Sponsored travel is travel usually to a customer site that is sponsored by the customer or entity usually though contractual services such as statements of work. Sponsored travel is billable to the customer or entity for paid services.
Travelers are expected to choose lodging that meets the traveler's schedule and business needs. Receipts are required for all lodging.
Domestic or International Lodging
Departments will reimburse travelers for actual expenses up to 100% of the lodging rate for the destination city, as referenced on the US Government General Services Administration (GSA) website for domestic lodging and the U.S. Department of State website for international lodging.
GitLab recognizes there could be some situations where a lodging rate falls outside of GitLab's guidelines. The traveler must obtain pre-approval from the appropriate authorized approver through a NexTravel account. Out of policy lodging must be booked and approved through NexTravel. If the traveler does not obtain prior approval, the department may limit the reimbursement to the GSA per diem rate.
Unless specifically requested by the customer in the SoW, travelers on billable travel are reimbursed the per diem rate for travel-related meal expenses for their travel destination. Receipts are not required (under any circumstances) for reimbursement of travel meals using per diem rates.
The M&IE rates include:
Travelers may put in a separate expense request for meals that are not billable such as a GitLab-sponsored customer lunch or dinner.
First & Last Day of Travel
First and last day of travel will be reimbursed.
Departure day – the day you leave your home or office.
Return day – the day you return to your home or office.
Incidentals
Travelers may include the daily incidental amount when determining the maximum M&IE rates. Gratuities for baggage carriers, porters, hotel staff (bellhops and house cleaners), and staff on ships, as well as ATM fees, bank fees, and check cashing fees are included in the daily incidental amount. Laundry expenses are included in the daily incidental amount for international travelers. Travelers should not request reimbursement for any of these items.
Travelers may request reimbursement for laundry for domestic travel lasting seven (7) or more consecutive days.
Meal breakdown for International M&IE rates
Rates can be found on the U.S. Department of State M&IE Rates web page.
Planning flights far in advance can help you get cheaper fares when booking. For example, you can set alerts when there is a significant drop in price for your travel destination.
This is the policy for estimating pricing on sponsored travel for contracts.
Use the per diem rates multiplied by the days on site, as well as your two travel days.
Estimate the airfare and car rental prices by using the search sites and choosing a mid cost flight/rental. Consider the starting location of the employee projected to go.
If it is required to have a fixed contract price for sponsored travel, estimate the cost of other billable expenses such as parking, tolls, transportation to and from airport, internet services in hotel or flights, and other expenses that might be necessary to complete the contract successfully.
