Guidelines & General Procedures for Conducting IFA Operated International Excavations

Please note that these guidelines cover general procedure and required documentation. Due to the unique nature of each project, additional documentation or procedures may be required.

All excavations are subject to NYU's Travel and Expense Policy and NYU's Expense Reimbursement Policy. Any exception not explicitly outlined in this document will require pre-approval.

I. Planning Excavations Abroad

A. Budget Submission
Field directors are required to submit a budget proposal to the Finance Office by October 1 for Abydos and November 1 for all other sites. Identifying funding sources will be key to obtaining approval.

B. Security Assessment
Field Directors are required to connect with NYU Public Safety regarding the upcoming excavation season to review risks/safety concerns annually. Please contact Will Huser, Assistant Vice President, Global Analysis and Operations.

The role of Public Safety is to keep NYU community members safe. The Public Safety team can do extensive security assessments or address general questions regarding safety. A full security assessment could include but is not limited to identifying potential hotels on location, hospitals, and providing recommendations on alternative forms of communications.

Timeline for a security assessment:

  • For established sites (general overview): contact 1 month prior to travel.
  • For un-established/high-risk sites: at least 6 months in advance.

Public Safety also offers pre-departure briefings as desired by the traveler(s).

C. Traveling to Sanctioned Countries

Travel to sanctioned countries is generally prohibited without authorization from the US government. Currently, the strictest US sanctions are against Iran, Syria, Sudan, Cuba, and North Korea.

D. Office of Global Support

There may be unique issues associated with operating outside of the US. Any questions or concerns regarding the project can be directed to NYU’s Office of Global Support.

Global Support provides a centralized location for administrative resources and a single point of contact for addressing related questions including:

NYU’s Office of Global Support can be contacted by email or phone at: 212-992-5650.

E. Grant Funded Excavations

If your excavation is funded by a grant, or sponsored program, please see NYU's Domestic and Foreign Travel Policy for Sponsored Programs for rules and regulations regarding travel. The New York University Business Expenses policy applies to all domestic and foreign travel for sponsored programs. However, if specific sponsor guidelines for a sponsored program are more restrictive than University policy, then sponsor rules shall apply. For example, federally sponsored projects must follow the American carrier policy when flying internationally.

II. Travel

A. Travel for Field Directors
 
Field Directors should purchase flights directly and submit reimbursement request via Concur.

Submission of reimbursement request must be done within 60 days of the trip’s conclusion.

Required for reimbursement: documentation of receipt/cost of ticket, travel itinerary, and boarding passes for either reimbursement or as Proof of Travel is necessary.

B. Travel for Other Participants or Collaborators

Travel for outside collaborators must be purchased by the participant and submitted for reimbursement through i-Buy after travel has been completed.

C. Travel for IFA Students

Students participating in the excavation program will be issued a travel stipend by December 1st for those traveling to Abydos and by May 1st for others. For students who receive federal funding and may be negatively affected by the issuance of a stipend, please reach out to Lisa McGhie in the Finance Office.

D. NYU Traveler Registration

Per IFA policy, it is required that NYU affiliated travelers register for excavations through NYU Traveler. One can do so from the NYU Traveler website.

E. Obtaining Travel Releases

All students (regardless of academic affiliation) and NYU employees (including faculty) traveling abroad on NYU’s organized fieldwork are required to sign a travel release form prior to departure and submit this to the Field Director. Please see IFA’s Fieldwork Travel Release.

F. NYU Public Safety Security Roster
Before departure, the Field Director must complete an NYU Public Safety Security Roster, of all team members participating on their project. Required roster information includes:

Program information:

  • Program Dates
  • Program Location(s) (coordinates included, if available)
  • Faculty Leader
  • Local on-call/Emergency contact and number
  • Program Accommodation Information (Including hotel/lodging accommodation)

Participant Information:

  • Name - Last
  • Name - First
  • NYU ID (if applicable)
  • NetID (if applicable)
  • Affiliation / Institution
  • Role
  • Email
  • DOB
  • Passport Number
  • Country of Citizenship
  • Arrival Information
  • Departure Information
  • Emergency Contact
  • Traveler local phone number (if applicable)
  • Local Travel Details (if applicable)

Once completed, the field director will submit the roster to NYU Traveler’s academic program administration. Please copy the Finance Office on this email.

III. International Health Insurance
All individuals (regardless of academic affiliation) participating in an IFA sponsored excavation must have health insurance and upon reasonable request, should be prepared to provide proof of insurance. Note that NYU does not carry insurance for any non-NYU affiliated participant.

A. NYU Employees (includes Faculty)
All NYU employees including faculty members traveling abroad on an IFA sponsored Excavation are automatically covered, and are required to activate their short-term Global Health Insurance. Visit GeoBlue.com to register and download a membership card. This will allow you to validate your coverage globally. There is no additional cost for this coverage.

NYU Group Access Code: QHG99999NYU2

B. NYU Students Only

For NYU students traveling abroad on an IFA sponsored Excavation, IFA will purchase on behalf of the student, the GeoBlue student health care plan. Students do not need to do anything. Note that this is a separate international health insurance plan, in addition to the students’ domestic health insurance plan provided either through IFA or privately.

IV. Supplies/Equipment Purchases

Supplies and/or equipment purchases that are funded through the project budget can be purchased through NYU’s i-Buy system which carries a list of preferred suppliers including Amazon.

If the item is not found in i-Buy, purchases can be made directly by the Field Director or authorized purchaser and submitted for reimbursement within 60 days of purchase.

All IT equipment including laptops, hard drives, iPads etc. should be purchased through IFA’s IT department. Please reach out to Adam Ryder.

Equipment exceeding $3,000 is considered Capital Equipment and the property of NYU. All capital equipment purchased must be tagged and registered with NYU Asset Management.

Per NYU policy, before purchase, you must obtain three quotes for any item exceeding $10,000.

V. Permissible and Non-Permissible Business Expenses

All IFA sponsored excavations are subject to NYU's Business Expense Policy and NYU's Expense Reimbursement Policy. However, due to the unique nature of some of our excavation projects and in an effort to follow certain customary practices/laws in the regions in which we operate, additional guidelines are provided below:

  • Per diems are not permitted for Excavation requests.
  • Personal clothing is not an allowable business expense unless special apparel is required for safety reasons, such as sun-protective clothing. In this case, pre-approval from the Institute’s Finance Office is required.
  • The following incidental expenses will be reimbursed for approved business travel needs: Passport and visa fees, Immunizations and travel related prescriptions.
  • Other types of medicine are not an allowable business expense.
  • Customary gifts generally are not an allowable business expense but will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Pre-approval from the Institute’s Finance Office is required.

VII. Tracking/Documenting Expenditure and Reconciliation

A. Expense Tracking

While abroad, all receipts must be collected and organized under a master log of expenses.

Use IFA’s Fieldwork Expense Spreadsheet to track allexpenses of trip, including any amounts in a foreign currency and exchange rates.

Foreign exchange rate:

  • For P-cards, the exchange rate will automatically be adjusted for that day’s F/X rate;
  • For wire transfers, exchange rate will be based on the conversion on the date of receipt.

 

B. Professional Services including Conservators, Architects, etc.

Payment for all professional services must be done via NYU’s i-buy system. Registration is required 6 weeks prior to invoice submission. Cash payment for professional services will no longer be allowed.

For payments made to independent contractors performing a service outside of the US using NYU funds, you will need to complete the NYU form Statement of Services Performed.
 
C. Submitting Documentation
 
Submit completed Fieldwork Expense Spreadsheet for all fieldwork expenses. Receipts must be listed chronologically. The receipt number should correspond to the receipt number on the Fieldwork Expense Spreadsheet.

An electronic copy of the expense spreadsheet and a scan of all documents and receipts must also be emailed to Lisa McGhie at the conclusion of the season.

Expenses without a receipt will not be reimbursed, please fill out IFA’s cash receipt document.