The following are important tips to note at the time of travel advance request and travel expense settlement. Tips on work advance request and settlement will follow soon.

Travel Advance

• Fill the travel advance request in the OCS travel module and be sure to secure approval on time.
• The finance unit will receive a work flow for advance processing at the completion of the approval.
• If there is unsettled previous advance the work flow will be rejected by finance and you will receive note mentioning the same.
• Otherwise your advance will be processed and you will receive a note notifying you of the completion of the advance. (I.e. the requested amount less outstanding balance is prepared).
• Note: You are not required to submit the print out of the TA to finance.

Travel Expense

• By selecting the specific travel note in which the travel request was made in the travel module, enter the expenses incurred and save the item. If initially no travel request was completed, you are required to fill the expense only as new record.
• Don’t forget to upload the scanned copies of the original documents.
• Follow up the timely approval of the workflow.
• Submit the original supporting documents (hotel accommodation, fuel, and other receipts) to finance room number 15. You are required to write the transaction number of the travel note on the first page of the original supporting documents.
• The OCS travel module didn’t support recording of per diem brake down. Consequently you are required to fill the per diem break down in a separate excel calculator and submit the print out to finance room number 15 by writing on the top the transaction number of the travel note. (The OCS technical team is working on incorporating the per diem break down in the system).
• Finance after receiving the work flow, will look into the request and communicate you within average of 2 days in case there are missing information and documents. After the e-mail notification, if the required information and documents are not presented with in the next 3 days, the work flow will be rejected.
• If everything is in order, finance will complete the work flow within an average of 5 working days after receipt of the work flow.
• At the completion of the work flow you will receive alert through the OCS travel module.
• At this stage you will also be notified of your correct business advance balance. If you owe ILRI, please submit the balance to finance room number 15 against cash receipt. Otherwise, the balance will be transferred to your bank account with in an average of 4 days.

Important reminders from ILRI travel policy

• Please be sure to submit travel request 15 days before the trip to ensure flexibility in making travel arrangement and to obtain the lowest appropriate cost.
• All travelers must prepare a travel report within 10 days of the return to duty station. No additional travel should be approved by the supervisor until the travel report is submitted.
• Additional travel advances normally will not be provided if a travel advance remains outstanding unless the traveler must make sequential trips with less than 10 days interval.