ICASS TDY Policy

General

This instruction establishes the procedures by which personnel traveling to Mission Vietnam on temporary duty (TDY) will be charged for administrative support services under the ICASS system.  

Basic Principles

In accordance with general ICASS principles:

• Administrative support services, to the maximum extent possible, will be charged directly to the agency of the TDY visitor (Cost of goods procured, equipment rental, telephone charges, in-country travel expenses, etc.).

• Indirect charges that can be identified should be directly charged to the appropriate agency (Basic Package, CLO, Health Services, etc.).

Mission Vietnam is implementing a TDY policy that identifies costs associated with these indirect administrative support charges and that provides for issuance of a TDY invoice. 
 
However, the following criteria must be met before the Embassy will begin to assess non-direct ICASS charges for a TDY visitor:

• The TDY period must exceed 30 calendar days.
  • ICASS considers support for short-term TDYs as part of the basic overseas administrative platform, which is funded within the traditional bureau ICASS target levels.
  • Post's built-in TDY base is expected to support TDYers during this period.
  • Post will absorb the first thirty days of support for any TDY.
• Total ICASS charges for administrative support services for the TDY visitor(s) must exceed $2,500.
• The ICASS invoice can only begin picking up charges on the 31st day.  Agencies will not be charged for the first 30 days of their TDY'er.
• Staggering TDYs to avoid charges is not allowed.  For example, if an agency schedules two 45-day TDYs for the same purpose, Mission Vietnam will consider it one long-term TDY for ninety days.
• TDYs of 180 days or more will be counted as a full count under that Agency's ICASS cost center workload count, unless the count was not picked up during the annual workload count survey.  In this case, a TDY invoice will be issued.
• TDYers cannot be charged for motorpool usage because Hanoi is an ICASS Lite Post--motorpool usage at a lite post is included in the GSO cost center, which charges based on per capita.

Non-Applicability

This policy does not apply to the following categories of visitors to Post:

• The President, First Lady, Vice President and spouse, members of Congress, Supreme Court Justices and Cabinet members
• TDY visitors, regardless of agency, who are filling vacant positions or staffing gaps
• TDY visitors, regardless of agency, who are providing post-to-post assistance (i.e., those sent from one overseas post to another to provide temporary support/assistance
• TDY visitors, who are providing support for ICASS administrative support services

Direct Charges. After prior consultation with the sponsoring agency, the service provider providing support services to the TDY visitor will apply the charges directly to the individual's fiscal data, using this data for all procurement documents.  Examples of things Post will direct charge include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• Overtime incurred in support of an agency, individual TDYer or TDY group
  • Driving services - mileage
  • Vehicle rental
• Cell phone rentals and costs of actual calls
• Official in-country travel expenses
• Airline fees
• Office Supplies
• Cost of goods procured
• After hours or contract expediter services

Requirement for Fiscal Data: Communicating Costs through the Country Clearance Cable         
 
All TDY visitors that fall under the provisions of this TDY policy must provide fiscal data either on or before arrival. In the cable granting country clearance for the TDY visitor, the section/agency drafting the cable must include the language found at the end of this policy. All country clearance cables for TDY visitors need to include the Financial Management Officer (FMO) on distribution.
 
Country clearance approval is not automatically linked to ICASS TDY support services payment agreement; however, if a sponsoring agency does not agree to pay for these requested services, the clearance can be denied as determined by the Chief of Mission. Contractors/grantees are not normally involved in the country clearance process. Payment methods for services provided to them should be arranged with the sponsoring agency before their arrival at post. 

Procedures

1.  TDY visitor with Sponsoring Agency at Post

Other (Non-Direct) Charges. Sponsoring agencies, to the maximum extend possible, will alert the FMO as soon as possible:

• When a projected incoming TDY visitor's stay will exceed thirty days.
• When a current TDY visitor that was initially projected to be less than thirty days will exceed thirty days. 

The offices providing administrative support services will ensure that workload counts reflect the presence of the long-term TDY visitor. The FMO will prepare a TDY invoice to reflect the per person workload counts for ICASS cost centers; for example, Basic Package, CLO, Health Services, and other applicable cost centers.
 
The FMO will, in turn, make the determination of whether the costs will exceed the threshold of $2,500 and if an invoice should be sent to the ICASS Service Center. The invoice for the charges listed above will be sent to the ICASS Service Center for processing each quarter and for the last quarter not later than August 15th; any workload counts collected after August 15th will be included in that agency's next fiscal year totals.

2. TDY visitor without a Sponsoring Agency at Post
 
Other (Non-Direct) Charges. As outlined in the country clearance cable language, the Sponsoring Agency must provide prior written confirmation that the agency will pay ICASS charges for the long-term TDY visit and also provide the agency's ICASS billing code. This confirmation must also stipulate who can sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).  If the TDY period is longer than 31 days, an MOU will be developed and estimated workload counts will be developed.   FMO will advise all ICASS service providers once a TDY visit exceeds 30 days and workload counts need to be collected. Service providers will ensure that workload counts reflect the presence of the long term TDY visitor. The FMO will, in turn, make the determination of whether the costs will exceed the threshold of $2,500 and charges should be made.
 
3. Charging for ICASS Support through TDY Module - Sponsoring Agency at Post
 
There are two types of costs connected with TDYers in this category: per capita and transaction-based. Each is managed differently. Per capita costs will be recovered in the current fiscal year using the TDY module and are a non-recurring addition to the post ICASS funds. Transaction-based costs are recovered through the workload counts in the following fiscal year as part of the ICASS invoicing process.
 
a. Per Capita Based Services--these will be included in the TDY invoice.
 
These are costs that can be recovered in the current fiscal year by using the TDY module. The length of stay is the criteria for determining per capita charges for TDY. For short term TDYers (0-30 days), support that cannot be direct charged will be absorbed by post. For long-term TDYers (more than 30 days), FMC will prepare a TDY invoice and charge the sponsoring agency's billing code when the cumulative amount billed to the agency billing code exceeds $2,500.
 
Some of the per capita services that can be charged to TDYers are: Basic Package, CLO, Health Services, Financial Management Services, etc.  No agency modifications are allowed for the TDY module as it already excludes costs for American salaries, local guard program, and leases. The per capita services listed do not exactly or only partially match those services that a TDYer might or might not use. However, it is believed that this ambiguity is an acceptable tradeoff for a more complicated tracking system.
 
b. Transaction-Based Services-- these will not be included in the TDY invoice.
 
Costs for transaction-based cost centers are recovered for all TDYers, regardless of length of stay. The service performed has an associated count for the TDYer and is counted towards the sponsoring agency's cumulative workload count. Using the workload counts, the costs of the service are recovered on a cost distribution basis in the following fiscal year as part of the ICASS invoicing process. Vouchering, cashiering, and direct motor pool are examples of cost centers where workload counts are based on actual transactions.
 
4. Charging TDYers for Support Through the TDY Module - Sponsoring Agency is Not at Post
 
Post will communicate, through the country clearance cable, that the sponsoring agency must agree to sign up for (sign an MOU) ICASS services.
 
Post will bill agencies in the same manner as above and will prepare an invoice for both per capita and transaction-based services. The cumulative TDY invoice for the sponsoring agency has to exceed $2,500 worth of services in order to be submitted to Washington.
 
5. Processing a TDY Invoice
 
After verifying that the invoice has been signed and authorized for payment, the ISC will recommend an increase to the post ICASS allowance in the next set of allotment recommendations.
 
Funds issued in support of TDY invoices have no impact on the approved post targets and are separate and distinct from all authorized funding levels.
 
The ISC will bill all agency headquarters for TDY support costs prior to the close of the fiscal year.
 
Post wishes to remind all TDY invoice authorizers that it is their responsibility to inform their headquarters of the financial obligation pertaining to the signed invoice.  Additionally, the signed TDY invoice reflects the commitment for the agency to pay and represents a valid document for billing purposes.
 
6. Charging TDYers in Need of Extraordinary Support Requirements
 
Post may experience extraordinary and unanticipated circumstances that can result in a rapid influx of TDY personnel.  Extraordinary events are normally considered "catastrophic in nature."  Examples would be civil war, major humanitarian crises, terrorist incidents, and natural disasters.
 
If Post is in extraordinary circumstances and cannot invoice sponsoring TDY agencies, it will contact EAP/EX.  A process for invoicing agencies at these posts will be facilitated at the Washington level using the post ICASS software. 

Country Clearance Language

 
The following language will be included in Country Clearance Cables:
 
Action Request: Each visitor, regardless of length of stay, must provide fiscal data to pay for the direct costs of the visit. Each agency, organization, or visiting delegation will be charged for the actual costs attributed to their visit. Direct charge costs include, but are not limited to the following: American and LES staff overtime (e.g., expediter, accommodation exchange, representational event support); field travel lodging and M&IE by Embassy employees; vehicle rentals, long distance calls, equipment rentals, and office supplies; and all other costs that are directly attributable to the visit.
 
For TDYers staying more than thirty days, there is a charge for ICASS support services. If your sponsoring agency is not signed up for ICASS services at post, please be prepared to sign a communication, generated by the traveler's headquarters, that (1) confirms the agency will pay ICASS charges for the TDYer, (2) provides the agency ICASS billing code the TDY support charges should be applied to, and (3) authorizes the traveler to sign the ICASS invoice generated by the TDY module.
 
Where travel is urgent, the TDYer should bring this documentation with him/her to ensure there are no interruptions in the provision of services. Post will not provide any service to a TDYer staying in excess of thirty days without implementation of this documentation before day 31 of the TDY. 

Questions

Any questions regarding Mission Vietnam's TDY policy should be directed to Management Officer Gregory Stanford or FMO Chuck Bullington.