A guest traveler is a person who travels on behalf of the University, but who is not an employee of the University. Guests travel for many purposes, including guest speakers, interviewees for UT positions, meetings, research collaboration. A person must be set up in IRIS as a guest traveler if they are going to be directly reimbursed for travel or if they are a non-US Citizen. This also includes previous employees (retirees) or non-employed students traveling for University business. During the IRIS set-up, a delegate (individual responsible for submitting travel expenses) must be added as guest travelers cannot access Concur. Per UT FI0705 – Travel policy, guest travelers must comply with University policy.
Onboarding a New Guest Traveler
New guests, those that have not previously traveled for the University, are set up as a guest traveler in IRIS, using transaction “ZPHRRECORD000 - Record Friend / Employee / Traveler.” When an individual creates a guest traveler in IRIS, that individual will automatically be set up as a delegate for the guest. The individual’s responsible cost center will be the default Concur profile fund to which expenses will be charged. The default profile fund can be changed at any time, including on the expense report in Concur. Also, guests may have multiple delegates, if needed.
From the initial transaction screen, enter the guest’s social security number, select Guest Traveler as the Type of Relationship and specify the effective date for their profile. Click the Request button to continue. If the guest is a non-resident alien, select the (without SSN) box.
On the second screen, enter the guest’s personal data, including their address where they will receive travel reimbursement.
Scroll down to the Travel Privileges area to confirm the default Concur Profile Fund, Delegate and Guest Traveler is selected for the Travel Expense Type. Click the green Add Row button to add additional delegates via personnel number, if needed.
NOTE: If a student that is not employed by the University is traveling on behalf of the University and will receive direct reimbursement for travel expenses, change the Travel Expense Type to reflect Non-Employee Student.
Click the Submit for Approval button to route this guest traveler’s profile for approval by UT Accounts Payable.
Once approved by Accounts Payable, the individual submitting the request will be notified and the guest’s Concur profile will be accessible in 2-3 business days.
Updating an Active Guest Traveler
Additional delegates can be added to active or newly approved guest travelers in IRIS, using the transaction “ZHR_UPDATE_GT - Update Friend Data for Concur.” The transaction will default to the person adding the guest as the new delegate. There is no limit to the number of delegates a guest can have. If personnel data requires updating or corrections, contact the UT Accounts Payable office at ap_travel@tennessee.edu.
Any changes to the guest traveler, such as name, address, and citizenship, are made in IRIS and are transferred to Concur automatically. Changes made to existing guests will be in Concur the following day while new guests can take up to two to three business days before they are fully loaded to Concur.
From the initial ZHR_UPDATE_GT - Update Friend Data for Concur screen, enter the guest’s personnel number and click submit button with the green check mark.
Under the Additional Travel Data section of the second screen, click the green Add Row button to add a delegate using their personnel number. Once complete, click the save icon.
‘Rehiring’ Former Employee Guest Travelers
Former UT employees, including retirees, traveling for the University that will receive travel reimbursement are ‘rehired’ as guest travelers via IRIS using the same transaction “ZPHRRECORD000 - Record Friend / Employee / Traveler.”
From the initial transaction screen, enter the former employee’s personnel number, select Guest Traveler and specify an effective date under the Type of Relationship section. Click the Request button to continue.
Verify the guest’s information, Concur Profile Fund, Delegate and Guest Traveler is selected for the Travel Expense Type. Click the green Add Row button to add additional delegates via personnel number, if need
Once the information is validated, click the Submit for Approval button. Once approved, the guest’s information will populate in Concur the next day.
Accessing Guest Travelers in Concur
In Concur, the delegate will use the ‘Act as other user’ functionality located under the Profile link in the upper right corner to process the guest’s expenses. Enter the guest’s name, email address or personnel number to locate the guest’s profile. Select their name and click the blue Start Session button.
Requests and expense reports are processed the same for a guest traveler as for any other traveler. All expenses will be out-of-pocket and the receipts will need to be uploaded to Concur. Guest travelers are not eligible for travel cards. Any airfare or other expenses charged on a centrally-held travel card must be processed by the cardholder.
Confirming Delegate Access
In order to act on behalf of another person, first the user must be a delegate for that person. If the guest does not show up in the list of other users, the delegate needs to verify whether or not they have been set up as a delegate.
To determine the persons who have set up a user as their delegate, the user can look in their profile. Under Profile Settings, select Expense Delegates. The second tab ‘Delegate For’ lists the people for whom the user can act. The boxes checked indicate what actions the user can take on behalf of that person.
If you have questions or need additional assistance utilizing the University’s travel system, please contact travel@tennessee.edu.