[Minor revision–posted 12/15/21 (replaces 3/4/14 edition)]
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Operating Policy and Procedure

OP 79.10: Travel by Prospective Employees

DATE: December 15, 2021

PURPOSE: The purpose of this Operating Policy/Procedure (OP) is to set forth the policies and procedures governing the reimbursement of travel expenses of prospective employees.

REVIEW: This OP will be reviewed in November of odd-numbered years by the Section Manager of Travel Services with substantive revisions forwarded through the Chief Procurement Officer to the Senior Vice President for Administration & Finance and Chief Financial Officer.

POLICY/PROCEDURE

1.  Definition and Scope

A prospective employee is an individual being considered for employment by Texas Tech University (TTU). This includes employees at other state agencies being considered for employment at TTU. This policy governs the reimbursement of travel expenses incurred by the individual visiting TTU for the purpose of being interviewed and evaluated for employment.

2.  Reimbursement for Travel Expenses

a.    Prospective employees are to be reimbursed in the same manner as TTU employees except that they may not receive a travel advance.

b.    Airfare for a prospective employee may be requested with the transportation request (TR) as part of an online travel application (see OPs 79.04, Application for Official Travel, and 79.06, Transportation Requests).

c.    Prospective employees are not exempt from hotel occupancy taxes, so all taxes paid should be entered when completing the travel voucher.

d.    Prospective employees will be expected to follow the same travel guidelines as TTU employees, including the amount of travel allowances and submission of a travel voucher with the required documentation (see OP 79.08, Reimbursement of Travel Expenses). This also includes the guidelines on international travel to TTU by a candidate from a country outside the U.S. and its possessions, Canada, or Mexico (see OP 79.05, International Travel).

e.    Reimbursement for travel expenses will be forwarded to Travel Services after the recruitment visit.

3.  Travel Expenses for Spouse/Family

Travel expenses for the spouse and/or family of a prospective employee are allowed only on institutional funds and should be submitted through TechBuy. House-hunting trips and other nonbusiness-related expenses are taxable reimbursements. Refer to OP 72.10, Payments for Employee Moving Expenses, for additional information regarding moving expenses.

4.  Lodging

A department may either reimburse the prospective employee (at the completion of their recruitment visit) or process a guest lodging purchase order through TechBuy to reserve and pay for individual hotel rooms with certain Lubbock/Amarillo area hotels for prospective employees. Guest lodging guidelines are available at http://www.depts.ttu.edu/procurement/resources/how-to-guides/

Only official travel expenses may be direct-billed. These expenses include lodging, all taxes, food charges, and local telephone calls made for official business purposes. Long-distance telephone calls are not reimbursable for prospective employees. The prospective employee should be informed in advance to pay all non-reimbursable expenses upon checkout.

OP Categories

01 Chancellor
02 Development
04 Audit Services
10 President
30 Academic and Student Affairs – General
32 Academic Policies – Faculty
34 Academic Policies – Students
36 Academic Programs
40 Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action
48 Communication Services
52 Information Technology
60 Environmental Health and Safety
61 Facilities Management
62 Financial and Accounting
63 General Services
64 Graduate Programs (Faculty and Students)
65 Research Accounting
66 Libraries
67 Mail Services
68 Communications and Marketing
69 Payroll and Tax Services
70 Human Resources
72 Purchasing, Contracting, and Payables
74 Research
76 Security
77 Student Services and Registrar
78 Traffic and Parking
79 Travel
80 Vehicles