Consulting Firm's Travel Policies And Perks
Mar 8, 2007, 11:14 am
#16
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: LIT
Programs: AA Plat, Marriott Plat
Posts: 169
Probably not.... I didn't list my firm's name in the post. 
Feel free to PM me though to make sure. ^
Yes, it all depends on location, industry, and what all is included in the per-diem. For me personally, the per-diem is for food only. On the West Coast, our per diem is usually $75. But where I am now, the cost of living isn't as high so it's $45. If we don't spend $45 a day, then we just keep it. It's basically included in our expense reimbursements. Regardless of whether you actually use/spend it or not. But if the "per-diem" is meant to include more than just food then it will be more (like, if it's meant for groceries/living arrangements/etc).
Regards,
Mike
Feel free to PM me though to make sure. ^ Regards,
Mike
Mar 8, 2007, 11:19 am
#17
Join Date: May 2006
Location: New York, London, Sydney
Programs: United GS/2MM, DL*P, VS*G, AA*EXP, Avis CHM, Hertz Platinum, Sixt*D, HH*D, HGP*P, Starwood*P
Posts: 9,847
Full C/J (unless client requests F, which has yet to happen to me), 4-5* hotels (have contract partners in commonly visited cities), car services, $75 per diem not including client entertainment expenses. But that's for an ibank, not a consulting firm, but same basic idea.
Mar 9, 2007, 6:41 am
#18
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 873
I don't work for a consultancy firm but have a lot of consultants working for me on various projects and from various firms (some of them mentioned in previous posts). Whenever they need to travel they have to stick to the travel policy of my company, regardless of what their own firm's tarvel policy might be.
Reasons are cost control and preventing that the consultant travels "more luxurious" and/or with better perks than a regular employee of my company would.
Consultants have to submit their travel expenses the same way as regular employees: so not to be included in the monthly bill, but through a seperate travel expense form which is processed by our finance department. Expenses are reimbursed to the traveller, not his firm.
So far this has worked without any problems.
Reasons are cost control and preventing that the consultant travels "more luxurious" and/or with better perks than a regular employee of my company would.
Consultants have to submit their travel expenses the same way as regular employees: so not to be included in the monthly bill, but through a seperate travel expense form which is processed by our finance department. Expenses are reimbursed to the traveller, not his firm.
So far this has worked without any problems.
Mar 9, 2007, 7:57 am
#19
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: LIT
Programs: AA Plat, Marriott Plat
Posts: 169
I don't work for a consultancy firm but have a lot of consultants working for me on various projects and from various firms (some of them mentioned in previous posts). Whenever they need to travel they have to stick to the travel policy of my company, regardless of what their own firm's tarvel policy might be.
Reasons are cost control and preventing that the consultant travels "more luxurious" and/or with better perks than a regular employee of my company would.
Consultants have to submit their travel expenses the same way as regular employees: so not to be included in the monthly bill, but through a seperate travel expense form which is processed by our finance department. Expenses are reimbursed to the traveller, not his firm.
So far this has worked without any problems.
Reasons are cost control and preventing that the consultant travels "more luxurious" and/or with better perks than a regular employee of my company would.
Consultants have to submit their travel expenses the same way as regular employees: so not to be included in the monthly bill, but through a seperate travel expense form which is processed by our finance department. Expenses are reimbursed to the traveller, not his firm.
So far this has worked without any problems.
Regards,
Mike
Mar 9, 2007, 8:34 am
#20
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 266
I work for a IBM Global Business Services....and while the perks arent amazing, they're sufficient (I'm also a new college grad...so having anyone pay for my hotel/meals is great. I'm guessing some of the older/more experienced consultants think otherwise).
We have to fly coach...unless the flight is like 6 hrs or longer (so international flights in business only pretty much). Per diem is the government rate per city..and we have a list of hotels that we are able to choose to book from. They are mainly all Hilton properties, that IBM has an IBM rate with. If all of these hotels are booked, or do not have the IBM rate available, then you can book anywhere, with your price point being the IBM rate of the most expensive hotel in the list for that area.
EDIT: also when booking flights, you cannot specify the airline. You give the times you want to leave and return, and the program finds the cheapest fare within a 2 hr window.
We have to fly coach...unless the flight is like 6 hrs or longer (so international flights in business only pretty much). Per diem is the government rate per city..and we have a list of hotels that we are able to choose to book from. They are mainly all Hilton properties, that IBM has an IBM rate with. If all of these hotels are booked, or do not have the IBM rate available, then you can book anywhere, with your price point being the IBM rate of the most expensive hotel in the list for that area.
EDIT: also when booking flights, you cannot specify the airline. You give the times you want to leave and return, and the program finds the cheapest fare within a 2 hr window.
Mar 9, 2007, 8:52 am
#21
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: A Browns fan (still?) working in PIT
Programs: US dirt (from CP), Marriott Rewards Gold, Hilton HHonors Diamond??, Avis First, Hertz #1 Club Gold
Posts: 346
EDIT: also when booking flights, you cannot specify the airline. You give the times you want to leave and return, and the program finds the cheapest fare within a 2 hr window.
At any rate, my weekly fare is still about 50% of the weekly fare that my colleagues pay to fly in from Florida, Texas, and California, so I'm not really bothered by the extra $20.
Mar 11, 2007, 12:00 am
#22
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Ketchikan, Alaska
Programs: GSA City-Pair; emeritus AS MVPG/UA 1K/US Plat, etc.
Posts: 2,635
I'm an independent consultant (dba Full Course Communications) for a professional sports car racing team, reporting directly to the team owner and team manager.
1. I stay in the same hotel as the team, generally a Hampton Inn-class establishment. Some races, like Mexico City, get five-star joints. I also generally share a room with a teammate. (So does everybody, except my bosses.)
2. I book discount coach airfare, with flight timing/routing/airline at my discretion, within reason. Essentially, I try to be no more expensive than the rest of the team, with exceptions (team's in Dallas, I'm in SF, so sometimes flights are just going to be more...) Upgrades are at my discretion and my expense.
4. I generally take airport shuttles to/from the airport, which are expensed to the team.
5. I get a $35-per-day cash per diem when I'm on-site, which is almost always more than enough. At least two meals a day are provided at the track, sometimes three, and when I eat with the owner, he picks up the tab. Anything I don't spend, is mine to keep.
6. I keep all frequent-flyer miles as a perk of the job.
7. Reasonable business expenses (newspapers, Internet access, etc.) are also expensed.
1. I stay in the same hotel as the team, generally a Hampton Inn-class establishment. Some races, like Mexico City, get five-star joints. I also generally share a room with a teammate. (So does everybody, except my bosses.)
2. I book discount coach airfare, with flight timing/routing/airline at my discretion, within reason. Essentially, I try to be no more expensive than the rest of the team, with exceptions (team's in Dallas, I'm in SF, so sometimes flights are just going to be more...) Upgrades are at my discretion and my expense.
4. I generally take airport shuttles to/from the airport, which are expensed to the team.
5. I get a $35-per-day cash per diem when I'm on-site, which is almost always more than enough. At least two meals a day are provided at the track, sometimes three, and when I eat with the owner, he picks up the tab. Anything I don't spend, is mine to keep.
6. I keep all frequent-flyer miles as a perk of the job.
7. Reasonable business expenses (newspapers, Internet access, etc.) are also expensed.
Last edited by FCYTravis; Mar 11, 2007 at 1:04 am
Mar 11, 2007, 4:34 am
#23
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Dumaguete/Philippines
Programs: PPS Krisflyer, Miles and More
Posts: 59
I used to work for Boston Consulting Group in Switzerland and they were very generous. Although, I was the one booking the trips, not taking them 
It depended on the position of the travelling consultant. But business class was normal, first only for partners (and their wives, what surprised me sometimes a bit...hell, why??). Wives of partners were usually a bit of a pain in the a$$ (sorry, just telling the truth). They were never satisfied with anything, did not matter if it concerned hotelrooms or airlines or seats on the airplane or whatever...
It depended on the position of the travelling consultant. But business class was normal, first only for partners (and their wives, what surprised me sometimes a bit...hell, why??). Wives of partners were usually a bit of a pain in the a$$ (sorry, just telling the truth). They were never satisfied with anything, did not matter if it concerned hotelrooms or airlines or seats on the airplane or whatever...
Mar 11, 2007, 7:00 am
#24
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: DCA
Programs: AMC MovieWatcher, Giant BonusCard, Petco PALS Card, Silver Diner Blue Plate Club
Posts: 22,297
The non-alcoholic thing always strikes me. I could care less what an employee drinks, it's the cost I care about not the ingredients.
Mar 11, 2007, 8:35 am
#25
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 1999
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 15,351
Excluding alcoholic beverages from expensed items is quite puritanic.....and idiotic.
Mar 11, 2007, 12:38 pm
#26
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: DCA
Programs: AMC MovieWatcher, Giant BonusCard, Petco PALS Card, Silver Diner Blue Plate Club
Posts: 22,297
Agreed, and I say that as the person with final authority where I work for what we pay out on and what we don't.
I had a supervisor want me to back them up on denying a meal reimbursement because it included 3 beers. Now, we're pretty cheap in some ways... if it's just employees / no outside folks, so the meal is just sustenance then we consider $25 reasonable and over $35 will get flagged. (What we'll reimburse though is always context dependent -- if there's a reason to justify the expense, there really is no cap at all.) But for the sustenance meal for an employee on the road, we don't have nutrition guidelines. Guiness drinks like a meal, and as long as you're not pounding down several of those and then driving a rental car that's being billed to the company... (And you show up to perform - of course - if drinking interferes with work then it's an issue.)
There are things we won't reimburse, of course. Anything that's illegal isn't reimbursable (use your own disposable income for that, and don't consume it on company time, on company property, or in company-rented facilities)...
But as long as alcohol is legal and you aren't going overboard on total expense, it's fine. (This is an issue our auditors actually flagged for me one year, they were like 'does your policy really allow this?' and I told them where they could go.)
I had a supervisor want me to back them up on denying a meal reimbursement because it included 3 beers. Now, we're pretty cheap in some ways... if it's just employees / no outside folks, so the meal is just sustenance then we consider $25 reasonable and over $35 will get flagged. (What we'll reimburse though is always context dependent -- if there's a reason to justify the expense, there really is no cap at all.) But for the sustenance meal for an employee on the road, we don't have nutrition guidelines. Guiness drinks like a meal, and as long as you're not pounding down several of those and then driving a rental car that's being billed to the company... (And you show up to perform - of course - if drinking interferes with work then it's an issue.)
There are things we won't reimburse, of course. Anything that's illegal isn't reimbursable (use your own disposable income for that, and don't consume it on company time, on company property, or in company-rented facilities)...
But as long as alcohol is legal and you aren't going overboard on total expense, it's fine. (This is an issue our auditors actually flagged for me one year, they were like 'does your policy really allow this?' and I told them where they could go.)
Mar 11, 2007, 6:23 pm
#27
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 1,471
I work for one of the above listed firms (but privacy concerns keep me from naming it specifically on a public forum. If you guess it, please don't post it here but feel free to PM me.)
I am not a consultant. But the basic rules are:
1. Stay in a hotel close to where you need to be, typically 4 star hotels, specifically if you don't have a rental car. (I've had to stay in the occasional Ritz-Carlton)
2. Coach class airfare at the lowest fare class, UNLESS you are flying international on a 7 hour + flight, in which case you book business class.
3. Park in a safe, conveniant place at the airport. No need to save the $5 and park at an off-site lot.
4. Take the safest and / or most cost effective travel to your hotel. Like for Chicago, I usually take the train in from MDW UNLESS I land at night, in which case I take a cab. From LGA in NYC, I take a car service.
5. When traveling WITH the client, travel as they do. If they are staying in a two star hotel, you do. If they are flying first class, you fly coach.
Unless they state it.
6. Decent meal policy, around $35 a day, unless you are a manager then it is actual cost. I've NEVER had an issue though, and I am not a manager. They recognize that things cost more sometimes.
7. Frequent flyer and hotel points are all mine.
8. Ability to expense snacks, non-alcoholic drinks, newspapers, tips, (all within reason...) We used to get a set amount to cover it all.
I am not a consultant. But the basic rules are:
1. Stay in a hotel close to where you need to be, typically 4 star hotels, specifically if you don't have a rental car. (I've had to stay in the occasional Ritz-Carlton)
2. Coach class airfare at the lowest fare class, UNLESS you are flying international on a 7 hour + flight, in which case you book business class.
3. Park in a safe, conveniant place at the airport. No need to save the $5 and park at an off-site lot.
4. Take the safest and / or most cost effective travel to your hotel. Like for Chicago, I usually take the train in from MDW UNLESS I land at night, in which case I take a cab. From LGA in NYC, I take a car service.
5. When traveling WITH the client, travel as they do. If they are staying in a two star hotel, you do. If they are flying first class, you fly coach.
Unless they state it.6. Decent meal policy, around $35 a day, unless you are a manager then it is actual cost. I've NEVER had an issue though, and I am not a manager. They recognize that things cost more sometimes.
7. Frequent flyer and hotel points are all mine.
8. Ability to expense snacks, non-alcoholic drinks, newspapers, tips, (all within reason...) We used to get a set amount to cover it all.
Mar 11, 2007, 8:12 pm
#28
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: California
Programs: AS,WN,UA,B6,hotels
Posts: 4,239
A sensible flight chooser ought to favor fewer connections, due to increased travel time (consultant's time is either money charged to the client, or time that the consultant can rest / relax, which can make the consultant happier and more productive). Since removing a connection saves about 2 hours of travel time, a flight with an extra connection should be given a 2 * hourly rate penalty (or larger if the actual additional travel time is larger than 2 hours) by a sensible flight chooser, and connections through high risk airports like ORD should be given an additional penalty.
Last edited by tjl; Mar 11, 2007 at 8:20 pm
Mar 11, 2007, 8:32 pm
#29
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: DFW
Programs: Non-Affiliated
Posts: 7,430
Frequently when my co-workers are ordering $20+ entrees at dinner, I'm having a $7 sandwich (it's, quite frankly, my preference). Even with a beer or two, I'm coming in quite a bit less than the entree-with-water person.
Excluding alcoholic beverages from expensed items is quite puritanic.....and idiotic.
Excluding alcoholic beverages from expensed items is quite puritanic.....and idiotic.
Since we don't have to turn in the itemized receipt (just the actual credit card slip with the total), no one is the wiser if you have a few beers with a cheap dinner or what not.
Not that I'D ever do that... at every Chili's Too across the country...
Mar 11, 2007, 10:50 pm
#30
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 266
Does the program have some "reasonableness"? I.e. will it choose the non-stop flight that costs $5 more than the flight with a 45 minute connection at ORD on a day when a snowstorm is about to hit? Or do you have to manipulate it to avoid it giving you a likely multihour delay / misconnection / cancellation to save $5?
A sensible flight chooser ought to favor fewer connections, due to increased travel time (consultant's time is either money charged to the client, or time that the consultant can rest / relax, which can make the consultant happier and more productive). Since removing a connection saves about 2 hours of travel time, a flight with an extra connection should be given a 2 * hourly rate penalty (or larger if the actual additional travel time is larger than 2 hours) by a sensible flight chooser, and connections through high risk airports like ORD should be given an additional penalty.
A sensible flight chooser ought to favor fewer connections, due to increased travel time (consultant's time is either money charged to the client, or time that the consultant can rest / relax, which can make the consultant happier and more productive). Since removing a connection saves about 2 hours of travel time, a flight with an extra connection should be given a 2 * hourly rate penalty (or larger if the actual additional travel time is larger than 2 hours) by a sensible flight chooser, and connections through high risk airports like ORD should be given an additional penalty.
The cheapest flights are always direct for me....so I've never had this issue. If it were the case for me, I'd email my manager and explain the situation.