University Meals Policy

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to provide information and guidance relating to meals paid for by the University with public funds. Meals are classified as special meals or conference meals. The department head and director of purchasing and property control must approve, in advance, all meals described in this policy.

Special Meals

State of Louisiana Travel Regulations, PPM 49, §1506 contains provisions that recognize and regulate special meals. Special meals should be extraordinary in nature, reasonable, and must be in the best interest of the University. Only meals classified and described below qualify:

1. Meals for visiting dignitaries or executive-level persons from other governmental units, and persons providing identified gratuity services to the state. This explicitly does not include normal visits, meetings, reviews, etc., by federal or local representatives;
2. Meals for extraordinary situations in which state employees are required by their supervisor to work more than a 12-hour weekday or six hours on a weekend (when such are not normal working hours to meet crucial deadlines or to handle emergencies); and
3. Meals authorized by a department head within allowable rates per PPM 49 to be served in conjunction with a working meeting or activity of department staff.

All special meals must have prior written approval from the director of purchasing and property control. Special meals not approved in advance by the director of purchasing and property control will not be reimbursed by the University. Petty cash funds may not be used as a source of reimbursement for special meals.

To request a special meal, the Special Meals Request Form must be completed and submitted to the Office of Purchasing and Property Control for approval. Incomplete or late requests will be returned without action. The request should provide the following information:

1. Name and title of the person requesting the special meal;
2. Anticipated date of the special meal;
3. Estimated cost of the special meal; and
4. Explanation as to why the special meal is in the best interest of the state.

After the special meal has been provided, and to receive reimbursement, the lower portion of the form must be completed and submitted to the Office of Administrative Accounting. The form must include the following information:

1. Actual cost of the special meal; and
2. Actual number of participants who received the special meal.

An original invoice/receipt supporting the purchase and a roster of participants and their titles must be attached.

A purchase requisition should be entered into Banner when the form is submitted to the Office of Administrative Accounting. The purchase requisition number should be indicated as required by the form.

The Office of Administrative Accounting will submit completed forms to the Office of Purchasing and Property Control for reporting purposes. All special meals will be reported by the director of purchasing and property control to the University of Louisiana System on a semi-annual basis.

Conference Meals

State of Louisiana Travel Regulations, PPM 49, §1508, contains provisions that recognize and regulate University-hosted conference meals. These regulations require adherence to the procurement laws, attendee sheets, certain advance approvals, and set maximum meal cost amounts. Please refer to PPM 49, §1508 or contact the Office of Purchasing and Property Control for more detailed information.

Communication

This policy is distributed via the University Policies webpage.