Staff-Program Spending Guidelines

• Generally speaking, conference decorations and provisions must pass the reasonable person test (e.g., no ice sculptures, cream puff pyramids, or other similarly extravagant purchases). Flowers and/or centerpieces should be kept to a minimum.
• Please discuss your spending plans with YSOM Business Operations before the event.

• The University prohibits cash gifts to employees. Non-cash expenses are only allowed for modest expressions of sympathy and employee recognition (which HR should initiate only).
• The school recognizes staff who reached service milestones during the past fiscal year. Staff also receive a recognition gift from the University.

• There is no parking available for event guests at Evans Hall. However, free parking at nearby Yale University lots is available after 4 pm on business days and all day on weekends and holidays.
• All non-YSOM groups will be charged for space rental unless the Dean's Office grants a waiver. Yale departments are charged less than the public for space use. Additional services such as A/V or custodial are charged incrementally per hour.
• All non-YSOM entities renting space must use YSOM Hospitality for their catering.
• For more information about these policies, please contact SOM Events Department at the Yale School of Management at 203-436-9669 or SOMevents@yale.edu. 

World Travel - will replace our current travel system, Egencia, on May 1st.   ALL federal grant travel must use World Travel to book travel arrangements.  To remain compliant with FAA or Open Skies for federal grant-funded travel, eligible travelers can use World Travel to view all available flights that meet federal requirements and book their trip. World Travel FAQs

• In advance of hiring anyone to perform work for YSOM (non-Yale students, casuals, temps, interns, etc.), you must contact SOM HR and follow the appropriate hiring and recruiting checklist

• SOM Events offers complete event planning services, including menu selection, staffing, rentals, special decorations, flowers, audio/visual equipment, and more, utilizing SOM Hospitality as its primary provider. For more information on catering at SOM, please get in touch with the Events Department at the Yale School of Management at 203-436-9669 or SOMevents@yale.edu.
• Charley's Place is open 11:00 am- 1:30 pm on weekdays. The McNay Café is open on weekdays from 8:00 am - 5:00 pm (limited hours during University breaks and Holidays).
• Charley's Place and the McNay Café accept all major forms of credit cards, Eli Bucks, and YSOM Courtesy Cards – no cash.
• Do not use your Yale PCard at these sites.
• For YSOM staff, Eli Bucks department cards is a courtesy card that can be used for business-warranted dining at the McNay café or Charley's Place only. This is a prepaid meal plan; it is not considered a gift card and can only be used by University Affiliates and their guests.
• The use of Yale Dining's catering service is the preferred option for catering events. Tipping Yale Dining is not permitted. Yale policy permits up to 10% gratuity on outside vendors/caterers.

• A purchase order is the preferred purchasing method for goods and services. Yale Purchasing Intake Portal MUST sign all contracts. 
• Yale Purchasing has updated the form requirements; please visit the Purchasing Type and Required Forms page for the updated information.
• The Yale Purchasing Card (PCard) is the preferred payment method for travel expenses.
  • Do not allow other faculty or students to use your PCard to make purchases.
  • All cardholders are expected to prepare and submit expense reports for PCard transactions, with supporting documentation, within thirty (30) days from the expense being incurred.
  • Expenses with required supporting documentation should be submitted within 30 days of incurring the expense or returning from the trip. Expenses processed after 120 days through one year will be reimbursed as taxable income through Payroll. After one year, it will not be reimbursed. 
  • All purchases made with a PCard must comply with the Permitted Commodities(e.g., travel, entertainment, small-dollar supplies) and Prohibited Commodities (e.g.,. gift cards, cash advances, traveler's checks) lists maintained in Procedure 3215 PR.01 Yale Purchasing Card Procedure unless the cardholder receives prior approval from the Controller's Office.
  • To minimize the risks associated with potential supplier data breaches, all cardholders must not electronically store their PCard number with any online suppliers (e.g., Amazon, Uber).
  • A PCard could be suspended for:
    • Sharing the card with someone else
    • Using the card for personal expenses or additional charges outside of policy
    • Consistently failing to provide the necessary receipts
• See the Yale University Purchasing Cardholder Agreement

• US. immigration regulations restrict the types of payments made to persons who are neither citizens nor permanent residents of the United States. Whether the payment is permissible is based on an individual's current immigration status. Please confirm using the tax website and Policy 3415. Please make it a practice to include a disclaimer that reimbursements are based on current visa statuses.
• Instruct the visitor to provide all receipts with proof of payment to facilitate reimbursement.
• If reimbursement is a benefit to the individual, a 30% tax may be withheld depending on the individual's visa status and tax treaty with the United States.

• Small tokens of appreciation (under $100, including tax and shipping) can be given to speakers/distinguished YSOM guests.  Branded gear (fleeces, sweatshirts, portfolios, mugs, etc.), available at the mailroom, provide an efficient option. Provide your COA for transfer; do not use a PCard.
• YSOM funds are not to be used to provide gifts to staff members or students, nor are they to be used, except in rare instances after following strict guidelines, to make payments to other 501(c)3 non-profit organizations.

• Whenever possible, please utilize sustainability tips when making purchasing decisions.

• All hardware, software, and IT service purchases (e.g., computers, software, printers, mobile phones, tablets, databases, and IT professional services, including web development) should be purchased through YSOM's IT
  • YSOM has special pricing and purchasing agreements with many popular manufacturers, including HP, Dell, Lenovo, and Apple (although you are not limited to only those brands).
  • In addition, specific software titles may be available for self-download from Yale's software library at http://software.yale.edu. However, this site does not include all of Yale's licensed software, so always contact IT before purchasing any program.
  • Yale also has contracts with mobile device carriers. Which YSOM IT can help furnish these service’s at a negotiated rate.
  • The IT department also reviews and negotiates contracts for technology services, including packaged software solutions and professional
• If you purchase equipment directly, you MUST bring the item to the IT helpdesk for inventory tracking before submitting your expense report. In addition, an email from the IT department stating the equipment has been inventoried must be attached to the expense report.
• Apple Watch and/or service are not allowable.
• Contact the YSOM IT Help Desk at x27777 or somit@yale.edu to place an order or to discuss your needs. IT will provide a list of recommended options if you do not have a particular item in mind.

• Yale business travel provider: World Travel This can be used for booking all Yale business travel needs.  Please see the FAQs for complete information. Federal Grants MUST use World Travel to make all arrangements. 
• This policy applies to faculty, staff, visiting scholars, students, other members of the University community, and non-University personnel traveling and using funds administered by Yale. - Yale Travel Management: Travel on University Business
• Travelers (or their designees) are expected to select the least expensive airfare within the main cabin class (e.g., economy, coach) consistent with business requirements. Travelers on federal-sponsored awards and sub-awards are expected to travel the basic, least expensive unrestricted accommodations class.
• Business class airfare is allowed only in the following scenarios:
  • Any flight segment has a scheduled in-air flying time in excess of five (5) hours,

        OR

• • The total scheduled in-air flight time, including connecting legs, is in excess of eight (8) hours,

                                        OR

• • A medical justification document by a primary care. Individuals must complete the online form and submit appropriate documents to start the process.  
• Examples of Permitted Airfare:
  • Standard commercial airfare (coach or equivalent)
  • Lowest commercial discount airfare
  • Non-refundable economy fare
  • Business Class, if policy exception conditions are met (e.g., Delta only has two airfare classes. Therefore, an upgrade one level up from economy would constitute business class)
• For business class tickets, you must attach a attach a mock flight showing the comparative cost of the economy ticket.  The difference between the business class flight and the comparative economy needs to be split out in the expense report as "airfare unallowable.: Note - there are different "unallowable" for domestic and international flights. 
• If first class is the only option, and you meet the business class criteria, please contact sombusiness.office@yale.edu before purchasing the ticket.
• The University does not pay for trip cancellation insurance.  In certain circumstances, however, cancellation insurance may be reasonable based on the high cost of an airline ticket.  Before purchasing such a ticket, the traveler (or their designee) should determine if it is more prudent to purchase a refundable ticket.  If you must buy travel insurance, you must contact sombusiness.office@yale.edu for an exception prior to purchasing.
• Consider requesting the per diem meal reimbursement instead of individual meal receipts. The process is more streamlined: Entering per diem in the expense item, choose the appropriate city, and provide the number of requested meals. As a reminder, if you depart in the PM, you should not ask per diem for all three (3) meals, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Per diem should only be requested after departure from your home base.
  • If you must start your travel at 11:30 am, you should only request lunch and dinner.
  • If you return to the home base at 2:30 pm, you should only request breakfast and lunch.

A traveler may request a per diem reimbursement for meals, tips, and incidentals. Incidental expenses included in the domestic per diem rates are tips for services. International per diem rates include laundry, dry-cleaning, and tips. Any meals the conference/host provides must be excluded from the per-diem request. The rates vary by city:

• Domestic: http://www.gsa.gov/portal/category/21287
• Non-US: https://aoprals.state.gov/web920/per_diem.asp

Individuals cannot combine actual meal reimbursements with per diem reimbursements on a trip. The exception is group business meals (e.g., request a per diem meal reimbursement for breakfast and lunch with a group business meal receipt for dinner).

• The cost of business meals should be reasonable (less than $125 / person, including tax and tip. Business meals over $125 / per person will not be reimbursed. The excess cost will be considered a personal expense.
• Business meals must include a list of the attendees and their business relationship to the University. A detailed list of attendees is required for meals up to and including 10 people. For groups of 11 or more, a description of the group and the total number of attendees is required.
• Within the continental U.S., travelers should decline all car rental insurance (it will not be reimbursed). However, outside the continental U.S., travelers should accept Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) and Liability Insurance Supplement (LIS).
• If an original receipt is missing for a P-card transaction of $75 or greater, the individual should request a duplicate receipt from the vendor. In the absence of a duplicate receipt, please attach the missing receipt form to the Workday report.
• Airbnb and similar short-term rental sites may be used to book lodging instead of a hotel, provided that the cost per night does not exceed that of local hotels.
• When traveling internationally, prior to your trip, be sure to work with YSOM IT to turn on the appropriate service for your smartphone (and turn those services off upon your return).
• Travel advances are allowed, particularly for trip destinations where MasterCard acceptance is not prevalent. The University has increased the cash cap to $1,000. Traveler's checks are no longer offered, so advances over $1,000 will be distributed via check / direct deposit (and will require additional lead time for processing).

• YSOM funds should only be used when school business is the primary purpose for the trip.
• In an effort to consolidate holiday activities to ensure the cost is reasonable, YSOM hosts one school-wide holiday event to which all faculty and staff are invited. Individual holiday events must be paid for using personal funds.
• The University prohibits cash gifts to employees. Non-cash expenses are only allowed for expressions of sympathy and employee recognition (which should be initiated by HR only). All gift certificates and non-cash gifts of $1 or more (including study subject payments) must be reported to Payroll unless the study is confidential. Please include this disclaimer at the bottom of the survey: This income may be taxable. Gift cards can only be purchased using the Workday Create Spend Authorization process. Please forward reportable information to the SOM Business office.
• Third-party payments for services and honorariums from personal funds are not eligible for reimbursement. Please consult the purchasing guidelines for details on reimbursing or processing payment for services.
• For furniture purchases, please consult Facilities to assist in using Yale's preferred vendors. To ensure compliance with fire code Yale will not pay for home office furniture.
• Yale policy recommends the usage of Amazon Business, a free program for business customers that includes features such as multi-user management, workflows, and approvals. Eligible orders include Free Two-Day Shipping, business pricing, tax exemptions, and other features. To obtain a business account, please get in touch with sombusiness.office@yale.edu.
  • Please note: this program differs from Amazon Prime's paid subscription program. All other Amazon Prime accounts are considered personal memberships not payable from Yale funds.