Please note DOE Conference Approval and Travel Approval are two separate processes that must be obtained prior to making your travel arrangements. Consult with your travel administrator for guidance.
Background
In May 2012 a new policy guidance on conference travel and expenditure was released by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and implemented by the Associate Deputy Secretary of Energy. The policy looks at all conference-related activities and expenses that are sponsored or hosted by DOE (or by other Federal or non-Federal entities) where the net conference expenses to DOE, across all DOE Labs, exceed $100,000. In order to accomplish this form of accounting, all National Laboratories were asked to develop a conference reporting process to track its conference/travel expenditures.
What does this mean to us?
It is our responsibility to report conference travel costs and details to the Lab's Conference Services Department for entry into DOE's iPortal System. This determines if a specific conference exceeds or is below the $100K threshold and will or will not require special DOE approval.
What is a conference?
DOE defines a conference as "...a meeting, retreat, seminar, symposium, or event that involves attendee travel. A conference is generally organized for the purpose of facilitating a discussion or exchange of views on matters related to the mission of DOE. It also includes a certain training activity that has specific objectives identified to improve knowledge, skills, or abilities of the attendees."
Examples of "what is" or "what is not" a Conference:
| What is a Conference | What Is Not a Conference |
|---|---|
| Where the purpose of the meeting is to develop "best practices" or update others regarding developments in the DOE complex | Operational meetings such as:
|
| Training programs to improve the knowledge, skills or abilities of the attendees | Training programs held at government facilities |
| Employee participation in professional society meetings | Formal certificate programs required for your job |
| Workshops sponsored by others in which our employees attend or participate, including as speakers | Advisory committees |
| Workshops or forums at which DOE seeks to "showcase" programs to the public or provide the opportunity for an "exchange of information" or sharing of "best practices" with other entities (whether federal or non-federal) | Operational meetings in which DOE program officials meet with DOE contractors concerning particular work under a contract |
| Conducting or participating in discussions relating to work or collaboration | Conducting or performing work only - with or without others (working rather than discussing) |
| Meetings such as Advisory Committee and Federal Advisory Committee meetings, per review, objective review panel meetings, evaluation panel/board meetings, and program kick=off and review meetings (including those for grants and contracts). |
I'm planning to attend a conference what do I need to do?
Steps:
- Obtain prior approval from your supervisor to attend a conference or training
- Complete the IT Conference Approval Request Form
- Wait until you've received approval from IT Conference Reporting Point of Contact (POC) before booking your travel
Important:
You must not pay any non-refundable fees (i.e,., registration fees, airfare, hotel, etc.) before the request is either approved by DOE or you are told approval is NOT required. IT Conference Reporting POC will work with Conference Services to determine whether approvals are required for each event.
Training:
All training must be submitted for approval UNLESS either:
- It is mandatory (the supervisor has provided documentation that this training is job required) or
- It is on-line course and does not incur any travel costs.
For Training Registration Fee Guidance click here.
How will I be notified if I'm "approved"?
Generally, we are notified by Conference Services if our request(s) "does not require conference approval" 60-days prior to the start of the conference. This is considered the conference "Lock Date". At this point Conference Services determines through entries in the DOE iPortal whether or not our request(s), across the entire DOE enterprise, either exceeds or is below the $100K threshold and thus does or does not require DOE approval. Your IT Conference Reporting POC will notify you of this decision and only then can you move forward with your travel plans.
If more than 60 days prior to the event has passed and the conference has "locked" and you still haven't been notified of the decision, we can refer to the DOE "Status Known Report" to find the approval status.
*Note: You will need to log-in with your LDAP password to access the report. The reports are listed by date, so please be sure you are looking at the current dated report.
If you are notified the conference request is over the $100K threshold and require "Special" DOE approval, please be patient and wait to hear from your IT Conference Reporting POC. Do note that notification of approval from DOE can come as late as one or two weeks prior to the conference.
