KU Travel Process Overview


Overview

This training guide provides a general overview outline of the travel process for KU employees. Please note, this is a general overview and may not be inclusive of every potential step in all travel situations.

Questions and Assistance

  • For Travel questions and assistance, please contact Travel Services at travel@ku.edu.

Travel Policies

Travel Process Diagram

Before Booking - as needed

  • Obtain KU/KUCR P-Card
  • Take Travel Training or review Training Guides
  • Update Concur Profile & enable E-receipts
  • Review travel policy
  • For international travel, visit gos.ku.edu

Submit Request & Book Travel

  • Create a Travel Request (TR) in Concur 14/30 days prior to domestic/ international travel
  • When TR is approved, book travel in Concur or with CTP full-service travel agents

Take Trip

  • Take your P-Card w/ you
  • Get itemized receipts for all expenses
  • Use Concur Mobile app to submit electronic receipts if desired
  • Call CTP if issues arise during travel at 877-630-1232

Complete Expense Report

  • Upon return, submit your travel expense summary and receipts to SSC for Expense Report (TER) creation
  • When TER is Approved, reimbursement is paid in 2-3 business days

Step One: Before Booking (as needed)

  • Obtain a KU/KUCR P-Card if not paying with a personal card.

    For security and appropriate institutional compliance, travelers are not permitted to save a credit card assigned to another employee or a department card to their Concur profile.  SSC and Department P-Cards should not be used for travel expenses booked in Concur, except for guest travel or group bookings.

    • Travelers must use a KU/KUCR P-Card issued to them or a personal credit card in Concur.
    • If you do not have a P-Card, employees can obtain a KU, KUCR or KU Single Trip Declining Balance P-Card at their supervisor's discretion by completing the following:
      1. Review KU P-Card Info & Procedure Manual or KUCR P-Card Info & Procedure Manual.
      2. Complete P-Card application in TeamDynamix (TDX). NOTE: If you are requesting a single trip Declining Balance P-card, you MUST complete a Concur Travel Request for your trip before completing the P-card application. GRA/GTA's can only apply for a declining balance P-card.
      3. TDX will route the application to your supervisor for approval.
      4. Complete and pass the P-Card Quiz in Canvas. The requestor will be notified by email with a link to take the quiz.
      5. Pick up your P-card after successfully completing the quiz. You should be able to pick up your KU/KUCR regular or travel P-card within approximately 10 business days or Declining Balance P-card within 4 business days or less. 
  • Sign up/Request training -OR- visit the Travel Training Library for Concur Travel instructional assistance.
  • Update your Concur Profile.
  • Activate E-Receipts from the Concur Home Page Alerts section or the Profile Options page.
  • Review current Travel Policy & Procedures to familiarize yourself with travel policy.
  • Visit the Office of Global Risk & Security site for guidance on Export Compliance and Security Management for international travel.

Step Two: Submit Travel Request and Book Travel

  1. Create your Travel Request (TR) in Concur for business travel outside the state. 
    1. Confirm travel award/fund availability with the appropriate Dean, Director, Budget Manager, or PI.
    2. Obtain approvals for travel to high risk countries as needed for international travel.
    3. Create a TR in Concur with estimated expenses up to the amount you have funding to spend for each university trip outside the State of Kansas. 
      • Once the TR is submitted, the workflow will automatically route it to the SSC/travel processor for review/editing based on the funding before routing it to the funding approver.
      • Concur Request allows us to encumber/budget funds for your trips, as well as serves as the recorded approval the State requires and the university needs to cover travelers for insurance purposes.
  2. Upon receipt of Concur TR approval, book travel in Concur or with our travel agency Collegiate Travel Planners (CTP).
    • Once approved, travelers can easily book discounted flights, hotels, and cars either in the Concur online desktop booking tool or mobile app -or- directly with full-service agents with our contracted travel management company, CTP.
      • This allows you to get great rates while staying compliant with KU Travel Policy.
      • Booking your travel through the University's travel program ensures your travel is included in our duty of care safety monitoring system, and is supported by the University and/or our team of CTP travel agents should difficulties arise before or during your trip.

Step Three: Take your Trip

  • Don’t forget to take your P-Card (or personal card) and keep track of your receipts!

    To avoid waiting until after your trip for a reimbursement, use your KU/KUCR P-Card for eligible travel expenses (excluding meals covered by per diem) booked in Concur and while traveling and get itemized receipts.

    • Remember, Concur does not pass along payment information for rental car reservations and hotel payments, so travelers will need to present a form of payment at arrival.
    • Enterprise/National and most major hotel chains are partnered with Concur.  These E-receipt Enabled vendors many times will automatically send electronic receipts to your Concur Expenses if you sign up for e-receipts in your Concur profile. 
      • Please remember to ALWAYS get a copy of your receipts.  Sometimes e-receipts are not sent by the hotels or rental car companies and a copy of the receipt is needed as documentation. 
  • Use the Concur Mobile app if desired.
    • The Concur Mobile app can be used anywhere to book or review travel plans, and to snap photos of your receipts to submit to Concur. When Concur/CTP bookings are linked to your Frequent Traveler numbers, you can use your vendor apps for your trips to view details, check-in, get boarding passes etc. as normal.
    • To further help streamline the process while traveling, check out the Concur App Center for travel app such as Uber, Lyft, and The Parking Spot to your Concur profile to submit receipts electronically.
  • Call CTP if you encounter issues while traveling.

    If you encounter issues such as flight delays or cancellations or hotel booking issues while traveling, please reach out to our travel management company, Collegiate Travel Planners (CTP):

    • at 877-630-1232 option 1, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm CST M-F,

    • or the After-Hours Emergency desk at 877-200-1501, 5:00 pm – 8:00 am CST M-F, Weekends & Holidays.

Step Four: Submit Expenses & Receipts

  • Upon returning, submit your travel expense summary and receipts to your SSC or LSI/IPSR travel processor for Expense Report creation.  Travelers are NOT creating their own Expense Reports in Concur. 
    • Turn-in all p-card receipts to your SSC or LSI/IPSR travel processor within 5 business days of either purchase or your return if made while traveling. 
      • If desired, as mentioned above utilizing e-receipts and electronic receipts through Concur Mobile and linked travel apps while traveling allows you to move away from paper receipts and spreadsheets.
    • After the completion of your trip, use your department form, email, or one of the Travel Reimbursement Forms found on the After Travel page to summarize your trip expense information.
    • Submit travel expense/reimbursement summary and non-electronic receipts/documentation to your SSC or LSI/IPSR travel processor so they can create an Expense Report on for you. Traveler are NOT to create their own Expense Report in Concur.
      • With your e-receipts and other electronic receipts/documents being automatically fed to Concur, Expense Report creation by the SSC can be an easier/quicker process.   However, no matter how you choose to submit travel receipts, it is always best practice to keep all receipts until after you've received your travel expense reimbursement.
  • Approval and Expense Reimbursement:

    Once an Expense Report is submitted by the SSC/travel processor and goes through the appropriate approval workflow, reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses is direct deposited to the employee traveler's bank account within 2-3 business days.