Institute Budget Preparation Authority and Amendments

Type of Policy
Administrative
Last Revised:
Review Date:
Policy Owner
Budget, Planning and Administration
Contact Name
Jamie Fernandes
Contact Title
Executive Director
Contact Email
jamie.fernandes@business.gatech.edu
Reason for Policy

The purpose of this policy is to define the Institute’s basic budget preparation and management requirements, which are governed by the University System of Georgia. The Georgia Tech Budget Office (Office of Institute Budget Planning and Administration) manages the budget process under the direction of the President and the Executive Vice President for Administration and Finance. The office’s functions are to plan, prepare, maintain, monitor, and report on all institutional budgets at Georgia Tech according to established institutional and University System of Georgia (USG) policies.

The Georgia Tech budget presents the priorities of the Institute in terms of dollars and services provided. The Institute establishes an annual operating budget and a capital budget, which span the state-established fiscal year of July 1 through June 30.

  • The operating budget contains funding for recurring programs such as instruction, research, public service, and support services. The operating budget contains revenue from all sources, including tuition, student fees, state appropriations, and sponsored (grants and contracts) revenue.
  • The capital budget contains major investments in fixed assets, including land, buildings, and equipment, is funded by various earmarked sources. In many cases projects funded in the capital budget span two or more years.

The Board of Regents (BOR) annually approves the Institute’s operating and capital budgets, as well as its tuition rates, mandatory and selected other fees, and state allocations. Any allowable budget changes made during the fiscal year must be processed through an amendment process managed by the Budget Office.

The Board of Regents (BOR) of the University System of Georgia (USG) assigns to the Georgia Tech President the responsibility for planning and administering all programs and the related Institute budgets, as indicated in the BOR Policy Manual Section 2.6.1. The President delegates the budget and planning responsibilities to the Provost, Executive Vice Presidents, and Vice Presidents. This responsibility is further delegated to these executives’ direct reports, including deans and other division heads. The Executive Vice President for Administration and Finance serves as the Institute’s Chief Financial Officer.

Original Budget Preparation and Approval

The Budget Office is required to follow an established set of guidelines and policies set forth by the State of Georgia and the Board of Regents. The BOR guidelines are found in Section 7.2 (“USG Budget”) of the Board of Regents’ policy manual and Section 8.0 (“Budget Process”) of the USG Business Procedures Manual (BPM). A summary of key portions of the BOR policy and business procedures pertaining to the Original (base) Budget follows:

BOR Policy Manual 7.2.3 – Operating Budgets – annual preparation and submission of an annual budget to the Chancellor with funding from all sources;

BPM 8.5.3 – Budget Preparation at the Institutional Level – institutional development of the proposed budget by personal services, fringe benefits, and other expenses to the BOR following establishment of internal priorities;

BPM 8.5.4 – Submission of Proposed Budget – budget submission by the following major categories (fund groups): 

  • Education and General – budgets that are not any of the categories below
  • Auxiliary Services – business-like service organizations such as housing, dining, and transportation
  • Student Activities – funded by separate, mandatory student fees for campus recreation, the student center, and student organizations
  • Capital – major capital expenditures including land and land improvements, buildings and building improvements, and infrastructure;

BPM Section – 8.5.5 Board Approval of Institution’s Original Budget – June approval by the BOR of the final institutional budgets by the major categories listed in BPM 8.5.4. 

Budget Amendments

As funding circumstances change during the fiscal year, the Institute implements internal budget amendments, in close coordination with Institute operating units. Any amendments involving an increase or decrease in the overall Institute revenue must be approved by the President. These amendments are initiated by the Budget Office or by campus units, with subsequent approval by the Budget Office.

The Budget Office consolidates all internal Institute amendments for each quarter for submission to the Board of Regents on a summary basis. It is critical that the “expenditure authority” approved by the BOR be consistent with the official Georgia Tech budget, including an accurate breakdown of the budget between personal services and non-personal services. Failure to maintain this consistency may result in an audit exception. It is critical for every Institute unit to maintain a budget that closely resembles the expected year-end spending, including the distribution of dollars between personal services and non-personal services. The following are excerpts from key USG Business Procedures Manual sections (USG Business Procedures Manual Chapter 8.6)

8.6 Budget Amendment – The budget amendment process is critical to ensuring that expenditures made during the course of the fiscal year are supported by budgets. Failure to amend budgets to meet changing circumstances may result in an over-expenditure of funds and lead to audit findings.

8.6.2 Revenue Adjustments – Throughout the fiscal year, various factors necessitate the adjustment of revenue estimates within the budget system. For example, if fall semester tuition were to exceed the original budget estimate, the institution would amend its budget to reflect the increased revenues. Revenue estimates are reviewed and amended on a quarterly basis to reflect projections of either increased or decreased revenue collections during the fiscal year.

8.6.3 Appropriation Amendments – The definitive expenditure authority within the financial system resides at the appropriation level; expenditure authority cannot be exceeded. At a minimum, allocations are in place for personal services and operating expenses.

NOTE:  See Georgia Tech’s “Budget Amendments” policy and the links in the next section for more information.

Long Distance Telephone Usage

Type of Policy
Administrative
Effective Date:
Last Revised:
Review Date:
Policy Owner
Info Tech- Information Security
Contact Name
Cas D'Angelo
Contact Title
OIT Telecommunications Director
Contact Email
cas.dangelo@oit.gatech.edu
Reason for Policy

It is the policy of Georgia Tech that the use of Institute's long distance telephone services is limited to official Georgia Tech business. Further, State law precludes Georgia Tech employees from using State resources for personal gain or benefit. Personal use is prohibited.

Policy Statement

The department head is responsible for the business and financial operations of the unit, including the development and implementation of appropriate operating procedures and internal controls. Long distance telephone charges are included in this area of responsibility. Unit personnel are responsible for the timely review of all long distance telephone charges appearing on monthly Department of Administrative Services (DOAS) bills. Inquiries related to questioned charges are to be directed to OIT Telecommunication Services. Charges identified as unofficial are to be reimbursed by the caller.

Violation of this policy may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

Unofficial Calls

Long distance calls other than those on official Georgia Tech business are to be charged to home telephones or personal telephone calling cards. In rare instances where special circumstances are present and unofficial long distance calls, including GIST calls, are made on departmental telephones, the following steps are to be taken:

  • The employee and the unit's business officer are to work together in identifying unofficial long distance calls;
  • The unit's business officer will obtain reimbursement from the employee for the cost of all unofficial long distance calls;
  • The unit's business officer will complete a Long Distance Call Reimbursement Deposit Form indicating the project to which an appropriate expense credit is to be applied, and make a timely deposit (check or cash) with the Bursar's Office in Lyman Hall;
  • A copy of the annotated DOAS bill noting the unofficial long distance call(s) and cost, and any other supporting documentation is to be retained by the department.

If an employee has terminated employment with Georgia Tech, the department may have an invoice issued to the former employee through Accounting Services Accounts Receivable, or reimbursement may be withheld from the employee's final paycheck.

Right to Monitor Communications and Right to Privacy

Georgia Tech reserves the right to investigate, retrieve and read any communication or data composed, transmitted or received through voice services, online connections and/or stored on its servers and/or property, without further notice to faculty and staff, to the maximum extent permissible by law. Express notice to faculty and staff stating that there is no right to privacy for any use of Institute telecommunications equipment and services, or funded by Institute resources, should be included in the approval form granting funding for broadband services.

Broadband Connections for Faculty and Staff

Type of Policy
Administrative
Last Revised:
Review Date:
Policy Owner
Info Tech- Information Security
Contact Name
Cas D'Angelo
Contact Title
OIT Telecommunications Director
Contact Email
cas.dangelo@oit.gatech.edu
Policy Statement

 It is the responsibility of Georgia Tech and each of its budgetary units to implement procedures to effectively use communication services and equipment at the lowest possible cost. With the rapid growth in requirements for high speed broadband network access (e.g. DSL, cable-modem) for some Georgia Tech faculty and staff, and with the Georgia Tech philosophy of unit-based management, heads of budgetary units (Vice Presidents, Deans, School Chairs, Department Heads) or their designee are authorized to acquire broadband services for faculty and staff when required for institutional purposes.

The purpose of this policy is to outline the eligibility criteria, acceptable usage, and administration of Georgia Tech-funded broadband service granted to faculty and staff members. Insofar as this policy deals with access to Georgia Tech computing and network resources, all relevant provisions in the Acceptable Use Policy, the Cyber Security Policy, and the Data Privacy Policy are applicable and included by reference in this document.

Eligibility and Acceptable Use

Granting Institute-funded broadband service to faculty and staff members by individual units on campus, with the express intent of conducting Institute business when it is demonstrated an employee cannot perform his/her duties without high speed (broadband service) access to the Internet and/or to the Georgia Tech network, or that improved performance and productivity ensuing from broadband service will justify the investment, shall be authorized under this policy. Each department is to maintain approved justification documentation for each approval of broadband service.

Examples of conditions under which broadband service may be granted to employees include:

  • Broadband service is required to achieve business objectives by an employee who routinely or predominantly telecommutes.
  • An employee cannot adequately meet communications needs with other available alternatives such as dial-up modems.
  • Broadband service is required for on-call personnel required to respond to critical system failures or service disruptions.
  • Broadband service is determined to be the most appropriate means of responding to campus emergencies.
  • Broadband service is needed to facilitate program and business access to campus and Internet resources to remotely conduct Institute business.

Georgia Tech will cover the cost of a competitive broadband service plan used primarily for job-related activities. Employees who wish to add personally-owned computers to any such plan must do so at their own expense. Furthermore, all broadband service users are reminded that such privileges are covered by the Acceptable Use Policy, the Cyber Security Policy, and the Data Privacy Policy as well as any relevant Unit-Level Network Usage Policy.

Ordering and Payment Administration

Managers of employees qualifying for Institute-funded broadband service are to initially determine the business needs and select an appropriate package which meets these requirements. Both the business need and broadband service package selection should be reviewed periodically, at least annually.

The following ordering and payment options are allowed under this policy:

  1. Departmental P-Card Departments may acquire broadband service via departmental P-cards, but they should note that special obligations go along with the convenience. Specifically, only designated Georgia Tech Procurement Officials may enter into contracts on Georgia Tech’s behalf. This means Broadband service contracts obtained via P-card and signed by an employee are, in fact, personal obligations of the employee. Should the employee terminate while an agreement signed by the employee is still in force, it is the responsibility of the employee to fulfill the terms of the agreement. The department is to maintain the approved justification documentation for each broadband service obtained in this manner.
  2. Georgia Tech Purchasing Georgia Tech Purchasing will process requests for Broadband service upon receipt of an approved purchase requisition. Purchasing will procure these services via standing agreements available to Georgia Tech. In special circumstances, Purchasing may utilize other agreements obtained from any carrier who best meets the needs of the Institute. Broadband service will be billed directly to the ordering department, based upon the information on the purchase order (FPO). Object code 773500 Cellular Services, will be used to account for Broadband service costs. Departments will review and verify Broadband service bills on a monthly basis and forward the approved invoice to Accounts Payable for payment. Invoices are to be submitted at least 10 days before due date to allow for payment processing and mail delivery. Invoices may be paid by Pcard. Effective May 1, 2003 the default account must be changed to 773500 utilizing the Georgia Tech Pcard reallocation tool.
  3. Personal Contracts Heads of budgetary units may authorize employee reimbursement for business use of their personal broadband service contracts. Additionally, it may make economic and business sense to pay a differential price to boost an employee’s current service package on their personal phone or cable arrangement by an amount sufficient to cover the addition of authorized broadband service. If the unit head determines that this approach is in the best interest of the Institute, they should document the rationale for this decision, keep on file and review periodically (at least annually) to ensure that this is still the appropriate option.

Right to Monitor Communications and Right to Privacy

Georgia Tech reserves the right to investigate, retrieve and read any communication or data composed, transmitted or received through voice services, online connections and/or stored on its servers and/or property, without further notice to faculty and staff, to the maximum extent permissible by law. Express notice to faculty and staff stating that there is no right to privacy for any use of Institute telecommunications equipment and services, or funded by Institute resources, should be included in the approval form granting funding for broadband services.

Enforcement

All approval and justification documents shall be kept by unit business officers, and shall be subject to periodic reviews by Georgia Tech Internal Audit and/or external audit agencies.

 

Campus Closed – Inclement Weather and Other Emergencies

Type of Policy
Academic
Policy No
2.10
Last Revised:
Review Date:
Policy Owner
Human Resources
Contact Name
Kevin Merkel
Contact Title
Sr Director, Payroll Services and Total Rewards
Contact Email
kevin.merkel@ohr.gatech.edu
Reason for Policy

The purpose of this policy is to provide consistent guidance regarding emergency and/or inclement weather closing.  As with all policies, not every situation can be anticipated or covered.  Any situation that is not specifically addressed in this policy will be handled on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the President or Institutional Leader.

Policy Statement

Emergency conditions like the weather, declared state of emergency, safety, or other situations may require the Institute to declare the campus closed.  When the Institute is declared closed, all academic classes, administrative offices or other functional areas are suspended and only essential services are maintained. 

In accordance with Board of Regents Policy (Section 8.2.7.7), in the event of inclement weather or any emergency which requires the absence of employees, the President or Institutional Leader of a unit in the System may declare leave with or without pay.  Employees whose job responsibilities require that they work during hazardous or emergency weather conditions in order to maintain critical institutional functions, e.g. public safety or facility employees, information technology or employees with critical health and safety responsibilities, may be designated as ‘essential personnel’ by their organization. 

Essential personnel will be expected to maintain a normal work schedule unless specifically excused.  Essential Personnel who are required to report to work during inclement weather or other emergency closings may receive Campus Closed Pay for their regularly scheduled hours.  Designated Essential Personnel refusing to report to work may be subject to the Institute’s Progressive Discipline Policy 5.13.

Scope

Entities Affected By This Policy

All U.S. based campuses of the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Who Should Read This Policy

All U.S. based campuses of the Georgia Institute of Technology.


Notification:

Faculty and staff can find out about campus closures and Tech’s weather response in several ways:

  • An alert will be sent via the Georgia Tech Emergency Notification System (GTENS).
  • Updates will be shared on the Georgia Tech homepage, www.gatech.edu
  • A pre-recorded message will be placed on the main campus information line, 404-894-2000, noting the status of the campus.
  • Information will be shared via social media. Updates will be posted to Twitter at @gtpdalerts and @georgiatech, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gtemergency and www.facebook.com/georgiatech
Policy Terms

CCD: The payroll code entered on a timecard to represent Campus Closed time for employees not working during the closure.

CCE: The payroll code entered on a timecard to represent Campus Closed time worked by essential personnel during the closure.

Non-Exempt Employees: bi-weekly paid (hourly time reporters).

Exempt Employees: Monthly paid employees who do not report hours worked, no special procedures or time reports are necessary as a result of closure.

Essential Services or Personnel:  Departments should create and maintain a list of services and employees who are considered essential to running critical functions within their operations in the event of a declared emergency.  This list is to be updated on at least an annual basis, employees should be notified that they are on the list.  The list of essential personnel should be housed in the Georgia Tech Police Department Office of Emergency Preparedness.    

If a supervisor decides an employee must remain on campus between work shifts (e.g., sleeping or resting in designated areas), the employee will be compensated for the total hours spent on campus during the closure.  

Non-exempt employees who are designated as essential and required to work during scheduled campus closings may be paid at the straight-time rate and Campus Closed Essential (CCE) for all hours actually worked during the inclement weather or other emergency closing.

Students: Certain designated student workers’ services are relied upon during campus closure periods.  Students working during campus closure times will receive pay at the special events rate.

GTRI Employees: GTRI employees should refer to directions from the GTRI News Source.

GT Satellite Campuses: Campuses that are geographically located outside the greater Atlanta Metro Area.  Please refer to communications and directions from these sites.

Procedures

The decision to close the Institute will generally be made on a workday by workday basis.  Once there is a decision to close the Institute, only those employees previously designated by the Institute as “essential personnel” to oversee the critical functions during an institutional emergency are required to report to work if notified.  All other employees are to either stay home/away or to leave their work area as soon as practicable after the notice is made.  Non-essential employees who report to work during unscheduled closings, without authorization, pose an unnecessary liability risk to the institution.

If the President or Institutional Leader designates the emergency and/or inclement weather closing as paid, then the following guidelines may apply to “essential” bi-weekly employees required to work during the closing.

The decision to close a campus will generally be made on a workday by workday basis.  Campus closure decisions are made on a workday by effective period basis. The use of Campus Closed time worked (CCE) will only be applicable through the end of the period a campus is closed.

Nonessential Non-exempt employees: Will use campus closed time (code CCD) to list time that would have been worked had the campus been open for business. The CCD code is used on timesheets when campus is closed and time is paid.  Unscheduled leave (Campus Closed Time) is not counted as hours worked in the calculation of overtime pay.  Non -exempt employees will be compensated in compliance with FLSA regulations and the Georgia Tech workweek and overtime policy for all hours actually worked over 40 in a work week. Campus closed time is pro-rated for part time employees.

Essential Non-exempt employees: Each department should have a list of employees designated as “essential” during a campus closed event. These employees should contact their supervisor for work instruction during an event. Essential employees may record regular shift hours not worked during the campus closure as CCD (Campus Closed). If required to work, they will report their regular hours worked as well as CCE (Campus Closed Essential) for the same number of hours worked during the campus closed period.  When an employee, who has not been previously designated as an essential employee, is asked to report to work or to the office during a campus closure, that employee will be paid as an essential employee for all hours worked.  In accordance with FLSA, travel time from the home location to the primary work site is not compensable.

Georgia Tech is a continuous operation and personnel work various hours throughout the 24-hour day.  Employees’ shifts may not align with the start or end of a campus closure. Examples are provided below that provide guidance on reporting hours during the closure period. 

Note: Some situations may be unique.  Members of our payroll team are available to assist with more specific questions. Faculty, staff, and student employees may direct questions to pay.ask@ohr.gatech.edu.

For those employees that are not designated by the Institute as essential personnel; the amount of time to be paid during a campus closure is not to exceed the employee’s regular shift hours in a day (regular and unscheduled closing time combined). 

Campus Closing Leave is equivalent to the employee’s normal shift.  Employees working compressed workweek schedules during periods of unscheduled closings will not be required to take additional leave.

If an employee does not report to work on the day the institution is declared closed for a partial day/delayed opening, the employee should record campus closed time (CCD) for the hours the campus is closed during the employee’s normal work schedule.  The employee may be permitted to make up work time lost within the same pay period or charge the absence period to accrued leave (vacation or sick) for the hours the campus is open during the employee's normal work schedule.

A non-exempt employee who is on an approved accrued leave (vacation or sick) on a day the campus is declared closed may charge time as campus closed time (CCD timecode for non-exempts).  An exempt employee that had previously requested an accrued leave (vacation or sick) on a day the campus is declared closed may change the request in Timeout so as not to lose the accrued leave.

If an employee is absent from duty because of severe weather conditions or other emergencies, during which the institution does not close, may be permitted to make up work time lost within the same pay period or charge the absence period to accrued leave (vacation or sick).  If the employee does not have enough vacation or sick time accrued, the employee will not be paid for the balance of that time and may be placed on leave without pay for the period of absence.

Compensatory time, in lieu of campus closed time, cannot be used for non-exempt (bi-weekly) employees.

When an employee, who has not been previously designated as an essential employee, is asked to report to work or to the office during a campus closure, that employee will be paid as an essential employee for all hours worked. 

Since campus closures are made on a workday by workday basis, the use of campus closed time will only be applicable through the end of the day a campus is closed.  As a reminder, the official work day at the Institute is defined as 12:00am-11:59pm.  For those instances when an essential employee’s shift carries over from one workday into another, the employee will only receive campus closed time for hours worked while the campus was declared closed until the end of the workday. 

Pay Treatment for Bi-weekly Employees

Situation Employee Group How to Code Time
Campus is closed all day Department Designated - Essential Employees who report to work for the full day.

Record actual hours worked (8) hours as REG – Regular and (8) hours as CCE (Campus Closed Essential)

Does time of decision of closing matter? Response. No

Can actual hours and unscheduled hours be greater than 8 hours? Response. Yes, employees should record actual hours worked as REG and the same number of hours as CCE. 
Regular - Benefits Eligible Employees (do not report to work) OR Essential Employees who do not report to work. Record eight (8) hours of CCD (Campus Closed) - unscheduled closings should be designated the same as the employees’ regularly scheduled hours. (pro rated for part time employees)
All Other Employees including student, temporary or casual labor employees (do not report to work) Will not receive paid leave or be paid for CCD (Campus Closed) time.
Campus is closed a partial day Department Designated - Essential Employees who report to work prior to campus opening (delayed start) or remain at work after campus has been declared closed

Record REG for all hours worked.

Also record CCE for hours worked during the campus closed period.
Regular - employees (do not remain at work/do not report prior to campus opening) OR Essential Employees who do not remain at work/do not report to work prior to campus opening

Record actual hours worked while campus is open as REG (Regular) hours worked.

Record CCD (Campus Closed) hours for hours the campus is closed during employee’s normal work schedule.

The total number of actual hours worked plus unscheduled closing hours should equal the employee’s regular shift hours.
All Other Employees including student and casual labor employees (do not remain at work/do not report prior to campus opening)

Record actual hours worked while campus is open.

Will not be paid unscheduled closing time.

 

FedEx and UPS Accounts

Type of Policy
Administrative
Policy No
5.5.1.8
Effective Date:
Last Revised:
Review Date:
Contact Name
Laura Jamison
Contact Title
Accounts Payable Manager
Contact Email
laura.jamison@business.gatech.edu
Reason for Policy

This procedure applies to the request for, assignment of, and use of UPS and Federal Express Accounts. UPS is on a mandatory State Contract and should be used as the primary shipping vendor. Fed Ex should only be requested if shipping dangerous chemicals or if required for shipments per sponsors.

Policy Statement

The authority to make purchases of freight is delegated to the administrative departments. This authority is vested in the Purchasing Department and administrated under the State Purchasing Rules and Regulations.

Procedures

Establishment of Account
One or more accounts per delivery address may be established. A UPS Employee Agreement Form or a FedEx Employee Agreement Form should be completed and approved and sent to the Georgia Tech Purchasing Department if an employee is acting as the accountholder. The Purchasing Department will establish the account with UPS and Federal Express, based upon available account numbers. The department should take care in releasing the UPS and FedEx Account number as they will be responsible for charges associated with that account.

Payment of Invoices
All UPS and FedEx accounts can be invoiced to the department or set up with a Pcard for autopay. This set up is the responsibility of the accountholder.

Redistribution of Charges
Departments should the Concur system to redistribute charges if necessary for accounts linked to a Pcard. Multiple lines can be allocated for an ePayment request.

Disputed Charges

It is the cardholder’s responsibility to resolve discrepancies and ensure credits are received. When a cardholder discovers an incorrect amount has been charged or a questionable purchase appears on the monthly statement, the cardholder must immediately seek to resolve the problem directly with the vendor by calling UPS Customer Service at 1-877-289-6418 or FedEx Customer Service at 1-800-463-3339. Any communications should be documented on the statement (or attachment) including dates, persons involved, and a brief description of the problem.

 

Policy History

 

Revision Date Author Description
May 2015 P-Card Manager Added UPS to approved charges
April 2018 Procurement Coordinator Updated payment methods

Procurement of Goods and Services

Type of Policy
Administrative
Policy No
5.2
Effective Date:
Last Revised:
Review Date:
Policy Owner
Purchasing and Procurement
Contact Name
Erin Mitchell
Contact Title
Director of Procurement
Contact Email
erin.mitchell@business.gatech.edu
Reason for Policy

This policy provides guidelines regarding the Institute’s process for procuring goods and services.

Policy Statement

Purchasing authority is granted to the College and University Procurement Officer (CUPO) at Georgia Institute of Technology by the State Department of Administrative Services (DOAS), State Purchasing Division (SPD) and the Board of Regents (BOR). In accordance with O.C.G.A Section 50-5-69, SPD may, at its discretion, delegate purchasing authority to state entities to permit those state entities to make purchases on their own behalf.

In all procurement instances, the Order of Precedence should be followed as described in the Georgia Procurement Manual Section 1.3 unless the goods or services are exempt (see Georgia Tech Policy 5.2.1.2 Exempt Procurements) or procurement requirements have been waived.

The Georgia Tech E-Procurement System and the GT PCard are the Institute’s approved buying methods for procurements from external suppliers. Use of the appropriate buying tool must be in compliance with Institute policies and procedures.  Learn more here. All procurement related questions should be sent to the procurement mailbox via ServiceNow.

Access to the Georgia Tech E-Procurement System may be contingent upon training and/or role responsibility.

All purchase requests must be approved by a financial and spend approver (or equivalent). GT employees may have more than one role in the Georgia Tech E-Procurement System; however, each requisition must be submitted and approved by at least two separate individuals.

The official Institute process for the procurement of goods and services is categorized into the following types unless identified in Policy 5.2.1.2 Exempt Procurements:

  • Purchases within the scope and limits of a Georgia Tech or State of Georgia contract
  • Non-contract purchases less than $25,000 which are delegated to the departments/units
  • Non-contract purchases $25,000 or greater which require formal bidding or publicly posted sole source justification (must be done by the Purchasing Department)
  • Exempt purchases defined in Policy 5.2.1.2 Exempt Procurements may at the discretion of the Purchasing Department, require bidding/sole source justification

A quote from the vendor/supplier should be attached to the requisition for all non-catalog purchases.  For low dollar purchases of items found on vendors/suppliers websites, the Purchasing Department may accept alternate documentation in lieu of a formal quote.  Please contact the Purchasing Department in these cases for acceptable alternative documentation.

Scope

This policy applies to all Georgia Tech faculty and staff members.  

Policy Terms

Georgia Tech E-Procurement System

Georgia Tech’s E-Procurement System is utilized to establish all purchase requests. Within the e-procurement system, a purchase request is called a requisition. Requisitions must be utilized for all purchases that are not allowable under one of the other purchasing methods (i.e. PCard, check request, or petty cash).

Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of the Sr. Director of Procurement and Business Services and the Director of Purchasing to verify that purchases made under their purview are compliant with Georgia Tech, Board of Regents, State and Federal procurement policies and procedures.

Enforcement

To report suspected instances of ethical violations, please visit Georgia Tech’s Ethics Hotline, a secure and confidential reporting system, at: https://secure.ethicspoint.com/domain/en/report_custom.asp?clientid=7508

Policy History

Revision Date

Author

Description

1/2021 Purchasing Department Updated to align with 2 C.F.R. § 200
12/2020 Purchasing Department Policy updated to comply with Workday and consolidate information

07/2012

Purchasing Department

New Policy

Tution Assistance Program (TAP) Policy

Type of Policy
Administrative
Policy No
13.10
Effective Date:
Last Revised:
Review Date:
Policy Owner
Human Resources
Contact Name
Gail Imoukhuede
Contact Title
Director, Benefits and Retirement
Contact Email
gail.imoukhuede@ohr.gatech.edu
Reason for Policy

This policy ensures alignment between University System of Georgia (USG) requirements for and Georgia Tech’s administration of the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP).

Policy Statement

Georgia Tech adheres to USG’s policy on the established assistance program, called TAP (Tuition Assistance Program), for eligible employees to develop and grow through education. Refer to the USG Human Resource Administrative Manual regarding Employee Continuing Education and Tuition Assistance Program (TAP).

Eligible employees are required to submit a new TAP application to the Tuition Assistance Coordinator by the deadline each semester in order to be eligible for reimbursement. TAP application deadline dates can be found here.

TAP applications received after the TAP application deadline will be denied. There is no exception or appeal to this requirement.

When extenuating circumstances such as hospitalization, death of an immediate family member, or other catastrophic events occur a one-time exception may be granted when documentation is provided to the Tuition Assistance Program Coordinator.

Employees that register for classes prior to the TAP registration period for the teaching institution that they are attending will not be eligible for TAP for that semester.

Scope

This policy applies to all regular, benefits-eligible, full-time (1.0 FTE) employees that have satisfactorily completed their six (6) month provisional period as of the date of the Tuition Assistance Application deadline.

Policy Terms

Academic Certificate Program

A program where a student takes academic courses and received academic credit and a letter grade towards an academic certificate program which does not include a professional certification or continuing education certification.
Acceptable (Academic) Coursework Certificates, diploma, or degree programs taken for academic credit. Must be related to a career field at Georgia Tech. Non-credit continuing education courses, non-credit certificate programs, and Executive Programs are not eligible for reimbursement.
Staff Tuition Reimbursement Assistance Program (STRAP) Program offered by the Georgia Institute of Technology. Provides reimbursement to eligible employees taking academic coursework at an accredited private (nonUSG) educational institution or Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) vocational/technical college.
Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) Program offered through the University System of Georgia. Provides a waiver of tuition for eligible employees taking academic coursework at a USG institution.

 

Responsibilities

Employees
Each employee must:

  • meet the admission requirements of the educational institution,
  • acquire approval from their immediate supervisor and department head,
  • submit the TAP application by the deadline date,
  • and receive approval from GTHR each semester for each course to be reimbursed.

Supervisors
Supervisors are encouraged to make a reasonable effort to find appropriate work schedule accommodations; however, alternate work arrangements are within the sole discretion of the immediate supervisor. The supervisor should ensure that the employee’s participation in TAP will not adversely affect departmental services or result in undue hardship for other employees.

Supervisors’ approval is needed on TAP applications and tax waivers (if applicable). Please visit the TAP website for information on tax implications for TAP.

Employees and Supervisors should consult with their HR Business Partner or Coordinators for questions or concerns about alternative work arrangements.

Tuition Assistance Coordinator
The TAP Coordinator is responsible for processing TAP applications, approves participation, reviews documentation for extenuating/catastrophic events exception, and makes the final tax determination for evaluating tax treatment of tuition reimbursement.

Georgia Tech Chief HR Officer
The Chief HR Officer is responsible for supporting compliance to this Policy and reviewing appeal requests.

Policy History
Revision Date Author Description
3-2016 Human Resources Editorial Changes
3-2024 Human Resources Updated to remove procedures, update verbiage, and outline exceptions for late applications.

 

Termination Procedures

Type of Policy
Administrative
Policy No
12.9
Effective Date:
Last Revised:
Review Date:
Procedures

To view the Board of Regents Policy on Resignations addressing voluntary terminations, please visit: https://www.usg.edu/hr/assets/hr/hrap_manual/HRAP_Resignations_Employment.pdf

To view the Board of Regents Policy on Dismissals, Demotions or Suspensions addressing involuntary terminations, please visit: https://www.usg.edu/hr/assets/hr/hrap_manual/HRAP_Dismissal%2C_Demotions%2C_or_Suspensions_Employment.pdf

To view the Board of Regents Policy on Exit Questionnaires, please visit: https://www.usg.edu/hr/assets/hr/hrap_manual/HRAP_Exit_Questionnaires_Employment.pdf

For Georgia Tech Office of Human Resources Termination Procedures, please visit: https://hr.gatech.edu/boarding

Access to Medical Records

Type of Policy
Administrative
Policy No
9.1
Effective Date:
Review Date:
Policy Owner
Human Resources
Contact Name
Kevin Merkel
Contact Title
Senior Director-Payroll and Total Rewards
Contact Email
Kevin.Merkel@ohr.gatech.edu
Policy Statement

The official personnel files are housed in the Office of Human Resources Records Department. Access to any medical records contained in personnel files is extremely limited. Medical information may be reviewed by 1) the employee, 2) Human Resources' staff members in the course of carrying out their job responsibilities, and 3) other individuals only if legally authorized to do so.

Georgia Open Records Act

An employee's medical records are removed prior to review of an employee's personnel file by his/her supervisor. The Georgia Open Records Act specifically excludes medical records from disclosure under the Act, as release of such information would constitute an invasion of personal privacy.