Caribbean Regional Technical Assistance Centre

Short Term Expert Resources

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Hiring & Contracts	Travel	Allowances
Preferred Hotels	Travel Claims	New Travel Procedures
	Contact Info

Hiring and Contracts

CARTAC hires STXs for specific assignments to its member countries in the course of fulfilling requests for technical assistance made by Ministries of Finance, Central Banks, Statistical agencies or other national/regional bodies. Tracking the hiring, travel and payments to STX’s is done via TIMS and PeopleSoft software (TIMS = Travel Information Management System).

Here we will try to clarify the main aspects of the hiring and contract procedures that must be followed by the STX’s.

Short Term Experts Contract Document

Along with the contract letter itself, STXs are sent a document which details conditions of the contract and also contains several forms which must be completed by the STX and returned to CARTAC. These forms are:

1) Medical Examination form ( under 65 years of age)

2) Medical Examination form (65+) ( 65 years and over)

3) Designation of Beneficiary form

4) Emergency Contact Information form

5) Request for Prepayment of Airline Ticket form

6) Request for Travel Advance form

These forms must be received before an STX begins an assignment. Note that if an STX has chosen to have his/her airline ticket prepaid with travel arrangements made by American Express, then receipt by CARTAC of the signed contract and the completed forms is necessary before Amex will actually issue the ticket.

Travel & Airfare Advances

Your contract letter requires you to answer the following question regarding travel advances:

1) Do you require prepayment of airline tickets through American Express?

Step 1. Complete the Request for Prepayment of Airline Ticket form.

Step 2. Book your airline travel through American Express (Amex) Travel Office.

IMPORTANT: If you request prepayment via Amex, then you cannot also request an airline ticket advance.

2) Do you require a travel advance to pay for your hotel and meals?

This gives you the option to receive, via wire transfer to the bank account specified, a travel advance which includes:

A subsistence allowance (meals, other travel related costs) for the period of your assignment

A hotel allowance

Airfare Advance

Whether or not you require a travel advance for your subsistence and hotel allowances, STX’s may request an airfare advance to cover the cost of your airline ticket.

(Not applicable if you have requested prepayment through American Express).

Step 1. Complete the Request for Travel Advance form, indicating whether you are requesting a travel advance only or a travel and airfare advance.

Step 2. Book and pay for your travel through your agent/carrier of choice.

Step 3. Provide CARTAC with your airline itinerary/invoice.

Summary of Travel Advance Options
Advance Type	Reservations	Payment of Airfare	Hotel and Meals Subsistence	Airfare Advance
AMEX Prepay	AMEX office	Prepaid by IMF	N/A	N/A
Travel Advance	Travel Agent of choice	Paid for by STX	Provided	Provided *upon request*

Travel

You are responsible for obtaining all travel visas which may be necessary for you to enter an assignment country. As soon as you have your travel itinerary, please send it to CARTAC, as it is required for accurate assessment of your travel allowances. If your itinerary includes a stopover, please alert CARTAC prior to purchase of your airline ticket. Other important information on travel can be found in the attachment document which is sent out to STXs with their contracts.

Allowances

The Subsistence Allowance Table (As of May 2010) shows current allowance levels for CARTAC member countries in the areas of subsistence and hotel, in US dollars. Note that if you are unable to find a hotel at or below the table rate, contact CARTAC before you make your booking, to confirm that CARTAC will pay the actual hotel costs.

Preferred Hotels

IMF Preferred Hotels ( May 2010)

Please be advised that new travel regulations require that all short term and long term consultants use hotels that are approved by the IMF.

Travel Claims

At the end of an assignment the STX submits a claim for payment of allowances and fees. Arrangements can be made for STXs on longer assignments to submit claims at agreed intervals during their assignment period.

A claim submitted for payment must include the following:

1) Completed Certification of Duty Days (CDD) form

2) Completed Travel Claim form

3) Copy of airline ticket itinerary/invoice

4) Taxi fare receipts

5) Hotel bills

6) Airport exit tax receipts

New travel procedures which will affect allowances and claims for all STXs:

1) You must provide receipts to support all expenditures while on mission, with the exception of the subsistence allowance and the family contact allowance.

The subsistence allowance is a daily reimbursement to defray the cost of meals and incidental personal expenses, and is based on the U.S. State Department rates for cities outside the U.S.
The family contact allowance is to enable you to make personal calls while on mission, and is paid at a flat rate of US$5 per day of mission travel. No payment is made for actual costs above the flat rate for this allowance.

2) Subsistence Allowance formerly paid on a per-night basis, will be paid on a per-day basis.

3) A day of departure allowance has been introduced equal to two-thirds of the USD per diem rate. This allowance does not require receipts.

4) Receipts must be provided for your in-and-out expenses.
On submission of receipts, you will be reimbursed for the actual cost of transportation to and from the airport at the duty station, stopover and mission site, up to a maximum of US$75 each way. In the event that no receipt is provided, a flat rate of US$20 each way will be paid.

5) Receipts must be provided for airport departure taxes.

6) The flat rate reimbursement for hotels has been eliminated and replaced with payment of actual costs, with the provision of receipts, up to the highest negotiated rate. In special circumstances, costs above the ceiling must be pre-approved by first contacting CARTAC.

7) Receipts must be provided for in-city transportation costs at the mission site.
In-city transportation costs will be reimbursed at actual costs against receipts, up to the allowable ceiling of US$75 per day. Costs in excess of the ceiling, or missing receipts, require CARTAC's approval to accompany the expense claim.

8) Receipts must be provided for incidental business expenses being claimed.
Incidental business expenses include communication charges for official business, secretarial and clerical services, meeting space, passport and visa charges, and other reasonable and necessary expenses related to official travel.

Please do not hesitate to contact CARTAC if you need clarification or additional information on these new travel procedures.

Contact Information

CARTAC’s working hours are 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays, and 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. on Fridays. Barbados time is usually the same as or one hour ahead of Eastern Daylight time in the USA, and 4 hours behind GMT.

Click here for CARTAC's general contact information.

STXs may also telephone the CARTAC adviser in charge of their assignment:

Mr. Paul Armknecht	Price Statistics	246-434-2863
Ms. Miriam Blanchard	Macroeconomic Planning	246-434-2844
Mr. Michel Marion	MacroFiscal Issues	246-434-2862
Mr. Mark Silins	Public Finance Management	246-434-2865
Mr. Brian Jones	Tax (VAT)	246-434-2842
Mr. Brian Dawe	Tax & Customs	246-434-2847
Mr. Robert Mills	Tax & Customs	246-434-2864
Ms. Denise Edwards-Dowe	Tax Administration	246-434-2855
Mr. Skip Edmonds	Financial Sector Supervision	246-434-2846

For after-hour emergencies, STXs may contact CARTAC on 246-231-8551.

You may also contact us on our contact page.

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