United States Department of Agriculture
Research, Education, and Economics

ARS * CSREES * ERS * NASS
Policies and Procedures

Table of Contents

1. Authority
2. Policy
3. Travel Covered
     Lodging Savings
          Will Not be made
          Will be made
     Frequent Flyer Benefit
4. Summary of Responsibilities
5. Glossary
EXHIBIT 1
EXHIBIT 2
EXHIBIT 3
EXHIBIT 4

1.    Authority

5 U.S.C. 4501-4507

2.    Policy

The Government Employees Incentive Awards Act, 5 U.S.C., Paragraph 4501-4507, authorizes an agency to pay a cash award for "efficiency" or "economy". The Gainsharing Travel Savings Program (GTSP) rewards employees who save the agency money while on official travel. These savings will apply to the use of less expensive lodging and/or from use of frequent flyer benefits for the purchase of airline tickets for official travel.

Employee participation in this program is optional.

Senior Executive Service members may not participate in this program.

The amount of the award for the employee will be 50 percent of the savings on lodging expenses and/or the contract carrier airfare. Taxes will be withheld (Federal, State, local, FICA) on the award amount.

In most cases, the cumulative savings to the Agency must be at least $200 before the employee is eligible to receive an award. However, awards may be processed prior to reaching the minimum dollar limit when:

1. The employee will transfer or be reassigned to another office; or
   
2. The employee is an infrequent traveler; or
   
3. It is the end of the fiscal year.
   

Employees should not incur additional expenses in transportation or other miscellaneous costs in effort to reduce lodging expenses. Employees who incur additional transportation expenses must have those expenses deducted from their lodging savings. A determination must be made by the approving official that any transportation expenses incurred were excessive. Examples of excess transportation costs include, but are not limited to, renting a vehicle (when one would not normally be rented) at a TDY site to travel to a place of free or reduced lodging; when driving a privately owned vehicle (POV), driving more miles than would normally be traveled to/from the TDY site to obtain free or reduced lodging; or where a taxi fare is incurred which would not normally have been incurred to obtain free or reduced lodging.

All employees must utilize hotels/motels that meet the requirements of the Hotel and Motel Fire Safety Act of 1990. Hotels in compliance can be found on the Internet at http://www.usfa.fema.gov/hotel/.

When a room is shared while on official travel there may be a lodging savings. The employees should arrange to be billed separately. If this is not possible, a daily rate must be determined foreach employee. Divide the total lodging costs by the number of employees and the number of nights to arrive at a daily rate for each employee.

The amount of lodging savings must be reduced when excess transportation costs are incurred while staying at lodging more distant from the TDY site.

3.    Travel Covered

1. All TDY travel with lodging expenses, foreign and domestic, will be covered under this program.
   
   
2. The first 30 days of extended TDY travel (i.e., a detail of more than 30 days where a reduced per diem amount is required).

Lodging Savings

Employees who participate in the program can receive cash awards for incurring lodging expenses at a daily rate which is less than the maximum lodging rate for the locality under the lodging plus method.

Will Not be made;

• when an employee is on travel where lodging was prepaid or prearranged through contractual arrangements with the hotel. However, any savings resulting from shared accommodations under such arrangements does qualify for the travel savings award.
  
  
• for lodging savings at hotels identified under the GSA Value Lodging Program. This program and affiliated hotels can be found on the Internet web site http://www.gsa.gov/regions/r9/travel/balv.htm.
  
  
• for lodging costs incurred on personal time such as annual leave during official travel or any other type of personal preference travel used in conjunction with official travel.

Will be made to employees who stay with relatives or friends while on official travel and avoid lodging expenses. These employees will receive one-half of the lodging rate for the locality toward the travel savings award.

Frequent Flyer Benefit

Employees who obtain a free coach class ticket with frequent flyer benefits earned on official Government travel or personal travel are eligible for the travel savings program. Savings will be measured against the contract rate in effect at the time of the flight. If there is no contract rate, then the lowest available non-restricted coach fare will be used as the basis for measurement of the savings.

4.    Summary of Responsibilities

Employee

a. Complete the Travel Savings Form (Exhibit 1). Exhibit 1 contains Instructions for Completing Travel Savings Form.

b. Submit the completed Travel Savings Form (Exhibit 3 is a completed sample of the Travel Savings Form) with the AD-616, Travel Voucher (Temporary Duty or Relocation) to the travel approving official.

c. When the total travel savings is $200 or more, or when approriate, the employee will sign and date the Travel Savings Form.

Travel Approving Official

a. After review, initial the Travel Savings Form.

b. If the cumulative savings is $200 or more, or when appropriate, sign and date the Travel Savings Form.

c. Have an AD-287-2, Recommendation & Approval of Awards prepared. See Exhibit 4 for required items that must be completed.

d. Sign and date the AD-287-2 as the "Recommending Individual."

Award Approving Official

a. After review, Sign and date the AD-287-2.

b. Forward the original AD-287-2 and the original Travel Savings Form(s) to the Human Resources Division, ARS/AFM, Performance and Awards Staff for payroll processing.

c. Forward a copy of the Travel Savings Form and AD-287-2 to the agency budget office.

5.    Glossary

Frequent Flyer Benefits. Mileage points accumulated using the airlines frequent flyer mileage programs which results in free airline tickets.

GSA Value Lodging Program. Hotels that have agreed to provide lodging at lower than the per diem rate.

GTSP. Gainsharing Travel Savings Program

Travel Approving Official. A NASS employee delegated to approve travel, who serves as an award recommending individual.

Awards Approving Official. A NASS management official who is one level higher than that of the recommending individual.

-/Sd/-

W. G. HORNER
Deputy Administrator
Administrative and Financial Management

Exhibit 1
Exhibit 2
Exhibit 3
Exhibit 4                                                                

INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING TRAVEL SAVINGS FORM

Up to three trips may be recorded on each Travel Savings Form (Exhibit 1). Complete a form when lodging savings or redemption of frequent flyer benefits are realized and submit it with the voucher to the approving official when appropriate. The employee and the approving official will sign and date each Travel Savings Form. An AD-287-2 (Exhibit 4) will be prepared and sent to HRD with a copy to the Budget and Administrative Services Office.

• Enter your name and social security number at the top of each form.
  
  
• Enter the authorization number for each trip reported on the form.
  
  
• Enter the fiscal year in which savings occurred for each trip. If one trip crosses fiscal years, enter the savings for the first fiscal year as one trip and the savings for the second fiscal year as another trip.
  
  
• Enter the FEMA or property number for the hotel/motel identified on the Hotel and Motel Fire Safety Act of 1990 National Master List. The list may be accessed through the Internet at www.usfa.fema.gov/hotel/index.htm.
  
  
• Enter the day of the week and date for each night of lodging a savings was realized.    
  
  
• Line 1: Enter the maximum lodging rate for the TDY locality for each night's lodging. In the first example, $84 was recorded for Sunday for the first trip.
  
  
• Line 2: Enter the actual lodging cost for each night's lodging. The first night in the example is $64.50. The second trip in the example, the employee avoided lodging costs by staying with a friend or relative.
  
  
• Line 3: Enter any excessive transportation costs incurred when the lodging is more distant from the TDY site. A determination must be made by the approving official that any transportation expenses incurred were excessive. In the example (Exhibit 3), $6.00 was determined to be excessive for each day and was deducted from the savings.
  
  
• Line 4: Actual lodging expenses and any excessive transportation expenses are deducted from the maximum lodging rate for each night to arrive at the net lodging savings for NASS.
  
  
• Line 5: If frequent flyer benefits are being realized, enter the cost of the contract carrier or lowest coach fare available for the airline cost.
  
  
• Line 6: Enter frequent flyer benefits redeemed. In the first example, the traveler received a free ticket. In the second example, the traveler received a half-price ticket.
  
  
• Line 7: The airfare savings are calculated.
  
  
• Line 8: The total savings for NASS is calculated.
  
  
  SUMMARY DATA:
  
  
• Line 9: Total lodging savings for each trip is recorded.
  
  
• Line 10: The dollar amount of frequent flyer benefits saved is recorded.
  
  
• Line 11: Total savings cost for NASS is recorded. When this line equals $200 or more, an award may be applied for.
  
  
• Line 12: The amount awarded to the employee is recorded.