The Procure-to-Pay (P2P) process begins when a member of Penn’s faculty or staff, or an authorized student or non-employee, needs to travel or entertain on behalf of the University, and becomes a customer. As the customer, you should familiarize yourself with the University’s preferred travel partners and booking procedures as you are expected to make informed purchasing decisions – preferably through one of Penn’s preferred travel agencies and with the AMEX Corporate Card for employees. Before incurring expenses, be sure to ensure that:

• You take advantage of pre-negotiated discounts, and charge airline expenses directly to your department or funding source.
• Your business expenses are documented, supported, and submitted for reimbursement in the prescribed timeframe (10 days to be reimbursed within your credit card billing cycle; no later than 182 days (6 months) after incurring the expense as reimbursement will be denied).
• Your business travel or entertainment expenses are approved by your higher level approver and TAC holder.
• You are reimbursed in a timely fashion.

The information presented here outlines the customer's actions and responsibilities in Step 1 and shows how a customer’s behavior impacts other steps and roles in the P2P process.