Members Expense Policy

Occasionally, members will be required to incur expenses whilst they are on British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) authorised business. BSG defines a ‘business expense’ as an expense that can be reimbursed on the basis that it has been incurred in connection with a BSG member’s duties. Details of expenses that can be reimbursed are contained within this policy. It is essential that these expenses are justified, reasonable in amount, properly documented and incurred in accordance with this policy.
 

Scope

This policy applies to all members of BSG. It does not cover contractors, non-members or payments to suppliers.
 

Policy Principles

BSG will reimburse member expenditure if it is directly attributable to the undertaking of BSG duties, on the premise that it is in accordance with the following policy principles:

• If travel is an absolute necessity, members are required to choose the most appropriate means of transport, with a view to minimise costs
• On occasion, budgeted travel bursaries will be available. These will be advertised beforehand by the responsible committee/event owner, or on the BSG website
• The BSG standard mileage rate is 40p per mile
• When booking travel (particularly flights, hotels, trains and car hire), members should ensure that they book as far in advance as possible. In order to minimise costs, this will preferably be at least fourteen days prior to travel
  
  

Courses

• Faculty / speakers
  • Faculty travel can be reimbursed at the BSG standard rate
  • Any faculty gifts are to be budgeted through section funds or sponsorship rather than claimed as expenses
  • Faculty meals and accommodation should be reasonable and only claimed as expenses when appropriate for the event schedule
  • Alcohol is not paid for by BSG funds
    
    
• Member accommodation and subsistence
  • Members must generally attend courses at their own expense and cannot claim accommodation or meals on expenses
  • Occasionally course registration fees or sponsorship may include these costs but that will be specifically detailed in the course information
    
    
• Trainee events
  • Member delegate travel can be reimbursed at a reasonable level if attending the four Trainee events – Management & Leadership Weekend, Education Weekend, Taster Course and Introduction Day
    
    
• Non-Trainee events
  • Member and non-member delegates must attend at their own expense

Workshops

• Generally, delegates attend workshops at their own expense and are not able to claim expenses to cover travel or accommodation
• In specific instances, where budget has been made available to cover accommodation or meals, this will be advised pre-event by the owner responsible for the budget
  
  

Events

• Speaker travel and accommodation can be reimbursed at the BSG standard rate 
• Any faculty gifts are to be budgeted for through committee funds, event budgets or sponsorship and claimed through expenses
• External faculty as per contract (see non-member expense policy)
• Delegates must attend BSG events at their own expense
• Occasionally registration fees or sponsorship may cover accommodation costs but that will be specifically detailed in the course information
• Occasionally registration fees or sponsorship may cover faculty and delegate meals but that will be specifically detailed in the event information
• BSG LIVE:
  • For UK based faculty, there is a maximum of £250.00 allowance for reimbursement of accommodation and return economy travel or standard mileage. Faculty must book their own travel and accommodation and claim their expenses after the conference via Spendesk (see details below). For faculty with multiple speaking/chairing engagements throughout the conference, an additional £80.00 is offered per additional night's accommodation. Faculty will get the day they're speaking/chairing free to attend BSG LIVE. Faculty with multiple speaking/chairing engagements will get additional days or the entire conference free. Please contact conference@bsg.org.uk if you have any questions.  
  • Plenary speakers and faculty travelling from outside of the UK will have their travel and accommodation arranged by the BSG LIVE conference organisers, TFI Lodestar. Please contact conference@bsg.org.uk if you have any questions or require assistance.
  • Presenters accepted for an oral or e-poster abstract at BSG LIVE must attend at their own expense.

Committee Meetings

• Member travel can be reimbursed at the BSG standard rate
• Reasonable accommodation and lunch can be claimed, depending on the length and time of meeting
• If an overnight stay is necessary for a committee meeting then a reasonable cost for dinner (no alcohol) can be claimed 
• Non-members can be reimbursed at the BSG standard rate if they have been invited by the Chair, or if on-going attendance is expected. Non-members should join the BSG. If a non-member asks to attend, they must cover their own expenses
• "Committee Dinners" cannot be claimed as expenses but may be covered by sponsorship
• Expenses cannot be reimbursed for attending committee meetings that take place during the BSG LIVE
  
  

Member Responsibilities

• To familiarise themselves with the latest version of the Members Expense Policy and associated policies
• To submit claims using the Spendesk application sweetprocess.com/procedures/P7eOKtoyLv/submitt...
• To ensure contact details held in Spendesk are correct in case of query
• To submit expenses in a timely manner
• To advise BSG of any changes to bank details or account as soon as reasonably possible in order to ensure payment
  
  

Claim information

• Claims should be made using Spendesk - please email finance@bsg.org.uk to request a spendesk account detailing the Committee/Section you are associated with or the event your claim is associated with
• Claims will be paid by BACS on a fortnightly basis
  
  

Credit Card

• Should a member prefer not to incur expenses and then claim them back, but to have funds made available in advance, the member should contact the BSG CEO in writing with full details of the anticipated costs, to request a BSG Credit card
• Where a member regularly incurs substantial expenses, it may be possible to provide a credit card for ongoing use. The member should contact the BSG CEO in writing to discuss this option
  
  

Definitions

• Delegate - person sent or authorised to represent others, in particular an elected representative sent to a conference
• Faculty - the members of a particular profession, especially medicine, considered collectively
• Member - a person that has paid membership to BSG
• Non-Member - a person that has not paid membership to BSG
• Trainee - a person undergoing training for a particular job or profession

 

References

• Annual Meeting Policy
• Travel Bursaries
  
  

Review Cycle

This policy does not form part of any contract and may be amended at any time
 
BSG will review this policy at least annually and may, at any time, withdraw this policy or publish replacement or revised versions of this policy to reflect developments in the business, or changes to legislation or procedures