Charters / Transportation

Departments and organizations on campus occasionally need to utilize shuttle and/or charter services for air, land, or sea transportation. Charters range from local, one-day trips to extended multi-day trips spanning many states, or even multiple countries. A list of contracted charter suppliers is below.

Topics Covered Below:

• Best Practices
• Contracted Suppliers
• Non-Contracted Suppliers
• Charter Contracts
• Reservations
• Insurance

Best Practices

Tip: For all charters, using a contracted supplier will minimize risk, save money, and reduce the time necessary to schedule a charter. 

• Spend Category Charters (SC1733) should be used when setting up orders or processing payment for any charter type.
• Vessel charters must include the name of vessel
• Air charters:  Place orders in Workday, not with a Procard.  Order must include the aircraft make and model in the description or memo section of Workday.
• Use contracted suppliers when possible. See the benefits of using contracted suppliers.
• Deposits should be under 20% of the contract value. However, a larger deposit may be made when it is reasonable to do so. In no event should the entire charter be paid in advance. 

Contracted Suppliers

Benefits of Using Contracted Suppliers:

While the use of contracted suppliers is not mandatory, using these suppliers provides campus with some advantages:

• There is no need to obtain competitive bids for trips over $10k
• Terms and Conditions have already been negotiated
• Certificates of Insurance are on file
• Discounts may be available

These advantages can help departments save time and money, while protecting the University from unnecessary risk. When using a non-contracted supplier, the University must negotiate each term with the supplier to reduce the risk of loss and meet University compliance requirements.

Non-Contracted Suppliers

In Workday:

1. Submit by creating a Requisition to become a Purchase Order in Workday.
2. Select the Charters (SC1733) Spend Category.
3. Attach the charter agreement and insurance documentation to your order. (Required)
4. Make sure that the vessel name and the owner is captured in these documents.

Note: All charter orders should be reviewed by Purchasing, therefore, please ensure you tick the “Yes” to the question  “Do you have an agreement that needs to be reviewed and/or signed”  Remember to attach the agreement and the insurance documentation to the order.

Charter Contracts

At the University of Washington, only authorized procurement professionals with delegated authority are legally authorized to sign contracts to expend institutional funds. Individual departments have budgetary authority, which differs from signature authority.

Charter agreements require proof of insurance. Different types of charter agreements may require different types of insurance, and certain types may require insurance for equipment brought aboard. Departments are responsible for attaching insurance certificates to all non-contract orders submitted through Workday.

Important: The department, and potentially the individual will have ultimate financial responsibility for purchases signed at the department level. Please submit all proposed charter agreements for contract review through the Contract Review process.

What to look for:

• Insurance
  • See Insurance and minimum limits in policy/exceptions list
• Indemnification, Limitation of Liability, and Defense
  • Indemnification is the right of one party to require the other party to pay its damages to a third party in the event of a lawsuit.
    • Only indemnify contractors for UW employees and students. UW’s insurance only covers these individuals.
  • Limitation of Liability limits what one party to a contract is liable to the other party for.
    • The contractor should be liable for its negligence, not just its gross negligence
    • Look for proportionality: if the parties harm each other, is their liability similar?
  • Defense
    • UW will not agree to defend the contractor
  • Minimum Commitments, Cancelation Policies, and Damages Clauses
    • Ensure that you will meet the minimum commitment. Depending on the agreement, you will likely be charged the full amount, without regard to whether you reach the minimum number of attendees
    • Check the cancelation policy. If you cancel, how much will it cost? Liquidated damages over 50% with more than 30 days’ notice is typically considered unreasonable. Lower liquidated damages is better.
    • Check for liquidated damages clauses. Liquidated damages are agreed upon amounts that one party will pay the other upon the occurrence of an event that causes damages. What events trigger liquidated damages? Are these events likely to occur?

Reservations

When making a reservation with a contracted supplier, please provide the supplier with the contract number (referenced above).

All supplier documents that require signature for charters over the Direct Buy Limit should be reviewed and signed by a Contract Specialist in Procurement Services, regardless of the method of payment. To submit a reservation or other event document for review by a Contract Specialist, please submit the documents with the order in Workday. 

If a ProCard increase will be required to complete the purchase, the contract must first be approved by Procurement Services and then the increase request can be submitted in UW Connect using the  Card Service Form and attaching all documentation.

When making a reservation, make sure you understand the cancelation policy and avoid making a large deposit. In most instances, deposits should be under 20% of the contract value. However, a larger deposit may be made when it is reasonable to do so. In no event should the entire charter be paid in advance.

Procurement Services will be able to determine when a larger deposit is reasonable under the circumstances and provide guidance regarding cancelation policies.

Insurance

Charters (air/land/sea) require proof of insurance from the service provider. Campus is encouraged to use contracted suppliers for all charters, regardless of dollar amount to ensure that the service provider is properly insured.

Certificate of Liability Insurance form

Non-Contracted Suppliers:  In the event a non-contract supplier is used, the Charter company must include the University of Washington Board of Regents as additional insured and provide proof of the following types and levels of insurance, which should be attached to the order:

Vessel (Boat):

• Inland and Coastal Waters of the Contiguous 48 States- $1 Million in Marine Liability insurance coverage
• Outside Contiguous 48 States- $5 Million in Marine Protection and Indemnification insurance coverage

Aircraft:

• Charters carrying 2 or less UW Students, Staff, and/or Faculty: $3 Million Combined Single Limit insurance coverage with no less than $1 Million per passenger limit
• Charters carrying 10 or less UW Students, Staff, and/or Faculty: $50 Million Combined Single Limit insurance coverage, with no less than $1Million per passenger limit
• Charters carrying more than 10 UW Students, Staff, and/or Faculty: $100 Million Combined Single Limit Insurance coverage with no less than $1 Million per passenger limit

Bus (Shuttle / Coach):

• Single State Charters- $5 Million per Accident insurance coverage
• Multi-State Charters- $10 Million per Accident insurance coverage

Important: Utilizing a Charter company with inadequate levels or inappropriate types of insurance can result in significant liability for the department that entered into the contract.