P&P Travel Guide
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P&P Travel Guide Updated 08/05/2022
P&P Travel Guide
A Resource for King County Agencies
Department of Executive Services
Finance & Business Operations Division
Procurement & Payables Section
Website: https://kingcounty.gov/procurement/travel/
Email: [email protected]
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Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Employee Responsibilities ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Traveler Responsibilities ................................................................................................................................................. 4
Delegate Responsibilities ................................................................................................................................................ 4
Approver Responsibilities ............................................................................................................................................... 4
Travel Services Responsibilities....................................................................................................................................... 4
Risk Management...................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Travel Request ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Estimates ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Documentation ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Approval ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 6
Payment Methods ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
T-Cards ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Out of Pocket ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 7
KC Air Card ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 7
Purchasing Card (P-Card) ....................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Booking Travel ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Contracted Travel Agency ...................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Airfare .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Unused Tickets ................................................................................................................................................................ 8
Hotels ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Hotel reservations outside of Concur ............................................................................................................................. 9
Car Rentals ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 9
Expenses During Travel ............................................................................................................................................................................. 9
Baggage Fees ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 9
Internet Fees .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 9
Parking & Ground Transportation ......................................................................................................................................................... 9
GSA Meals & Incidentals Allowance ...................................................................................................................................................... 9
Receipts ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 10
SAP Concur Mobile App ................................................................................................................................................ 10
Cancelling Travel ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 10
Unused Airfare Tickets .................................................................................................................................................. 10
Trip-Based Expense Reports ................................................................................................................................................................... 10
Concur Travel Request ......................................................................................................................................................................... 10
Concur Missing Receipt Affidavit ......................................................................................................................................................... 10
Alerts ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 11
Submitting Expense Report ................................................................................................................................................................. 11
Repayment of Expenses ...................................................................................................................................................................... 11
Group Travel ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 11
Adding Personal Travel ........................................................................................................................................................................... 11
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Non-Employee Travel .............................................................................................................................................................................. 13
Traveling with a Companion ................................................................................................................................................................... 13
Consequences for Non-Compliance ........................................................................................................................................................ 13
Compensability of Time Spent Traveling Out of Town .......................................................................................................................... 13
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Introduction
This travel guide describes King County’s general guidelines and procedures to ensure accountability and
fiscal responsibility for overnight travel. Overnight travel is defined as travel outside of King County that
exceeds twelve hours and includes an overnight stay.
Concur is King County’s end-to-end overnight travel and expense reimbursement system. Concur has
multiple modules:
• Request – Employees can request a travel card and create an online travel request
• Travel – Employees can book air, hotel, and car rentals
• Expense – Submit a trip-based expense report
All employees should review the King County Travel Policy
. This guide aligns with the policy and King County
Code 3.24 and should be used along with the Travel Services website and King County’s overnight travel
trainings. However, King County reserves the right to change the Travel Policy without prior notice, and the
guidelines and procedures described in this P&P Travel Guide may not cover every possible situation. Email
travelservices@kingcounty.gov if your question is not addressed in this document.
Employee Responsibilities
All employees are required to follow King County’s travel policy. Depending on your role, employees are
required to understand the following responsibilities:
Traveler Responsibilities
• Submit travel request and receive approval in Concur before incurring any expenses.
• Make reasonable and economical travel choices for King County and our taxpayers.
• Responsible for all excess costs due to personal travel, preference, or violating policy.
• Keep all receipts (except for meals) for expense report submission.
• Submit expense report in Concur within 10 days of return from trip or cancellation of trip.
• Communicate/collaborate with delegate (if assigned).
Delegate Responsibilities
Delegates in Concur can be assigned to assist with creating and submitting travel requests/expense reports
and booking travel.
• Submit travel requests and receive approval in Concur before incurring any expenses.
• Submit expense report in Concur within 10 days of return from trip or cancellation of trip.
• There must be a separation of duties. Delegates cannot approve any expense report that they had
any part in creating.
Approver Responsibilities
• Review all travel requests and expense reports for their direct reports. If a policy violation or
unauthorized expense is noticed, the travel request/expense report should be rejected.
• Budgeted funds for reimbursement must be available and authorized.
• Exercise practical judgment before approving to avoid unnecessary King County expenses.
• Review Concur Approver Responsibilities document
.
Travel Services Responsibilities
• Develop and provide materials to assist employees in navigating the Concur overnight travel and
expense system.
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• Assist with overnight travel policy-related questions.
• Verify training requirements and order Travel cards (T-Cards).
• A cursory review of travel bookings and expense reports for compliance with the policy.
• Provide reports as needed.
Risk Management
Employee safety and health are primary importance when traveling on King County business.
Travel advisories can be found on the home page of Concur once logged in.
King County has limited travel amongst the following groups to ensure continuity of business with key
personnel:
• No more than three department heads
• No more than five direct reports to any department head
The Risk Management department must approve exceptions to the above. If an employee becomes ill or
injured while traveling during King County business, please report this to the employee’s manager. In
addition, email risk.management@kingcounty.gov as soon as possible.
Travel Request
Travel requests are submitted in Concur. It is required for all overnight or any travel involving airfare, even if
approved on an annual travel plan or if your agency has an external approval process. Requests will route to
the employee’s PeopleSoft supervisor for approval. Approvals can be forwarded to additional approvers if
needed.
We recommend submitting a travel request well in advance or as soon as the employee is aware of the trip.
This action ensures that the traveler receives pre-approval authorization and can book their trip in advance
to avoid increased rates.
The budget coding (POETA) can be updated if required. When updating, please let the approver know so
they can review and forward to additional approvers, if needed. If unsure of which code to use, reach out to
your finance manager or administrative team.
The traveler must verify that their approver(s) review and approve the request within 10 days. If the
request is not approved in Concur within 10 days, the request will be automatically returned to the traveler.
Travelers will receive notifications from Concur notifying them of the request status. Travelers can also
check their status by viewing their requests in Concur.
Estimates
Employees should gather expense estimates for their trip to provide an estimated total cost. Estimates
should be gathered from Concur for airfare and car rentals. The General Services Administration (GSA)
establishes government travel’s standard meal and hotel rates. Hotel estimates should also be done in
Concur and consider the GSA lodging rate and any conference/blocked room rates available.
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Other expected expenses (as it appears in Concur) to include in the travel request are:
• Baggage/Pkg/Misc Trans
o This expense would be a total estimate for baggage fees, parking, taxi/rideshares, and public
transportation. The description should be added to the expense.
• GSA Meals and Incidentals Allowance
• Personal Car Mileage
o Should only be included only when related to the overnight travel.
• Registration/Training/Conference Fees
o P-Cards pay most registration fees. However, these expenses should still be listed if
associated with the trip.
Documentation
All supporting documentation should be submitted with the request under “Attachments.” Supporting
documentation is required to provide sufficient information for approvers, auditors, and public records
requests.
• Conference/Training agenda – Must be a PDF or JPEG of the below information. Links are
insufficient documentation as information may be updated after the event.
o Conference Dates and Time
o Location
o Description
o What’s included with registration fees
• Additional memo/justification
o Travel approvals need to take place in Concur. Some agencies may have additional
requirements, and that documentation should be included.
o You can upload a PDF of the justification if the justification for the trip does not fit in the
“Purpose” section of the “Request” header.
• Personal flight comparison – A Concur flight comparison is needed if adding personal travel.
• Comments – enter comments to provide additional information or context on expected expenses.
Approval
Employees can verify the status of their travel requests in Concur. The request will show status and, if
pending approval, will list name of the approver. Once fully approved, use the Request ID associated with
that request to book the trip in Concur.
Payment Methods
There are various ways to pay for overnight travel. King County does not provide travel advances but will
issue an individual travel card (T-Card) to employees if needed. Airfare must be purchased in Concur using
the default payment method. Receipts are required for all expenses, except meals, over $10 regardless of
payment method.
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T-Cards
Employees traveling may request a King County-issued T-Card. Training is required prior to submitting the
card request in Concur. T-Cards can be used for approved overnight travel expenses such as:
• Hotel lodging costs
• Car rentals and fuel
• Transportation (taxis, rideshare services, trains, etc.)
• Baggage fees
• Internet fees
• Parking
T-Card transactions feed into the T-Card holder’s Concur expense profile. The expenses will be uploaded in
Concur under “Available Expenses” with payment type “Travel Card.” The transactions may take up to 7
business days to show in the expense profile.
T-Card holders are responsible for safeguarding their T-Card. If moving departments or leaving the County,
email [email protected]
to update/cancel the card.
Out of Pocket
Employees may choose to pay out of pocket for their overnight travel costs. However, the policy and process
still apply. Personal credit cards can be added securely as a payment method to the Concur travel profile.
KC Air Card
Airfare must be purchased in Concur using the default payment method. The default payment method is a
King County credit card specifically for the purchase of airfare and agent booking fees. Under “Available
Expenses” in the traveler’s Concur expense profile, these transactions will show up as payment type “KC Air
Card.” There are exceptions when adding personal travel; please see the personal travel section in this
guide.
Purchasing Card (P-Card)
P-cards are not to be used for overnight travel expenses except to pay for training/conference registration
fees.
Booking Travel
King County’s contracted travel agency is embedded in the Concur Travel module. Therefore, travel can be
booked in the system once the travel request is fully approved in Concur.
Please view the additional requirements in the Personal Travel section of this guide if adding personal travel
to a business trip.
Contracted Travel Agency
Air, car rentals, and rail must be booked in Concur or by contacting our contracted travel agency, Tangerine
Travel. Tangerine is embedded in the Concur Travel module. Tangerine will only assist with questions
related to booking/canceling travel. Email [email protected]
for all other questions.
It is recommended to book online. However, employees can call Tangerine to book travel also. King County
is charged agent booking fees. Booking a trip with multiple air carriers will result in a booking fee for each
airline. There is no group rate for agency booking fees.
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Agent booking fees:
• Online Transaction Fees (booked through Concur)
o Air (Car & Hotel included) - $5
o Car/Hotel Only - $0
• Agent assisted (phone/email)
o Domestic (Car & Hotel Included) - $29
o International (Car & Hotel Included) - $40
o Car and/or Hotel - $10
o Refund Transactions - $25
The agent booking fees will show in the traveler’s expense profile. Email [email protected]v
if
an incorrect agent booking fee was charged.
Provide the following information when calling Tangerine:
• State you are a King County employee
• Approved Request ID
• A credit card is needed for hotel/car rental reservations
While traveling, Tangerine is available 24/7 for assistance. Be sure to save their contact information prior to
traveling:
Phone: 425-822-2333
Email: onlinesupport@tangerinetravel.com
Airfare
It is recommended to book airfare as soon as the travel request has been approved. King County’s
contracted travel agency recommends at least 14 days before departure for domestic travel and 21 days for
international travel whenever possible. Advanced booking can reduce travel costs. Do not wait until the last
minute.
The employee should select a non-refundable flight when booking air travel in Concur based on policy. Any
flights considered out of policy will have a yellow caution flag. In addition, a business justification must be
provided if a flight outside of policy is requested. These are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and may
require additional approval.
Refundable fares may be booked with a business justification.
Unused Tickets
Unused tickets should be used within a year. Employees must contact Tangerine to use the unused ticket.
Hotels
King County follows the GSA lodging rates. Therefore, employees must receive approval for rates above the
GSA lodging rate before booking through their travel request. On the travel request, travelers should add a
justification in the comments and select one of the two options:
• No alternate lodging is available within a reasonable distance of the event site, within the federal
lodging limit for the host city.
• The authorized means of transportation between the alternate lodging site and the event site
exceed the savings in lodging costs.
Lodging within King County and in commuting distance is not allowable.
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Hotel reservations outside of Concur
When possible, employees are encouraged to book lodging within Concur. However, vacation/home rental
platforms (e.g., Airbnb and VBRO) and third-party booking sites (e.g., Expedia and Travelocity) cannot be
used. In some situations, the traveler may want to book directly with the hotel:
• To receive a blocked room rate.
• Some hotels do not display government rates and only offer them when calling in or booking directly
on their site.
• Concur/Tangerine may not have non-chain lodging options available.
Car Rentals
Car rentals are not typically needed for conferences or trainings. However, car rentals are allowable if the
traveler(s) are staying at a location where the cost of public transportation or taxi/rideshare services is not
practical or economical. Car rentals should be intermediate or smaller-sized vehicles unless the business
needs calls for a large vehicle.
Expenses During Travel
Baggage Fees
Baggage fees (for one bag) are allowable with a dated receipt. For King County to pay for additional checked
luggage, a business reason is needed.
Internet Fees
Internet fees are allowable for business use.
Parking & Ground Transportation
An employee traveling should use public transportation when possible (e.g., using their ID badge/ORCA card
to the airport to avoid airport parking fees). However, when circumstances warrant the use of other
transportation options, ride-share programs (e.g., Uber or Lyft), taxis, and shuttle services are allowable.
If driving to the overnight travel destination, employees are encouraged to use a motor pool vehicle (use
the King County Vehicle Reservation System
) or can use their vehicle.
If a companion drops an employee off at the airport, the mileage is only reimbursed one way.
Parking is an allowable expense. Travelers should self-park; if using valet parking, then a business
justification must be provided.
Parking and transportation expenses must include detailed receipts. The parking receipt must indicate the
amount, date, and location. Transportation receipts must indicate the starting and ending addresses,
amount, and date.
GSA Meals & Incidentals Allowance
Meals should be paid out-of-pocket. Meal allowances are calculated using the standardized General Services
Administration (GSA) meal per diem rates. (Use the reimbursable limits for the hotel location.) When meals
are provided as part of a registration cost, such as a training or conference, they do not qualify for
reimbursement. A complimentary meal provided by a hotel does not affect the per diem. An employee may
be able to claim the full allowance if unable to consume the provided meals because of medical
requirements or religious beliefs. Reimbursements for the daily meals and incidentals allowance are
provided upon return from the trip and submission of the trip-based expense report.
The GSA meals and incidentals allowance is provided at a 75% reduced rate on the first and last day of
travel. Per GSA policy, meals provided on travel days must be deducted at the entire meal allocated cost
from the decreased meals and incidentals rate.
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Receipts
Receipts are required for expenses over $10, not including meals, regardless of payment method. Paper
receipts should be kept until Travel Services has processed your expense report.
SAP Concur Mobile App
The Concur mobile app can be downloaded to your mobile device. In addition, you can use the app to take
pictures of receipts.
Cancelling Travel
Cancel travel through the same method booked. For example, if you booked in Concur or by Tangerine, go
to the “Trip Library” in Concur and cancel the trip.
Travelers should contact the merchant directly for any bookings made outside of Concur.
Please note that agency fees and most airfares are not refunded, so employees will still need to reconcile
the expenses in Concur. Please view the personal travel section in this guide for additional information if
the trip included personal travel.
Unused Airfare Tickets
Must use unused tickets within a year. Employees will have a notification on their Concur home page
stating if they have unused tickets. To use the unused ticket, employees must contact Tangerine Travel.
Trip-Based Expense Reports
Travelers should submit trip-based expense reports within ten days of the trip’s return in Concur. The
expense report should include all trip expenses paid with the KC Air Card, individual Travel Card, and out-of-
pocket expenses. Receipts are required for expenses over $10, not including meals.
For timely processing, ensure expense reports include:
• Concur travel request attached
• Alignment with pre-approved travel request
• Itemized receipts with dates and amounts
• Comments for any discrepancies/out-of-policy purchases
• Personal travel documentation
The traveler must verify that their approver(s) review and approve the report within ten days. If the report
is not approved within ten days, it will be returned to the traveler. Travelers will receive notifications from
Concur regarding progress. Travelers can also check their status by viewing their reports in Concur.
Concur Travel Request
The traveler must create a trip-based expense report from the approved Concur travel request. The
expense report keeps documentation, approvals and the expenses together for those that need to review
the trip-based expense report.
Concur Missing Receipt Affidavit
Use the Concur Missing Receipt Affidavit when the merchant has not provided a receipt, or a duplicate
cannot be obtained. The missing receipt affidavit cannot be used for airfare, hotels, car rentals, and/or
rideshare services. The traveler must make reasonable attempts to obtain a receipt before submitting this
form with the trip-based expense report. If the traveler cannot obtain a receipt, they can submit
documentation such as a credit card or bank statement for out-of-pocket expenses.
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By initiating the Affidavit, the traveler states that the related expense complies with King County's
Authorized Travel Policy and is a legitimate business expense. Using the Missing Receipt Affidavit requires
acknowledging the legitimacy of the expense. Therefore, the traveler must complete the missing receipt
affidavit. A delegate cannot do this. There is no alternative method to document a missing receipt. If an
expense report is missing the receipt and no Concur Missing Receipt Affidavit is submitted, the expense
report will be returned to the traveler.
Alerts
Two types of alerts may show on the expense report.
Yellow caution alerts cannot be cleared. Comments/additional documentation may be required depending
on the note.
Red exclamation alerts are a hard stop and will not allow report submission. Instead, red alerts have a
description of what information is needed. Typically, there is a hyperlink at the end of the sentence to click
on and the system will route to where the error is.
Submitting Expense Report
Repayment of Expenses
The Finance and Business Operations Division shall seek repayment of expenses from the individual who was
reimbursed whenever an audit or subsequent review of travel expense reimbursements finds that such
payments were reimbursed contrary to the provisions of KCC 3.24 or the travel policy
.
Some examples of when repayment may occur:
• Airfare purchased outside of policy without valid business justification
• Meal expenses charged to T-Card
• Lodging upgrades
• Accidental T-Card charges
Group Travel
If 10 or more employees are traveling to the same event, email trav[email protected]. We will
assist with creation of a travel request template that can streamline the travel request process for a group.
Adding Personal Travel
What is Personal Travel? When an employee adds additional days to their business trip or flies to/from a
different location than Sea-Tac or business trip destination. King County cannot pay for any costs related to
personal travel per KCC 3.24.050 B. Please see below for further information.
Airfare: Employees adding personal days to a business trip must get a flight comparison from Concur that
shows what their flight would cost from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to the business trip
destination for the business trip dates. This process includes flying to/from different locations.
1. Submit Concur Travel Request and have it fully approved
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2. At time of booking airfare, get screenshot from Concur of price comparisons for flights*
3. Save screenshot as PDF
4. Attach screenshot to Approved Concur Travel Request
*The screenshot from Concur should be done at the time of booking so that’s it a comparable quote.
Example of required screenshot from Concur: The highlighted sections below are required information on the
screenshot to provide for flight cost comparisions. In the example below the $547.21 flight is the price of
what King County would pay if personal days were not added. If the flight with a different location or
personal travel dates is a higher cost, the traveler is responsible for purchasing the airfare out of pocket and
outside Concur. Please see scenarios after the screenshot on how to proceed and the traveler’s
responsibilities.
Airfare Booking Scenarios:
• Roundtrip airfare costs less or the same with added personal travel dates/different airport than Sea-
Tac/business location (no multi-leg trips)
o Book in Concur
• Airfare costs more with added personal travel dates and/or different airports than Sea-Tac/business
location.
o Book outside of Concur with personal funds
o The business portion is reimbursed upon return of trip and with required documentation.
o If your trip cancels, the County will not reimburse you.
King County is not able to manage a portion of unused ticket funds.
Hotels: If staying in the same hotel, the employee must pay for personal days separately with a personal
card.
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Car Rentals: Employee must pay expenses incurred for personal days separately with a personal card. If the
car rental agency cannot itemize the cost by day, you will need to return the car and have a separate
reservation for the personal days.
Non-Employee Travel
Agencies may occasionally need to book business travel for non-employees. Please email
travelservices@kingcounty.gov
for assistance.
Traveling with a Companion
Companion travel arrangements must be made outside of Concur/Tangerine Travel and with personal funds.
Consequences for Non-Compliance
Any agency in non-compliance with this Policy shall submit a letter of justification and remediation plan
signed by the Chief Procurement Officer or designee to the Chief Procurement Officer for review and action.
Compensability of Time Spent Traveling Out of Town
Washington law provides that all out-of-town travel time related to work is compensable regardless of the
hours when it takes place. Non-exempt (hourly) employees must be paid for all time spent traveling for
out-of-town travel, both within normal working hours and outside of normal working hours, regardless of
whether the employee is working during that travel time. If an employee travels to another city for work,
the time from when the employee leaves their home until they arrive at their hotel in the other city is
compensable. For example, this means that the time an employee spends travelling from their home to
their departing airport, time spent waiting for their flight, time during the flight, and the time spent
travelling from their destination airport to their out-of-town lodging is compensable time when traveling for
a work-related purpose. Similarly, the time from when the employee leaves their lodging in the remote city,
until they arrive back at their home, is also compensable. If, on the other hand, the employee is required to
report to a work site before they travel out of town, then the drive to work and home from work at the end
of the travel is considered normal commute time and is not compensable.
FLSA-exempt employees are paid on a salary basis and do not receive additional compensation for travel
time.
For questions regarding the compensability of out-of-town travel time, please contact your department’s
Human Resources Manager
.
