Concur FAQ

Review common questions about the Concur implementation, Pre-Trip activity, the new Travel & Entertainment Card program, and reconciling Travel Expenses.

Getting Started
Travel & Entertainment (T&E) Card
Pre-Trip Requests
Booking Travel
Expense Reporting

Question	Answer
Can the Concur team create a "must-know" guide to provide to each department to assist in educating faculty and other staff? It doesn't have to be a whole PowerPoint but just a one-pager of the most important information.	Yes, the travel team will begin focusing on micro-learnings(quick reference guides and videos) to help support faculty and staff.
Will you provide step-by-step user guides to give out to travelers?	Yes, the travel team will begin focusing on micro-learnings (quick reference guides and videos) to help support faculty and staff.
The traveler must assign a travel arranger to their profile?	A departmental SAA must assign travelers and travel arrangers in EACS. Travelers will not need to complete this step manually in Concur.
Will new non-employee travelers be requested or added through Concur as we do in iTravel?	The process for adding non-employee travelers will be the same as in iTravel.
Can a traveler/user in Concur also make their own travel arrangements? Or is that role only for the Travel Coordinator/Travel Arranger?	Travelers will be able to make travel arrangements in Concur with Anthony’s travel using a T&E card or personal credit card. In order to use the ghost card for direct bill, a Travel Arranger will need to make the arrangements on behalf of the traveler
If the pre-approver cannot approve but reject the travel, how will the routing work?	Pre-approvers, referred to as Previewers in Concur, have the ability to review expense reports that are in the Financial Approver’s (Final Approver) queue. They will be able to note that the expense report is ready for the Final Approver to review. It will be up to the department to determine if any additional processes will be used outside of Concur to notify the Final Approver that review has been completed.
For transactors, that process travel after trips are becoming travel agents and purchasing travel or the travelers are purchasing the travel with a corporate card?	Travelers can act for themselves with the exception of using UCR’s ghost card to pay for airfare expenses with Anthony’s Travel. If a Traveler is wanting to purchase airfare in this manner, the Travel Arranger will need to complete the booking for the traveler.
With the new travel system, will you be instructing every traveler (faculty, staff, executive, student, etc.) that they will be responsible for entering their info including uploading receipts? As of now, they leave that to transactor to enter everything	Travel coordinators can act on behalf of a traveler. They can enter a pre trip request, upload receipts, enter expenses, etc. The cannot “submit” the expense report on behalf of employee travelers. The traveler will need to log in to Concur to review expenses, certify, and submit the expense report into workflow.
The routing for travel – it is our understanding that travelers can now bypass the transactor to submit their trip, is there a way to override this? Otherwise, trip review will fall on the FAO/dept head.	The workflow for Concur is different than the queue system of iTravel. Travel coordinators can act on behalf of a traveler. They can enter a pre trip request, upload receipts, enter expenses, etc. They cannot “submit” the expense report on behalf of employee travelers. If the traveler will be entering their own expenses, internal departmental processes will need to be put in place to ensure coordinators have an opportunity to review prior to submission into workflow.
Please elaborate on whether transactors can or can’t enter trip information on behalf of another (student, faculty, or staff member)? Or is it similar to iTravel and we can enter the details, but NOT approve for the traveler?	Travel coordinators can act on behalf of a traveler. They can enter a pre trip request, upload receipts, enter expenses, etc. They cannot “submit” the expense report on behalf of employee travelers. The traveler will need to log in to Concur to review expenses, certify, and submit the expense report into workflow.
Will iTravel trips pending after fiscal close and the rollout of Concur but uploaded to the new system, or will the transactor (or travelers) have to manually re-enter the trip details into the new system?	Data will not transfer to Concur. There will be a period of crossover prior to iTravel being moved into a read only mode. Any expenses that are not able to be completed will need to be entered into Concur.
Will there be in person/virtual trainings	Yes, there are Concur live training dates scheduled in June, July and August located here: https://impact23.ucr.edu/concur-training-resources
Will there be a grace period before locking iTravel for travel that is still in progress?	Yes, there will be a transition period to close out pre-existing reimbursement requests that are pending approvals. Deployment details will be communicated.
When will CONCUR be available on EACS for SAA's to provide access to the coordinators, pre-approvers, and approvers to start processing?	SAAs will be notified post-pilot period regarding when to go into EACS and assign new role for Concur. We anticipate a late June Concur rollout for campus users.
Are the new roles available in EACS to assign or will that be available the go-live date? I'd like to get in contact with my SAA to ensure access is set for the many Accountability Structures we support.	SAAs will be notified closer to go-live once it is time to assign accountability structures and roles for Concur in EACS.
If a plane fare was paid through the old iTravel/concur, but the the travel starts after deployment of new Concur should the travel reimbursement be completed in iTravel or in the new system?	If the trip includes a cash advance, then complete in iTravel. If there is no tie to iTravel and it is simply ready for reimbursement, then please complete in Concur.
What is the estimated grace period for itravel once Concur launches? Will it be 30 days, 60, etc??	There is not a set time period. We want to ensure that all processes work correctly before we determine the end date for iTravel. We do expect a cross over period before this happens.
will there be trainings for faculty to use the system?	We are currently offering training to all individuals. We have completed two trainings and will have another tomorrow, 6/3/22. Additional dates can be viewed on impact23.ucr.edu
Who exactly should be completing the concur training? If you currently have Itravel access will you automatically get concur travel or will the SAA's need to assign access to the new system.	We encourage everyone to go to the Concur training including faculty and staff. Travel Coordinators/Arrangers are highly recommended. Access is not auto-provisioned and will need to assign by your department SAA.
When are we going live?	We are looking to go live towards the end of June. The exact date will be communicated campus-wide.
How were pilot group participants chosen?	A communication was sent to the CFAO's of every ORG asking for nominations. These nominations were reviewed to determine travel volumes and other values to ensure we had a sufficient spread across campus groups for broad feedback.
If our principals miss the LMS trainings during the schedule times, will they be available online for future reference?	Yes, the training will be made available in the LMS for future reference.
When do you foresee the Concur application being listed in RSpace?	This will occur towards the end of June.
How have faculty and other staff been notified about the trainings? I have not heard anything from my faculty about this, so I am concerned they do not know about this	We have had multiple User Groups and Town Halls where these trainings have been announced. There was also a faculty focus group held and discussion on communication was completed. We do rely on the fiscal staff to support their faculty and communicate with them about upcoming activities as well. We continue to develop and deploy other communications and will continue to do so. Any suggestions on additional avenues are welcome.
Our faculty will need to be trained on the new system, will there be training offered to them, if not, will you be sending some kind of step by step instruction for departments to train?	We are currently offering training for all users, including faculty.
Can you briefly explain some of the main issues that the pilot teams are running into while entering travels in new system? Is the new travel system ready for travels to be completely processed in new system? Should cash advance be requested in the new system or old travel system if trip if cash advance is being requested late June?	Pre-trip requests and card requests are fully funcitonal. Expense reports are not yet available for pilot users -i.e., full trip reconciliation.
Is there possibility for dual-role assignments for staff via EACS?	Yes. You can have multiple role assignments in the system, but you cannot approve your own trip.
In order for us to be sure we are reviewing travel prior to submission, we should have our role switched from coordinator to pre approver?	We would not advise all coordinators to be assigned as a previewer. It is an option however, there is not a specific queue for previewer. The previewer can review and note it has been reviewed prior to the Financial Approver making their final reveiw.
Can you please briefly go through the various roles an employee can hold (arranger, coordinator, approver, etc.) so we understand the difference and start strategical planning with what would best work with our team and our department?	There are number of roles that are offered in Concur and they have been covered in a previous user group. Concur role guidance can be located at Concur Access available here: https://impact23.ucr.edu/concur-access#concur_roles_in_the_enterprise_access_control_system_eacs.
Can you speak to departments that use the reimbursement process and do not prepay travel with a T&E Card. The classes listed seem to be heavy with T&E Card information and not how to use the new concur to enter and process trips and if you must send through a pretrip etc.?	UCR Travel and Expense: https://uc.sumtotal.host/Core/pillarRedirect?relyingParty=LM&url=core%2Factivitydetails%2FViewActivityDetails%3FActivityId%3D514136%26UserMode%3D0
Which of the trainings do you specifically suggest for travelers/faculty?	We encourage Travelers, Staff, and Traveler Coordinators to attend trainings.
Will the LMS training tomorrow be recorded and available for those not able to attend?	The training will be recorded and the best recorded version will be made available in the LMS for user review post go-live.
Will there be additional training dates for Concur Travel Booking & Agent Services in July and August?	Currently we only have June dates available as the courses are offered by Anthony Travel. We may be able to schedule more sessions and/or record and post a June session.

Question	Answer
How long will it take to get new staff cards issued?	Card issuance will take approximately two weeks after an approved application is received.
How will the T&E Cards be reconciled?	Expenses charged to the T&E card are linked to the traveler and will load into Concur as ‘Available Expenses’. These expenses will need to be cleared with an expense report within 30 days of the trip completion date
What do we do regarding guest travelers - what will reimbursement look like?	Guest (non-employee) travelers will still be setup in a similar way to how it is done in iTravel today, using the Vendor Request System. Reimbursement to guest/non-employee travelers is done via check, like with iTravel today.
How will accidental personal purchases be cleared from the T&E card? Will the card automatically decline typical non-travel items?	Personal expenses on the T&E card must be returned to the University immediately. A check payable to UC Regents with the Pre-Trip Request ID noted must be sent to Cashiers office. Repeated non-compliance will result in the cancellation of the card. These expenses will still need to be cleared with an expense report. There are certain MCC codes that are blocked from use with the T&E card.
If Traveler has business trip combined with personal travel, does Concur have the ability to manage expenses for each?	Concur does have the ability to note dates that are personal travel, as well as noting if an expense is for personal travel. However, travelers should not charge personal expenses to their UCR T&E card. Price comparisons should still be included for airfare expenses when personal days are included.
Can we use Procard for purchase of airline tickets?	PCard use for airline ticket purchases will eventually be phased out and we will be sure to communicate the timeline. The preferred method for purchasing airline tickets will be through the Concur Travel module or Anthony Travel agent services to charge the ghost card.
Grad Students are often the ones that need to not incur travel expenses personally due to their financial situations. Will there be a way the T&E cards or similar system can be used for them?	T&E Cards for grad student and related options/policy is currently under review.
Can an administrator in the Department have a T&E card and book travel on behalf of faculty or other travelers?	T&E Card transactions are tied to the profile for the card holder and cannot be moved to the expense report for another individual. Do to this, an administrator would not be able to have a T&E card and make charges for another individual.
It is highly likely that travelers will accidentally use the T&E card for a travel expense that is not approved. When we discover such expenses in the reconciliation process, how will such expenses be resolved?	Personal expenses on the T&E card must be returned to the University immediately. A check payable to UC Regents with the Pre-Trip Request ID noted must be sent to Cashiers office. Repeated non-compliance will result in the cancellation of the card.
When booking flights, will we still be creating purchase orders in eBuy?	No, if you're booking through Concur with Anthony's Travel you need an approved Pre-Trip Request ID (no purchase order). If you want to use BCD or another travel agency you will need to use a T&E Card or personal card (out of pocket).
With the implementation of the new travel card, will airfare and lodging be discontinued (no longer an option) via the Pcard?	Correct, the goal is to shift to the T&E Card so purchases are associated with the cardholder and can be pulled in to an Expense Report.
With iTravel going away and us moving to concur in June. What if we have Trip ID # on a procard purchase for a conference that will take place in August? Will we still reference that trip ID# in concur or how would that work. When the traveler gets ready to submit their travel reimbursement come August?	If there is no cash advance associated with the trip in iTravel, submit the reimbursement in Concur and use the Reference Number field in the Expense Report as a reference.
How will that work if a student can't apply for the T&E card?	We are evaluating the cash advance policy and making revisions to that to help assist student travelers, as we understand that travel can create a financial hardship for them.
Are we able to book hotel rooms on a procard? I wasn't aware that was an option.	Using the PCard for hotel bookings is being phased out. It is preferred to apply for the new T&E Card.
Can the T&E card be used for entertainment expenses outside of travel?	In Phase 2, entertainment and other expenses will be available for expense reporting in Concur. At that point, individuals will be able to use a T&E card to purchase items for entertainment and business meetings.
Will T&E card holders be required to take a training on the new system showing how to reconcile?	The T&E Card training is required, but for reconciling the expenses in Concur, the UCR Travel and Expense training is highly recommended.
Can the travelers card go against multiple FAU's?	Expenses will flow into Concur, and those expenses, when added to an expense report, can have a single FAU or multiple FAUs allocated at that time.
If you are encouraging departments to have a central T&E card to help with various arrangements, what will the functionality be like in the system to seperate out expeneses to various travelers and what are the consequences if the department can't work with the traveler on a timely basis to get the expenses cleared? My concern as a central service is that the cardholder will be penalized and then unable to help anyone else	There are all sorts of different business and needs across the university and no two departments are exactly alike, so if your department chooses to issue a T&E Card to a Travel Arranger (not preferred) than there will need to be processes put in place in the department to make sure that those costs can be properly reconciled.
Whe you say the travel card will be paid monthly, is that even if there isn't a report done in Concur? What if a report is never done?	Charges are paid to US Bank regardless of a report being created in Concur. Expenses that are not reconciled within 30 days after the trip is completed will be charged to the default FAU provided on the new card request. The department will be responsible for an collection processes.
Do the T&E card expenses need to be PCTd by departments?	No, the expenses will pull into Concur. So when a traveler makes a charge on their card, those charges will flow into Concur under a section called manage expenses. The Traveler or Travel Arranger will see those charges and be able to associate them with an expense report.
Does the department review the expenses and not the cardholder? Do the bank statements go to the department directly?	Bank statements will not go to the department directly, but will be available to the cardholder through access online.
Is the default FAU per card holder?	The default is determined by the department. The default will be charged in the event the T&E charges are not reconciled by the cardholder or delegate.
If one central T&E card holder for department and all expenses flow to that card, how would coordinator determine what charge belongs to whom? Will receipts be available through US Bank?	T&E Card transactions are tied to the profile for the card holder and cannot be moved to the expense report for another individual. Do to this, an administrator would not be able to have a T&E card and make charges for another individual. Receipts are not captured by US Bank and will need to be added via other means.
If the department decides to have the T&E card for the traveler coordinator to arrange travel for the department travelers (students, faculty, etc.), can the expenses then be easily moved from the coordinator's profile to the respective faculty or student profile to close of the trip report appropriately?	T&E Card transactions are tied to the profile for the card holder and cannot be moved to the expense report for another individual. Do to this, an administrator would not be able to have a T&E card and make charges for another individual.
Will the system allow for mixed payment types? T&E Card for most items but personal card or cash for others?	Yes, various payment types may be associated line-item travel expenses in a Concur Expense Report.
When is the list of current users coming out so we can notify users to reapply for the new T&E? Who is considered a designated employee? Can a postdoc or grad student apply? Will the T&E card be linked to a single FAU like the procard OR can we assign it to individual FAUs?	Lists of current users will only be sent out in limited circumstances. Our office is in the process of validating the information from US Bank to ensure an accurate list is provided to departments. Only full time, career employees will be able to apply for and receive a T&E card. We are reviewing revisions to existing policies and procedures to consider ways to accommodate post doc/students traveling for UC business. Expenses charged to the T&E card are linked to the traveler and will load into Concur as ‘Available Expenses’. These expenses will need to be cleared with an expense report within 30 days of the trip completion date. Expenses can be cleared to individual FAUs within the expense report. However, a default FAU will need to be provided during the application process. This FAU will be used for expenses not reconciled within 30 days of the trip completion date.
What if they use the T&E corporate card to purchase airfare for a trip 5-6 in advance? Then the expense would need to be cleared by the 7 month?.	Travelers will be expected to clear travel expenses within 30 days of the trip completion. However, Travelers/Arrangers should begin associating expenses with an expense report as soon as they are uploaded into Concur.
Are we allowed to designate postdocs and grad students as a "designated employee"?	Only full time, career employees will be able to apply for and receive a T&E card. We are reviewing revisions to existing policies and procedures to consider ways to accommodate post doc/students traveling for UC business
Are grad student employees (GSR or TA) that are traveling able to get a T&E Corp card	Only full time, career employees will be able to apply for and receive a T&E card. We are reviewing revisions to existing policies and procedures to consider ways to accommodate post doc/students traveling for UC business
Can faculty request and obtain a card after completing training?	Faculty that are a full time, career employees may apply for a T&E Card after they have completed the required training.
May a designated employee with the new T&E card use it to pay for a business-related entertainment expense such as a dinner with under 10 guests?	Concur will be going live in June 2022 for travel expenses only. The new T&E card is intended for travel expenses in this first phase. Accounting is reviewing options to assist departments that are needing to purchase items for entertainment related expenses.
If the PO programs go away (for Smart and Final), what options do we have? Have these other options been looked into?	In Phase 2, entertainment and other expenses will be available for expense reporting in Concur. At that point, individuals will be able to use a T&E card to purchase items for entertainment and business meetings.
Will there be a default FAU associated with the new T&E cards and moved similar like a PCT?	Expenses charged to the T&E card are linked to the traveler and will load into Concur as ‘Available Expenses’. These expenses will need to be cleared with an expense report within 30 days of the trip completion date. Expenses can be cleared to individual FAUs within the expense report. However, a default FAU will need to be provided during the application process. This FAU will be used for expenses not reconciled within 30 days of the trip completion date.
For the travel card, is the card paid automatically every month, or is it paid per the reports submitted in Concur	T&E balances will be paid by UCR directly each payment cycle. Expenses charged to the T&E card are linked to the traveler and will load into Concur as ‘Available Expenses’. These expenses will need to be cleared with an expense report within 30 days of the trip completion date. Expenses can be cleared to individual FAUs within the expense report. However, a default FAU will need to be provided during the application process. This FAU will be used for expenses not reconciled within 30 days of the trip completion date.
Is the T&E training required to be taken annually?	The training will not need to be taken annually.
What happens with the T&E card if something personal is purchased with the card (inappropriate purchase that shouldn't have been paid by UCR)?	Personal expenses on the T&E card must be returned to the University immediately. A check payable to UC Regents with the Pre-Trip Request ID noted must be sent to Cashiers office. Repeated non-compliance will result in the cancellation of the card.
Would the reviewer other than cardholder review the bank statement and expense report	Expenses charged to the T&E card are linked to the traveler and will load into Concur as ‘Available Expenses’. These expenses can be viewed by anyone delegated to act on behalf of the traveler. Under certain circumstances, department leadership can request a bank statement copy.
Can UCR consider the use of a corporate card instead of a PO. Can this be considered for staff that conduct events? Paying out of pocket and the PO process is time consuming for UC and Vendors.	In Phase 2, entertainment and other expenses will be available for expense reporting in Concur. At that point, individuals will be able to use a T&E card to purchase items for entertainment and business meetings.
Please help me understand, did you say, TC's will no longer be able to submit a traveler's reimbursement on behalf of the traveler. Only the traveler can do that? Or are you saying TC's will be the only person who can attached receipts to expense lines?	Travel coordinators can act on behalf of a traveler. They can enter a pre trip request, upload receipts, enter expenses, etc. The cannot “submit” the expense report on behalf of employee travelers. The traveler will need to log in to Concur to review expenses, certify, and submit the expense report into workflow.
Can a T&E cardholder pay for tavel expenses on behalf of other travelers like rental cars for guests, etc.? Or is the T&E card only to be used for travel related to the cardholder?	Only preapproved team leaders should be paying for the travel expenses of the individuals noted as part of their team travel. Otherwise, travelers are responsible for their own travel expenses. Any expenses that can be direct billed to UCR can be arranged on behalf of a guest, i.e. airfare, conference registrations, local hotel expenses.
Will each department/unit's be responsible for additional fees incurred (such as after hours fees in an emergency situation), or will that be covered under a corporate expense?	Departments are responsible for any fees associated with booking travel.
For the T&E card, will the card balance be paid in full even if a report hasn't been completed yet? What if a report is then never completed?	T&E balances will be paid by UCR directly each payment cycle. Expenses charged to the T&E card are linked to the traveler and will load into Concur as ‘Available Expenses’. These expenses will need to be cleared with an expense report within 30 days of the trip completion date. Expenses can be cleared to individual FAUs within the expense report. However, a default FAU will need to be provided during the application process. This FAU will be used for expenses not reconciled within 30 days of the trip completion date.
Will the T&E card be linked to a single FAU like the procard OR can we assign it to individual FAUs?	Expenses charged to the T&E card are linked to the traveler and will load into Concur as ‘Available Expenses’. These expenses will need to be cleared with an expense report within 30 days of the trip completion date. Expenses can be cleared to individual FAUs within the expense report. However, a default FAU will need to be provided during the application process. This FAU will be used for expenses not reconciled within 30 days of the trip completion date.
What happens when faculty members put unauthorized purchases on the T&E cards (it is going to happen...) e.g. alcohol, personal travel in the middle of a business trip	Personal expenses on the T&E card must be returned to the University immediately. A check payable to UC Regents with the Pre-Trip Request ID noted must be sent to Cashiers office. Repeated non-compliance will result in the cancellation of the card.
Is there a way to double-check the list of those with the current T&E card holders? I think that the list is missing some of our card holders.	If any discrepancies to the list is found, these should be reported to travelfeedback@ucr.edu
Do entertainment expenses charged on the T&E card have to be related to a travel trip? can they be department expenses that are not directly related to a trip?	Entertainment expenses should not be placed on the T&E cards at this time. In Phase 2, entertainment and other expenses will be available for expense reporting in Concur. At that point, individuals will be able to use a T&E card to purchase items for entertainment and business meetings.
Have the current Travel Card folks been notified of the change and payoff info?	Communication will be issued shortly; currently pending internal approvals.
Can you please expand on what plans there are to provide additional support to postdocs, students and academic appointments that are not allowed to apply for the new T&E card? Unfortunately, pre-paid expenses are not always an option for some of these trips.	This has been considered; however, currently, the T&E Card is for full-time employees. We are working on expanding the travel advance policy to accommodate this concern.
Will the expenses on the T&E card be encumbered or will it sit in the queue unencumbered until it is associated with a travelers trip?	T&E Card expenses are not encumbered until they are reconciled via a Concur expense report. Concur expense reports feed accounts payable, then accounts payable feeds the ledger.
When a T&E card is applied for and the requestor submits the request with their FAU - what steps are there to prevent the use of Grants and funds that have expiration dates? Is there a way to route the application through the dept for financial approval before routing to the supervisor or dept head?	There is no way to route this application to the financial approval first. The financial approval is actually the final approver. There will be ability to designate a delegate for the card approval. You may want to have an upfront conversation about what your department plan is.
If the T&E charges will not show up until the trips are completed, what will be the process for any inquiry on charges that are questionable since this is no longer personal liability?	T&E charges flow into Concur as soon as they post to US Bank. These items can be viewed by the traveler and/or an arranger as soon as they are available in Concur.
Will there be a method to copy the card approver at the time of the T&E Card application ? The process which is outlined on the Impact 23 website indicates the application is routed to the supervisor (presumably from UCPath) and those individuals may not be authorized to make the determination if appropriate or not for the request and not in roles to approve FAUs. Earlier involvement of those that will be authorizing the cards will ease frustration for those that go through the application process and learn at the end they will not be approved. Even a small communication or added step to check with the Dept . Card Approver for eligibility would be helpful.	The routing is based on the Concur design. The supervisor is going to be the designated supervisor for the employee. The Supervisor is endorsing the application; however, they are not approving the FAU. The Card Approver at the time of their approval can update the FAU to the correct FAU if need be. It is recommended that an unrestricted funding source be sued as the default FAU. The application will not move forward if the dept head/delegated approver does not approve the request.
Can the T&E Card default FAU be changed in the future?	Yes, a communication will need to be sent to travelfeedback@ucr.edu
Do people with the new T&E Cards need to submit a reconciliation monthly?	They do if they are having monthly charges. We are expecting that the charges are cleared within 30 days of completion of the trip. Pending charges can be associated with Pre-Trip requests once they are approved. The actual expenses cannot be submitted until the final trip date has been concluded.
What happens if there is an inappropriate expense charged to the T&E card? How will that be handled or reconciled to remove the expense?	The individual will need to cut a check payable to UC Regents. An expense report will need to be completed noting that the expense was a personal item to clear this from their open items.
Should disputes be handled only by the T&E Cardholder, or will the Travel Arranger be allowed to assist with that process?	The T&E cardholder will need to address these with US Bank as the card is in their name.
Regarding the T&E card, are you expecting the Travel Arranger to check the expenses regularly to ensure the travelers are following the policy in their expenses?	This is a department preference. Ultimately, the cardholder and department approvers are responsible for monitoring appropriate card usage and reconciliation.
So if airfare or other travel expenses are charged on a T&E card months in advance (common practice) - will there be issues with waiting to reconcile when the trip is months aways?	There will not be an issue. If the trip has not taken place, there is nothing that can be charged, however, there should be a pre-trip request in place for this trip which will allow for the cost to be associated with the trip.
Apologies if this was answered already. When can we apply for the new T&E corporate card? Where do we send our faculty to start the application process?	If you are a pilot group dept you have access to apply for the card. If not, at our go-live, campus will be available to apply for the card. The training for the new T&E card is currently available in LMS which is required to apply for the card.
Can we establish a different FAU for each T&E card?	Yes, the FAU is required to be listed on each individual new card request in Concur. This can be unique on each request if desired.
How will the T&E card be distributed to our travelers? Does it affect the card holders credit, if not paid correctly?	Once an approved T&E Card request is processed in Concur, the card will be issued directly by US Bank and sent to the cardholder. The University pays for card charges, so it will not affect the cardholder's credit score.
What happens if I do a pretrip request and the traveler makes changes to the travel mid travel?	Additional expenses may be reported on the Expense Report.

Question	Answer
Will there be a standard pre-trip request form or is it integrated into Concur?	The pre-trip request is an integrated form within Concur, and information entered into that pre-trip request flows into the respective expense report, so that information does not have to be entered twice.
Who should submit the pre-trip travel request - the traveler since they would know all the estimated expenses??	That will be part of your departmental procedure, we anticipate the most efficient way would be for the traveler to submit it but travel arrangers will have the ability to perform this action on behalf of the traveler.
Does that mean no more PO option for BCD or UCTC?	PO's can still be used for BCD and UCTC at this time, however, there is a plan to eventually phase out that option. Travelers will still be able to book with BCD and UCTC using a personal card or a T&E card.
Are registration only fees considered travel?	Registration fees are covered under travel policy so are considered a travel expense. Comments can be added noting that no additional travel expenses were incured.
What if all pretrip expenses aren't known when initially submitting a pre-trip request? Can expenses be added later?	Yes, it is best practice to estimate all expenses (including meals and incidentals), but expenses can be added to an Expense Report as needed.
If a traveler’s expected expenditures will only consist of ground transportation costs (e.g. mileage, rideshare, etc.), will a pre-trip request still be required?	Yes, pre-trip requests are required before an Expense Report can be submitted.
Can the travel coordinator still use their new T&E card to pay for conference fees for either virtual or in person events or do all staff that travels travelers need to apply for a card.	This is not currently recommended; travelers should request their own T&E Card so charges are that come into Concur are associated with that cardholder.
What about our travelers who are not from the UC?	Travel Arrangers can perform pre-trip requests, travel booking, and expense reports on behalf of non-employee travelers. Non-employee travelers will need to be set up in the Vendor Request system and associated with an accountability structure in EACS.
In the past, the departments have always had to relay major changes to the faculty and we do not have answers for them on why these changes are occuring. Wouldn't it be more official for a campus wide announcement to be sent regarding the new requirmeent for pre-trip approval?	The program team is hosting Town Halls and sending communications to reach faculty. Still, we rely on the department administrative staff to convey the new processes, including pre-trip request authorization.
How does the pre-trip function work? How far in advanced is a pre-trip prior to trip needing to be submitted and what is the approval on that look like?	How far in advance depends on the department. For example, you will need a pre-trip request ID if you are trying to book airfare through Anthony Travel. Pre-trip requests route to the Financial Approver set up in EACS. It's a very short workflow to get a re-trip approved.
Will the pre-trip request create an encumbrance in the new financial system which we will be able to use as a projection for our financial reports?	no, a pre-trip request does not create an encumbrance.
So can items entered on the pre-trip expense be easily changed or deleted if post-trip expenses changed? Will the pre-trip approval need to be re-routed if changes do occur?	Expenses cannot be changed once the pre-trip request is approved. However, if expenses changed, updates can be made when reporting to the expense report.
You mentioned that the pretravel cannot be changed, but can a pretravel be cx out completely, if the travel is cancelled	Yes, approved pre-trip requests can be cancelled if a trip will no longer be taken.
In the Pre-Trip Request, is there an area where the funding source is selected? Will there be a business rule that notifies Travelers traveling, in particular to a AB 1887 banned state, and remind them of the non-state fund use to travel to that banned state?	Yes, travelers will have the ability to enter an FAU(s) associated with their travel expenses. Previewers and Financial Approvers will have an opportunity during the review/approval process to update the FAU as needed to comply with various funding requirements.
For the pre-trip approval, is there a consequence if the approval is not granted? Who is the approval from? What is the turn around time?	Travel expenses will not be able to be reported without an approved pre trip request. Pre-trip flows to the department head for approval. Turn around time is dependent on the department.
For the pre-trip approval, is there a form for everyone to use and who approves it?	This is a functionality of Concur. Pre-trip requests will flow to the Financial Approver for approval.
In the pre-trip window does it ask if the traveler will have any personal time during their travel?	Yes, the pre-trip request specifies if personal travel is part of the trip and requests the personal travel dates. The expense report also accounts for personal travel.
Will approved pre-travel encumber on funds?	No, funds will not be encumbered on pre-trip approvals.
If Travelers cancel their travel, but forget to cancel the pre-approved trip in Concur, will there be a sweep or report to assist in maintaining "clean queues"?	There will not be a sweep. Arrangers will have access to the employees request as well as any expense reports. They will be able to see all items open. We will review to see if there is a report that can be created. There are also automatic reminders that will be going out from the sytem until an item is completed or cancelled.
Will there be a comprehensive report available for a department where staff/arrangers can pull a query for upcoming/pending travels at once, versus logging in as the individual Travelers one-by-one?	We are working with our implementation partner, Huron, to determine which reports will be available for departments and the best was to provide that information. More information on reports forthcoming.
I only heard that the pretrip doesn't create an encumbrance. Are there other situations which will result in an encumbrance? For example, booking and airfare on the ghost card? Please forgive me if I missed the differences.	There will be no encumbrance, however, any T&E and PCard expenses will be reflected in Concur for those charges. Ghost card charges will appear on the ledger once the expense report in completed.
I heard there is a maximum of 200 travelers per department allowed on Concur, is this true? If so, can you further explain the logic?	The maximum is 250 travelers per Travel Arranger. This is a Concur system limitation. We recommend SAAs review/remove non-employee travelers and separated employees in EACS to manage travelers for Travel Arrangers.
Will we still be unable to issue advances to graduate students?	Currently the answer is yes. As mentioned earlier, we are looking into expanding advances to graduate students.

Question	Answer
Will we no longer be using Connexxus or Swabiz?	Anthony Travel is UCR's preferred TMC (Travel Management Company) but use of Anthony's is not mandatory. Connexxus has been rebranded as ConnexUC by UCOP and travelers will still have the option to book with Swabiz and travel agencies in that program.
Will there be any new options for travelers to have lodging pre-paid by a department?	Not at this time, but we would like to explore that option after the initial deployment of Concur.
Will there be an add'l fee to work with a rep for assistance just as there is with the Connexxus travel agents?	The Anthony Travel fees can be found on our Impact23 site. There are fees for booking through the online booking tool or with a full service agent. https://impact23.ucr.edu/anthony-travel
Can Pcard still be used to book hotel room only or will that no longer be allowed with rollout of T&E card?	The PCard may still be used for that, however, we are asking that every traveler (every individual that needs to travel) complete training and apply for their own T&E Card, so that they can reserve hotels using their card.
Will the PCard be restricted again for travel and if so, will Travel Coordinators have a default T&E department cards to provide that service	T&E Card transactions are tied to the profile for the card holder and cannot be moved to the expense report for another individual. Do to this, an administrator would not be able to have a T&E card and make charges for another individual. Other options are being reviewed to assist travelers when paying for travel expenses.
Can Anthony Travel only for group travel?	Anthony Travel can facilitate both group travel as well as individual travel.
Wil the travelers profiles merge over to Anthony's or do we need to upload them again?	Travelers profiles will need to be updated in Concur.
Can you check flight costs and schedules without starting a pre-trip request	Yes, Travel Arrangers and Travelers will be able to access the Concur Travel online booking tool, which can be used to gather estimates for flight, ground transportation, and lodging.
Trips we need to purchase flights for the end of June, July & August - we need a Trip # for the PCard log but the trip will not take place until after the change to Concur? Do we create the trip on iTravel anyway?	Although we are transitioning our programs, we do understand that there will be some crossover during the transitional period. We do encourage to use the new programs once available however, do not expect travelers to be inconvenienced or delay booking which would potentially incur additional costs. Please continue to book any travel that needs to be booked prior to campus wide Go Live of Concur for your travelers as you would currently.
Are we not using YTC travel agency anymore?	YTC (Your Travel Center) is still allowed for booking at this time. We are reviewing the options of what will be allowable in the future state.
What is a Ghost card?	A ghost card is a credit card number that is specific to the vendor assigned. Purchases made on these cards are then charged back to the department that made the purchase.
Can you please explain the use of the new ghost card for Anthony Travel and how the old ghost card will be going away	The card will work similarly to the ghost cards used with ConnexxUC in the past. Instead of a PO number, a Pre-Trip request number will need to be entered. The ghost card with BCD and UCTC will eventually be phased out and individuals will need to use a T&E Card or personal card and seek reimbursemenat after the trip has been completed.
How does the airfare purchase hold the funds for airfare purchased on the ghost card if there is PO and or encumbrance	There is no encumbrance. When trip expense is completed, the charge for the airfare will then be reflected on the ledger for the charge.
How does the airfare purchase hold the funds for airfare purchased on the ghost card if there is No PO and or No encumbrance	It is not holding the funds; this is where the reconciliation of the expense is going to be important and based on the trip dates there will be validations to ensure the trip dates fall within the funding source. This is aligning with the matching principle that even though you've purchased the airfare. The expense needs to match and align with the allowability of that funding source and when the trip was completed. Remember this is how Concur works, so we are not able to customize the application to charge departments immediately.
Will there be business rules in place related to the Fly America Act if airfare is not booked in Concur?	There are business rules in place related to Fly America Act.

Question	Answer
I have 5 staff attending a conference June 12-June 17. Should I keep it in itravel or submit via the new system?	If the travel is tied to a cash advance or if a travel expense voucher has already been started in iTravel, the trip reporting should be completed in iTravel. If an expense report has not been initiated in iTravel, reporting can be completed in Concur upon go live.
Are faculty being told about this pre-trip request requirement? They're the ones who will need to do it.	The program team is hosting Town Halls and sending communications to reach faculty. Still, we rely on the department administrative staff to convey the new processes, including pre-trip request authorization.
When will the current T&E cards become inactive? Will there be a lapse in the current card being inactive and the application going live?	Personal-liabilty T&E Cards are currently being phased out, but we have not set a firm inactivation date. We understand that there may be some need for an overlap and are prepared to handle that on a case by case basis.
For non-employee travel, will check be the only method of reimbursement or will there be an ACH option?	Our current financial system does not support non-employee reimbursements through EFT. An ACH option may be available as part of the tranistion to Oracle Financials.
Should travel reimbursements be processed through iTravel (completed trips) at this time?	Yes, we will communicate with Campus the deployment date for Concur (anticipated in late June).
As long as a traveler assigns a travel arranger to their profile, the travel arranger would be able to pull expenses that the TA paid for into that travelers expense report?	Travel arranger role is assigned by the SAA. Expenses cannot be transfered from one profile to another.
What kind of reporting will be available in Concur? Will we be able to pull pending travel and associated FAUs?	We are working with our implementation partner, Huron, to determine which reports will be available for departments and the best was to provide that information. More information on reports forthcoming.
Are you going to provide all departments with a document for the monthly statement cut off dates? This would be helpful when meeting drop dead dates for reconciliation.	We can explore posting monthly statement cutt off dates. The requirement is that an expense report must be submitted no later than 30 days after a trip or event is completed.
Will Travelers be able to upload their own receipts?	Yes, travlers can manually upload into Concur, email receipts, and/or use the Concur mobile app to capture and upload receipts while on travel.
Will travelers will need to know FAU's to assign their expenses?	Yes, it is advisable that travelers consult with their Travel Arranger or Financial Approver to associate expenses with the correct FAU.
Will trips be downloadable as pdfs if departments want to retain copy for ledger recon/audit trails?	Yes, trips will be available as PDFs for download in iTravel.
How will the trips/expenses on the T&E cards reflect on the ledger for department's to reconcile appropriately?	There will be no changes in the aspect of what is the current process. There will be a difference # related to Concur. Charges to the T&E card will not be reflected to the ledgers until your trip is reconciled. While there are slight difference, the ultimate information should be the same.
Will group travel and entering in additional non-UCR vendors be addressed and an option when Concur goes live? If not, how do you suggest we work around this as many of our travelers still travel with collaborators from other entities - this is not an uncommon practice.	Group travel is available for go-live and entering non-UCR vendors can be added to the system. Adding guest travelers not in Concur will be answered before go-live
When does an encumbrance post to the ledgers?	There are no encubered funds. Expenses will hit the ledger once Concur expense reports are approved.
We have a group that will go on travel for a couple of months. The travel will begin in iTravel. Hopefully iTravel will still be available in August to comlete this travel.	Keep in mind there will be some overlapping. If the trip was started in iTravel with a cash advance, it should be completed in iTravel. Otherwise, Concur.
In regards to the training yesterday - when you allocate the meals based off of the number of individuals - you link to users similiar to ePay	We will be reaching out to our partners to see if there is an existing functionality to allow a list to be uploaded.
In iTravel, when the faculty submit a request, a travel coordinator will be assigned. Is this still the same process in Concur? Or the pre-trip request will only be forwarded to the approver?	It is not 1:1 with current state. Faculty (travelers) can be assign to a Travel Arranger to act on their behalf. Travel Arrangers may also wish to be assigned the Financial Previewer role to review/return the pre-trip request if travelers will be submitting the requests themselves.
Will there be penalties or additional explanation requirements for travel expense reports not reconciled within the specified timeframe (example: iTravel requires explanation for trips not processed 21 days after trip end date).	Trips should still be completed with in 21 days after the completion of the trip. T&E charges should be processed within 30 days after completion of the trip. There will be reminders regarding unreconciled expenses, however, if you are maintaining the policy of 21 days, there should be no concern.