Policy: 201.D Vehicle Rental and Gas

Statement of Policy

A rental vehicle may be used when it is the most cost-effective means of transportation available for UW business. The vehicle rented should be reasonable in terms of size and type, depending on the number of passengers and/or cargo being transported.  In order to ensure secondary insurance coverage by the university, all UW-Madison employees, students and authorized agents of the university must be approved by UW-Madison Risk Management prior to operating a vehicle for university business, regardless of whether a personal, Fleet, DOA or rental vehicle is used.  Non-employee drivers need only be authorized if they intend to use a Fleet/DOA vehicle.

Note: UW – Madison Facilities Planning and Management’s Fleet Vehicles should be used when practical and available.

Contract Vendors

Individuals traveling on UW - Madison business may choose from any one of the contract vendors for their short-term (30-days or less) vehicle rental services.  The contracts may only be used for business trips that involve limited incidental personal use of the vehicle and if all passengers are traveling on state or university business.  The appropriate booking code must be provided to the vendor when the reservation is made.  If a contract vehicle is not available, the individual may document the circumstances and select a different vendor.

For Vehicle Rental Contract Vendors and Applicable Rates, visit the UW System Financial Administration website.

Booking Methods

Booking codes must be provided to the vendor when the reservation is made, regardless of the booking method used.

  • Concur: Contract vehicle rental vendors, booking codes and rates are built into Fox World Travel’s Concur.
    • Note: Concur can only store one booking code per vendor. By default, the booking code for National is the State/UW System contract ID; however, if a traveler’s Concur profile contains the Big Ten National contract ID, it will override the State/UW System default.
  • Contract Vendor Websites: Reservation sites specifically designed for UW System travelers may be accessed from the contract vendor links above.
  • Other Travel Agencies/Booking Tools: Other booking methods (e.g. brick and mortar agency, online booking site) may be used as long as the contract is applied.

Note: Orbitz is not in compliance with State of Wisconsin sales tax collection requirements and must not be used for booking business-related travel.

Payment Methods

Whenever possible, travelers should utilize university purchasing cards or the personal-liability My Corporate Card to pay for UW-Madison business-related vehicle rentals.  The purchasing card may also be used to pay for gasoline for rental vehicles.

Receipt/Documentation Requirements

Note:  Required documentation should be retained in the payment mechanism files.  When entering University Prepaid Expenses in e-Reimbursement, an additional copy of the expense receipt is not required in the receipt packet.

Vehicle Rental: Include the original vehicle rental agreement. The receipt must indicate the following:

  • Traveler’s name
  • Rental date(s)
  • Vendor name
  • Amount paid
  • Form of payment

Large Vehicle Classes: If a vehicle larger than the Standard/Intermediate class is required, justification must be provided for payment/reimbursement (e.g. three or more passengers, bulky equipment). When determining the number of passengers, only individuals traveling on State/UW business are included in the count.

Gasoline:  All Purchasing Travel Card gasoline purchases, regardless of the amount, and all gasoline purchases greater than $25 made with personal funds, must be supported by a receipt.

Insurance

The contract vendor rates include damage waiver and liability insurance for most rentals. Travelers should verify that the State/UW's contract ID number is referenced on the rental agreement to ensure contract coverage.  If the contract vendor does not provide insurance, or it is necessary to rent from a non-contract vendor, damage waiver and liability insurance must be purchased and will be reimbursed.  Any additional insurance coverage is considered a personal expense. Questions involving insurance should be directed to the UW - Madison Risk Management Office.

Fueling a Rental Vehicle

The traveler is responsible for fueling the rental vehicle before returning it to the vendor.  If the traveler fails to return the vehicle with a full tank of fuel, the fee for vendor refueling will not be paid or reimbursed by the university unless unusual circumstances outside of the traveler’s control prevented the individual from adhering to this requirement.

Other Equipment and Services

Other equipment and services (e.g. GPS, roadside assistance protection) are not contracted for and will not be paid or reimbursed by the University unless there is an exception granted by the traveler’s Divisional Business Office.

Contacts

Travelers and departmental staff should contact their respective Divisional Business Office for policy or procedural questions.

Divisional Business Offices may contact uwtravel@bussvc.wisc.edu with questions.