  document type, 'Domestic Travel' as the purpose,
  and 'HHS-99 Local Non Gov' as the type

Step-by-Step instructions are attached
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Travel Issues

• General Travel Issues

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New Routing Review Process from ARC

• Whats Different?
• Both members of your AO / Tech Team will review
  all Travel Authorizations and Vouchers.
• If they need to be returned for changes
• the Admin Tech will review the order, make
  electronic comments, and then forward to the AO
  for their review.
• the AO will review, perhaps make additional
  comments if required, then return the order to
  the Travel Planner for changes.
• How will this Help You?
• This will decrease your back-and-forth to the ARC

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New Routing Review Process from ARC

• When a Travel Authorization or Voucher is
  returned, how will you know whats wrong?
• Open the Authorization
• Click Document Status
• Comments will appear by the Admin Tech and/or
  AOs Date Stamp.
• DEMO

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The Final voucher check box

• History on the Issue
• During the voucher stage, we've had cases where
  the planners were able to go forward without
  checking the final voucher box. However, other
  planners would receive an error message,
  attempting to process a voucher that is not
  final and has the total amount equal to or
  greater than the authorization appears and does
  not allow the planner to route the voucher for
  approval.

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The Final voucher check box (continued)

• Solution
• If the amount on the voucher is equal to or
  greater than the authorization, you must check
  the final voucher box before routing. 
• The planner can still make changes to the voucher
  up until the voucher is approved by the AO. 
• However, there is a fix if a receipt is found
  after the voucher has been final approved by the
  AO.  If this happens please see your AO.

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The Buddy System

• We want to again stress the importance of using
  this critical method of additional support. It
  is imperative that each Operations Staff member
  have at least one, and preferably two, back-up
  buddies. Your buddy(s) should be another OS
  member.

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The Buddy System (continued)

• Your buddy is your source for
• coverage during your absence for
• vacations and training
• Please plan ahead with your back-up to ensure
  they will be available for coverage.  
• Illness
• Remind your supervisor/contact point who your
  back-up is, and also contact your back-up, if
  possible.
• The ARC is unable to provide back-up coverage for
  day-to-day responsibilities to your program
  areas. Your back up is vital for this purpose.

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The Buddy System (continued)

• Your buddy is also your source for
• coverage during an urgent and/or short
  turn-around situation
• information and support for day-to-day work in
  areas including
• NBS       
• 348 (sponsored travel) prep       
• 520 (outside activity) prep       
• ITAS/Timekeeping       
• PSOs
• All of you have something to offer one another.
  A coworker can frequently assist you in resolving
  process and/or system issues that come up on a
  routine basis.

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Airline City Pairs (Contract Fares) Website

• What is it?
• Contracted fares are listed on this website.
• This may provide you with information that you
  would otherwise have to get from OMEGA. 
• Estimates can be obtained for in-kind airline
  tickets and for Records of Call (ROC).
• The Link is as follows
• http//apps.fss.gsa.gov/citypairs/search/

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Please Use the Updated Travel Request Form

• The last update was on 10/7/03 which appears at
  the bottom right hand corner of the form. 
• Please contact Vanessa if you need the electronic
  version.
• Also appears on the DCP ARC Website under the
  Travel section at
• http//www3.cancer.gov/prevention/arc/travel.
  html

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PROGRAM OPERATION STAFF LEAD TIMES
These are the lead times travelers are supposed
to use in order to give you fair time to meet
your deadlines.
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Delegations of Authority and Routing Sheet
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Amending a Travel Authorization

• If you need to amend an approved Travel
  Authorization or Voucher
• Select, Create a New Document
• In the Document Type field, select Amendment
  from the drop-down list
• Tab to the next field to activate the Traveler
  Listing screen.
• Choose the Traveler and the document to be
  amended.
• The Amendment Name will append the original
  document name with a "-1"
• Click the CREATE New Amendment button.  The
  Document Summary Screen appears.
• From the Document Summary, you can make any
  required changes by clicking the appropriate
  Pencil icon next to the expense detail.
• Complete, route and sign as you would a normal
  document.

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Separating Omega Fees

• Please remember to enter the Omega GTA fee and
  the Omega Transaction fee separately in the NBS.
• Weve had a few cases where people still combined
  the two fees like we were required to do in the
  old ADB system.

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Canceling An Order

• If a document is in a status other than Created,
  Prepared or Approved, the Travel Approver must
  stamp the document Canceled to cancel the trip.
  
• To cancel a document after it has been final
  approved, you must
• Confirm that there is no Transaction Fee due to
  Omega.
• If there is an Omega Transaction Fee, you must
  voucher the order for that Transaction Fee only.
• If there is no Trans Fee due
• Submit to the ARC a signed copy of the .pdf of
  the travel authorization with Cancel and no
  Trans Fee due to Omega on it.

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Procurement Issues
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The New Central Contractor Registration (CCR)

• There is a new procurement process which started
  on 10/1/03. Contractors must now be registered
  in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR)
  before purchase orders can be awarded. This
  requirement includes both individuals and major
  organizations. The DCP staff can not perform the
  registration, it must be done by the potential
  contractor.

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The New Central Contractor Registration (CCR)
continued

• To search to see if a vendor is registered in the
  CCR
• Go to http//www.ccr.gov/
• Go to Search the CCR
• Type in the legal business name
• If theyre not registered, they must follow the
  instructions on the website to register.
• Please do not submit requests for Purchase Orders
  to the ARC until the vendor is registered.
• Please attach a copy of the CCR registry page for
  the vendor with your purchase order.

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DCP Staff Travel Training

• Would we all benefit from some specialized DCP
  Travel Training?
• The Travel Training could use examples specific
  to our Division.
• We would all attend as a group.

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OPEN DISCUSSION
Problems? Issues? Concerns? Anything youd like
to see on next months agenda? Do you have
something youd like to present? Just let us know!
Next OSM Thurs Dec 11th 230-330pm
Top 10 Topics from Last Months OSM
BUT WAIT! THERES MORE!
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Operation Staff Meeting (OSM)
HIGHLIGHTS FROM LAST MONTHS
MEETING
National Institutes of Health
DHHS
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Handouts

• Everyone should have a red DCP ARC NBS Updates
  book
• These are for your use and maintenance as a
  companion to your training manual
• This is a good place to store the weekly NBS
  emails
• Write the major topic at the top of the printout
  and file accordingly.
• The binders are organized by major categories so
  you can quickly find what youre looking for
  without having to dig through your old training
  manuals.
• Everyone should have a copy of todays PowerPoint
  slides.

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More Workflow Charts

• In-depth workflow charts are available at the
  following website
• http//nbs.nih.gov/Travel_Refresh_Training.htmlFl
  ow

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Get into the NBS Routine

• Log into the Portal Page daily
• Check your queue
• Know how to perform searches for travel
  authorizations.
• Ask your travelers to alert you when they receive
  an email approval notification. They could
  forward the email to you to be filed in an
  Outlook folder
• Contact the ARC before routing rush orders
• Make sure the people you route them to in the ARC
  arent on leave if they are, ID their back-up.
  This is especially important as we near the
  Holiday season.
• These actions allow the ARC to gear-up for a rush
  situation.

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ARC Lead Times
HHS-99
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Hyperlinks of Q As

• Be sure to bookmark
• http//nbstraining.cit.nih.gov/travelhelp/tpr/TRAV
  EL_PLANNER_REVIEWER.htm
• This website gives detailed instructions on how
  to accomplish a large list of tasks in the NBS.
  These instructions include detailed screen shots
  from sample NBS travel orders and vouchers.
• Its a quick and efficient way to get answers to
  your questions without having to dig through your
  guide books.

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NBS ISSUES
348 (SPONSORED) TRAVEL
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Who signs what?

• The travelers supervisor normally signs the
  travel order request form. However, for
  sponsored travel
• The supervisor will initial the travel request
  form
• Dr. Greenwald must pen his signature on the
  travel request form.
• If the trip is foreign, Dr. Greenwald must also
  electronically approve the order.

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Traveler Checklist Authorization

• The HHS-348 Checklist
• Must be done by traveler electronically
• If the ARC returns the travel order, the traveler
  must re-certify the checklist
• Only the traveler can electronically authorize
  the checklist, so plan ahead to make sure the
  traveler is available to perform this function.
• The NBS Checklist is a little different
• 10 questions
• The traveler must be able to answer no to all
  the questions in order for the 348 to move
  forward.

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Other Sponsored Travel Issues

• Block 7 on the 348 form, Is the Department
  Paying Part of the Cost? must be penned yes or
  no by the travel planner. Federal cost must
  also be calculated and penned next to this
  response.
• For example, Yes, NCI is paying xx

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How to add a sponsor in NBS

• As the planner, you must download the Add
  Sponsor Request Form from the NIH Portal Page
• Complete the form
• Save the form to your computer
• Email the form to the NBS at nbscreq_at_mail.nih.gov
  as an attachment
• OFM receives, reviews accepts or rejects the
  form.
• If accepted, OFM enters the sponsor in the NBS
• You will receive notification from OFM that the
  sponsor has been entered.

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That's All Folks!
Next OSM Thurs Dec 11th 230-330pm