Travel Guidelines and Rules for UNOLS

Upon completion of your UNOLS travel, please the submit the UNOLS Travel Worksheet <TrvlWksht_URI.asp>. We encourage all travels to read the guidelines and rules for UNOLS travel below.

1. Travel for UNOLS meetings, workshops and other official business will be reimbursed by the University of Rhode Island (URI) after approval by the UNOLS Office at the Graduate School of Oceanography/URI. The following rules and guidelines should answer most of your questions regarding allowable costs and procedures. If not, please send an email to office@unols.org or call 401-874-6825.

2. Travel expenses reimbursed by the UNOLS Office under the terms of the Cooperative agreement with the Federal Funding agencies must adhere to the Approved Federal Per Diem Rates unless specifically authorized for higher rates.

3. Federal Per Diem Rates: Information regarding the approved federal rates for lodging, meals and incidentals are available on the web at the following URL's:

The 2008-2009 Federal Per Diem Rates effective 10/1/2008 includes a map that leads to per diem rates for each state (state tables include listings of lodging): http://www.gsa.gov/portal/category/21287 . (A map leads to per diem rates for each state (state tables include listings of lodging) There is also a link on this page to a breakdown of meals and incidentals.

4. The UNOLS office will make every effort to book blocks of rooms at hotels and motels that fall within the approved federal rate for the area. The rates change by location and by season in some areas. The links above will lead you to tables set up by State that show the approved rates and provide lists of lodgings that meet those rates.

5. Airline Reservations: Except for Federal Employees, UNOLS travelers are not eligible for the GSA contracted airline rates. The UNOLS Office can only provide reimbursement for the cost of coach seats. All UNOLS travel must be in compliance with the Fly America Act (please contact the UNOLS Office if you have any questions). In order to keep travel costs within budget, it will be necessary for UNOLS travelers to make their best efforts to obtain lower airfares. Some of the factors that can reduce airline costs are to reserve flights early enough to get advance ticketing discounts, shop airlines and destination or departure cities. As an example, flying in and out of Baltimore instead of National or Dulles can generate big savings. The UNOLS Office or the URI contract travel agent can work with you to find the best possible rates while still meeting the demands of your busy schedules.

URI Contract Travel Agent: The URI contract travel agent is Shorts Travel Management. They can help you make travel arrangements and can bill the UNOLS Office directly for authorized UNOLS travel. To make your airline reservations with Shorts Travel Management:
Call toll free (1-866-498-7436) or via email travel1@shortstravel.com. Any of the travel agents can assist you.

Important: The following information will be required when making your reservation with Shorts Travel:

• Group Name: UNOLS
• Department Code: 2802
• Travel Authorization Request (TAR) Number: (The TAR # will change with each UNOLS trip. The UNOLS Office will send you the TAR # for your meeting prior to the meeting.)

If you prefer, you can also book your air reservation on-line by going to www.shortstravel.com/uri and signing in as a new user. You will be prompted to complete a user profile form before booking a flight. This user profile will be stored so you will only have to enter it once. When booking the flight, please include the Group Name “UNOLS” in the special request box at the bottom of the form.

You still have the option of booking your flights with your own agent or on-line with the air carrier. Reimbursement for the airfare can be included in your travel claim following the meeting.

6. Boarding Pass/Itinerary – Please submit your boarding pass stub, a copy of your boarding pass, or your flight itinerary with your travel claim.

7. Receipts: Please keep all receipts for travel expenses; you will be required to submit the receipts for all expenses that you will be reimbursed for except for meals. Reimbursement method will be for actual lodging expense (up to approved per diem rate) plus meals and incidental at the per diem rate. Receipts should accompany claims for rental car, parking and all other travel costs. If you do not have a receipt, submit a signed memorandum with an explanation of the cost and the reason for not having a receipt.

8. Tax Exemption: The University of Rhode Island has tax exemption agreements in the following states:

• Rhode Island
• Florida
• Maine
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Missouri
• New Jersey

If a UNOLS Meeting is scheduled in one of the states, the hotel room block will be setup by the UNOLS Office so that tax should not be included in the traveler’s hotel bill. If you plan to stay at a hotel that is not part of a pre-arranged block, we request that you provide the URI tax exempt number to the hotel so that tax is not included in your bill. The URI Tax Exempt number is 189.

9. Travel claims: Complete the UNOLS Travel Worksheet <TrvlWksht_URI.asp> and submit it online with a request that the UNOLS Office to complete the Travel Claim form. The UNOLS Office will complete the Travel Claim and email it back to you. You would then print, sign, and submit the form to the UNOLS Office with the original receipts to the UNOLS Office at:

UNOLS Office
Graduate School of Oceanography, Box 32
URI Narragansett Bay Campus
215 South Ferry Road
Narragansett, RI 02882

10. First Time UNOLS Travelers:

W-9 Form: UNOLS travelers will be required to submit a W-9 form to the UNOLS Office in order to be reimbursed by URI. The form can be downloaded from the URI website at: http://www.uri.edu/purchasing/FORMS/W-9_fill_in_protected.pdf . This form can be faxed directly to the UNOLS Office at 401-874-6167. Please contact the UNOLS Office in advance, office@unols.org to let us know that the form is being sent. The social security numbers on forms will be entered into a secure site and the form will be shredded. You only need to submit this form once.

Automatic Bank Deposits: UNOLS Travel reimbursement can be directly deposited into your bank account. To arrange automatic bank deposit of your travel claim, please download and complete theACH Form (click here for form: ACH_Form.doc) and fax it to the UNOLS Office at 401-874-6167. The “Vendor Information” should be completed by the traveler (the traveler is the vendor). The vendor address must match the information that was proved on your W-9 Form. Note: You still have the option of reimbursement by check if preferred.

Updated 5/18/2009