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  1. Finance Department
  2. Policies and procedures
  3. Expenses policy

Expenses policy

(Including travel, accommodation, subsistence and other expenses)

The QMUL expenses policy has been revised and was approved by Council in November 2018.  This policy sets out the rules for claiming and incurring travel, accommodation, subsistence and other expenses.  The policy applies to all staff of the University, its subsidiary undertakings and any persons on QMUL business.

The key changes in the policy include:

  • Accommodation

    QMUL does not approve the use of AirBnB, or similar, as QMUL cannot guarantee meeting its Duty of Care requirements to ensure the travellers safety in this type of accommodation.  It is, for instance, unknown if the party offering the accommodation holds relevant insurances and the accommodation may not have been assessed for fire safety, building or wiring codes or have appropriate fire alarms, exits etc.  AirBnB are not liable in the event of death or personal injury. (Please see section 4 of the policy for full details).

    (Please note: We will honour any AirBnB booking made prior to Wednesday 19 June 2019)

  • Hospitality and Business Entertainment

QMUL permits members of staff to provide meals and refreshments as hospitality to colleagues from an external organisation involved in collaborative official business (refer policy 7.1).  Business entertainment is also permitted (to foster goodwill and enhance business relationships between the university and a customer, academic or business partner) but a maximum of £40 per head is permitted, including drinks, unless prior written approval by the Head of School. (Please see section 7.2 – 7.15 of the policy for full details).

  • Annual Parties and One-off Events

QMUL will only provide funding of up to £15 a head for each member of staff employed in the department who is attending and for one annual departmental event. (Please see section 8 of the policy for full details).

Please find below a link to the expenses policy:

Expenses-Policy.pdf (qmul.ac.uk)

How to book accommodation through Key Travel

QMUL’s contracted Travel Management Company, Key Travel, provides access to competitive and fit for purpose accommodation via a user-friendly web-based booking portal, which allows users to browse and filter results. There are no booking fees when using the online system to book accommodation.  Pricing has recently been updated on the system and for transparency these are published here  Key Travel booking fees - June 2019 [DOC 15KB]

To book travel and accommodation please go to: https://www.keytravel.com/uk

Booking Travel via the Key Travel online portal QMUL quick card [PDF 1,938KB]

Any member of staff who has previously booked flights or accommodation through Key Travel (via online or phone) will already have an account established with your QMUL email address.  Even if you did not make the previous booking online you can simply access the password for your account via the “forgotten password” link.

For all new users please contact the Key Travel team to activate your account via mail at qmul@keytravel.com

Some of the benefits for using this system and points to note:

  • Accommodation is pulled directly from: Expedia; Booking.com; Travel lodge; Premier Inn and other providers
  • It contains a wide range of accommodation from youth hostels to hotels
  • There are no Key Travel fees for booking hotels on line {booking fees for flights £3 & rail £1}
  • Best prices and choice of accommodation are obtained the further in advance the booking is made
  • A purchase order will be required to confirm the booking, however the itinerary can be shared with a local administrator to generate the PO and include on the booking.
  • There are no out of pocket expenses for individuals – Key Travel will send an invoice directly to the QMUL finance to settle
  • Travel itineraries can be built up by adding flights; accommodation and train travel to the basket and checking out in one booking
  • The online tool is very intuitive, and full training notes and videos are available in the Online Academy Learning section of the Key Travel website. For ease the full user guide can be found here:
  • The site includes: star ratings; links to Trip Advisor reviews; maps of the locations and the facilities. Full flexibility to filter the travel options.

The Key Travel online system can also be used to book flights, trains, Eurostar in addition to accommodation and procurement have recently renegotiated the booking fees on these services as well as features including:

  • Price Match Guarantee
  • Out of Hours Emergency Service
  • Traveller well-being and Duty of Care Assurance
  • Dedicated Bookings Team
  • A wide range of Support and Training available from Key Travel

For more information or clarification about:

-  The expenses policy please contact Janice Trounson, Deputy Director of Finance, Financial Control, j.trounson@qmul.ac.uk

-  The Key Travel contract services please contact Bahar Shahin, Head of Procurement, b.shahin@qmul.ac.uk

 

 

 

 

 

 

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