Hello “ORACLE Traveler”,

SSAI is excited to be able to support your international travel to Såo ToméSummer 2017. My purpose, to the best of my ability, is to assist coordinating your travel requirements so you are able to focus on the science.

The following email contains a very large amount of information. Please read thoroughly and do not hold back on questions. If you have an unusual requirement or special situation, I invite you to contact me for discussion.

With the attachments here you will find a Travel Request form. Please complete form and send it back to me as quickly as feasible. It is preferred that you send a scanned copy that includes your handwritten signature and not an electronically embossed signature facsimile. Retain the original paper document and include it later when you provide expense receipts during the reimbursement process.

ORACLES

The P-3 is scheduled to arrive Såo Tomé July 31, so most commercial travelers will depart the US so as to arrive ~29 July. TAP Portugal does not fly to STP every day of the week, so check their schedule. For the return, the P-3 departs Såo Tomé September 1, so most commercial travelers will depart by September 2. Extensions to these dates will be reviewed by the Project.

In general, the project covers cost of airfare, lodging, meals and incidentals, transportation to/from your departing airport, and certain items when warranted (inoculations required for the destination, travel insurance required by Ascension Island, notary fees for Namibian visa documentation, etc.). Most science team members will not have rental cars; cars are approved by exception. Laundry is an ‘incidental’ for international travel so is not explicitly reimbursed; it is considered part of M&IE. If you anticipate an expense not mentioned here, please contact SSAI before traveling.

Såo Tomé Lodging:

As Bernie Luna related to me, a room block has already been set up for you at the Pestana Sao Tome.You will hear from Bernie or Dan Chirica how to arrange that stay. The federal reimbursement allowance established for Såo Tomé by the US Department of Stateis $154 per night.Your arranged rate of 130€ is lower than that currently, so you will be reimbursed at the actual rate.If the exchange rates change significantly, making your cost exceed the allowance, the project has pre-approved actuals.

An important note: For reimbursement payment, the reservation confirmation is not an adequate proof of payment as it provides only estimated cost. An itemized hotel receipt is required for reimbursement. Be sure to obtain this receipt when you check-out of the hotel.

SSAI Travel Request Form:

The standard SSAI Travel Request form is attached here and is on the mission web site. For previous field missions and related conferences/meetings, the form was created on behalf of each traveler. Instead of guessing at travel dates, it will be better to have you provide the travel dates and all destinations. The appropriate contract and charge numbers have been pre entered. Once the forms reach me I will add the cost estimate details. No one from your home institutions will need to sign approval. The only required signatures will be from SSAI managers.

AIRFARE – Long Distance Travel

It is possible and allowable for you to purchase airfare yourself but you must first speak with me, Diane Zeimet, and go through our travel agent (Nardy Tello, below, or one of her colleagues) to get the cost NASA would have paid for you. Your purchase should not exceed the government estimate. Please discuss the particulars of your situation with me. It is optimal for you that we (SSAI) purchase this ticket, as it is then not money out of your pocket, awaiting eventual reimbursement (after travel).

CI Azumano Travel:This is the SSAI travel vendor. Once you have provided me your intentions to book flights through CI Azumano or make the purchase yourself, you will be able to go forward with the reservation process.

When flight reservations are made through CI Azumano, SSAI will pay the airfare at the time airline reservations are booked. Attached here you will find the contact information for CI Azumano Travel Agents. Nardy Tello is the primary SSAI designated Travel Agent.If Nardy is unavailable, other agents from the list are well qualified and very familiar with the SSAI purchase and billing process. Please try to work only with one of the listed agents. They will be able to book airline, hotel, rental car and most Amtrak reservations.

Non-refundable airline tickets are purchased at the lowest available rate on the day of purchase. If you have preferences, specific airlines, flight times or specific routes, do not assume you will automatically be able to have your preferred flights or airline. The ticket cost will determine if it will be possible to accommodate your preferences.

Self-purchased airfare:

Reimbursement will happen after the trip is complete during the expense reimbursement process.

If you choose to purchase your own airfare, a cost comparison will be necessary. Request a cost quote from CI Azumano to compare with the cost for your preferred itinerary. If your preferred flights are more than the round trip quote from CI Azumano, you will only be reimbursed the lower amount cost quote.

Should your preferred flight cost less than the round trip quote from CI Azumano, you will be fully reimbursed and the ORACLES budget extends appreciation for your cost saving effort.

Note: If an unexpected situation requires a ticket exchange, SSAI will be unable to assist if you have purchased airfare yourself. You will be responsible to coordinate the new flights and pay the additional incurred cost. If the change is triggered by a project change, the new additional cost will be covered. If the change to your self-arranged travel is driven by other factors, you must absorb the cost.

CI Azumano Travel needs to have 5 pieces of personal information from you. Please have this available when you first contact the agent.

  1. The exact spelling of your name as it is on the gov't issued photo ID that you will present at TSA security screenings.
  2. Your birth date
  3. Your gender
  4. When traveling on a Passport, also required are: the ID number, the expiration date, the location where it was issued.
  5. A cell phone number or other contact phone number.

Travel Expense Reimbursement:

All reimbursements will be paid in US dollars. Utilize the on-line conversion tool found on the Oanda.comwebsite. This is the NASA and SSAI recognized currency conversion resource. If you pay cash for an expense, you will need to use Oanda.com to convert the “Foreign Currency” to US Dollars. Printouts of expanded line items found on Bank or Credit Card statements are an excellent proof of purchase, as the conversion to USD has already been accomplished. If there are bank charged currency conversion fees, those will also be notated on the same financial statement.

Meal and Incidental Expense Allowance (per diem)for Såo Tomé is $117per full day, and 75% of that on each of the two travel days.(The rate is different in Lisbon so if you overnight there, this will affect your reimbursement.) This is a flat allowance rate. No receipts are required. You can spend any amount you wish, but you will not be paid more than the established daily allowance.

Local Ground Transportation:

Rental vehicles at will not be reimbursed unless Bernie Luna has given specific approval and provided your name to SSAI. You should solely rely on taxi and other shuttle services from airports to train stations, or the hotels. With receipts or other proof of purchase documentation (bankcard statements, or expanded line item printouts from banks or credit card companies) you will be reimbursed for local ground transportation.

Parking at the departure airport versus round-trip taxi fare:

NASA may reimburse your parking fee as an allowable transportation expense not to exceed the cost of taxi fare to/from the terminal. As a prudent traveler, you should use long term parking facilities rather than daily or valet parking facilities. A receipt or other proof of purchase documentation is required for reimbursement.

However, to be in compliance with the Federal travel requirements, when planning all travel that could require departure-airport parking fees, please prepare a simple cost comparison to determine which mode of ground travel would be more advantageous to the government (PoV driving with parking, versus round-trip taxi to/from home and airport). Whichever is MORE advantageous to the government should be the expense listed on the SSAI Travel Request form. At this time it is not required to provide the cost comparison with the expense report.

NASA Auditors use “taxifarefinder.com” during audits of reimbursement vouchers. When comparing costs, please make sure the tip amount included with the fare estimate is 15%. The site shows three different estimated costs depending on traffic, I recommend you always use the highest estimate. If the city doesn’t pull up, the default is to use the average US taxi rate.

Expect other email messages between now and the deployment departure date.

The two SSAI Travel Expense Reimbursement forms and further claim information will be provided closer to the deployment date.

At any point that you have questions or need other assistance, you are invited call or email at your convenience. My standard office hours are 9am – 6 pm Monday through Friday, Eastern Time Zone. When I am unavailable, Denise Rector is also able to support all travel requirements:; 757-951-1946.

Sincerely,

Diane Zeimet