For Onsite Reviews
Preliminary Logistics Email
Once you are confirmed as a faculty evaluator for a specific review—about one month before the review—you will receive a preliminary logistics email with specific information about your trip, including budget codes, the closest airport, and hotel reservations. Please do not make any travel arrangements until you receive this logistics email.
Flight Arrangements
ACE uses the travel agency Travel Leaders Corporate to coordinate flight arrangements. You can reach them by calling 1-800-249-4041. You will be asked to provide the budget code sent to you in the logistics email. ACE will be billed directly for your flight. ACE will not pay for any travel that is not arranged through Travel Leaders Corporate. If you are bringing someone with you, you may not book their travel through Travel Leaders Corporate.
Air travel must be coach or economy class. Your flight costs should not exceed $750. If your flight costs are more than $750, please obtain approval from your ACE staff contact before booking and confirming.
Ground Transportation
Unless you receive specific instructions from ACE staff, do not rent a car.
Submit Estimated Travel Expenses in Advance
All estimated travel expenses must be emailed in advance for planning and budgeting purposes. Any changes to a confirmed itinerary must be pre-approved by ACE staff. ACE will not pay for flight change fees, except in cases of emergency.
Driving to an Evaluation
If you want to drive, rather than fly, you must get approval from ACE staff. The cost of auto travel must not exceed the cost of airfare. Auto travel is reimbursed at a rate of $0.67 per mile (effective January 1, 2024), plus tolls and parking.
Final Logistics Email
You will receive a final logistics email a few days before the review. This email will include details on arrivals and departures, the agenda, team information, and any other expectations. Please review the attached documents for accuracy and report any errors.
Policy Update
ACE Learning Evaluations works within the parameters of strict government contracts and cost agreements with outside organizations. The logistics email authorizes the specifically defined scope of work, including budget and travel expectations. Any travel outside the scope of logistics must be
itemized, justified, and approved in writing
before anything is booked or confirmed. We appreciate your support and commitment to the ACE review process and logistics expectations.
Per Diem Allowance
Evaluators receive a per diem allowance while on travel, so you do not need to collect receipts for meals and incidentals. Incidentals are defined as taxes, service charges, and shuttle/taxi tips.
The per diem allowance is a federal rate that is determined by the location of the review. On travel days, you will receive 75 percent of the per diem allowance. This information will be included in your logistics email. If the host provides a meal, your per diem allowance will be reduced for the meal(s) furnished to you. The meal per diem allowance is only provided for travel lasting more than 12 hours.
Please collect receipts for parking, hotel accommodations, taxis, rental cars, and baggage fees. ACE does not reimburse for mini-bar charges, movie rentals, hotel room tips, or other personal entertainment expenses.
Travel Reimbursement Forms
You must complete and submit your travel reimbursement forms within seven days after the review or you may not be reimbursed. The forms are:
Completing the Travel Expense Report
The travel expense report is an Excel file with two worksheets. Here are instructions to help you complete the report:
- Fill out the form, except for the areas in gray—we will complete those for you.
- Fill out the second sheet first (the itemized report of expenses), and it will automatically total your expenses and fill in the totals on the first sheet.
- Please remember to sign the front page and attach receipts for taxis, parking, rental car, baggage fees, and hotel. If you do not have a receipt, please attach an explanation.
- Enter the entire daily hotel cost in the lodging column.
- Driving a personal vehicle is reimbursed at a rate of $0.625 per mile (effective July 1, 2022) and must have been pre-approved. See Driving to an Evaluation for more details.
- If your reimbursement includes mileage, please submit a PDF of MapQuest, Google, or Yahoo maps to document the distance you traveled.
- If a friend or family member drove you to the airport, you may claim only the mileage for a one-way trip on your reimbursement form.
Submitting Forms
Submit completed forms within seven days to Jamie Marcus by email at jfmarcus@acenet.edu, or by fax at 202-217-2576.