This posting will be a discussion of the different resources used for auditing a travel document.
The EGOV Travel application and the accounting system are the primary sources for retrieving the document for audit. The EGOV Travel application houses all documentation regarding the travel including the required receipts. The EGOV Travel documentation is compared to the accounting system to ensure that the two systems are in sync.
Many internet resources are used to confirm that the information in the travel document conforms to federal travel regulations. Some web sites, such as Sabre’s “Virtually There”, can be utilized to obtain valuable information regarding the individual’s travel such as itinerary information and eInvoice. A key item that is focused on during an audit is ensuring that a government contract carrier was used for the travel. The General Services Administration supports an internet site that is used to query Airline City Pairs in order to determine if a contract carrier was used.
Foreign travel can sometimes increase the complexity of an audit due to the traveler often traveling to several per diem locations and the currency conversions involved. Determining the appropriate currency code can be challenging with so many different currencies, but several web sites exist to assist with identifying the appropriate currency classification. The following website is a good resource for determining the currency code for a country: http://www.jhall.demon.co.uk/currency/by_country.html
Upon determining the currency code, the following website can be used to convert the currency to U.S. dollars: http://www.oanda.com/convert/classic
The OANDA site will calculate the exchange rate for any date, which makes this a very effective currency converter for post payment audits. Through the use of internet resources, the post payment audit process is very effective.
by Grant Brown
“The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect any position of the Government or my agency.”