Do contractors have jftr entitlements

Answer 1

No. The Federal Acquisition Regulations, not the JTR, FTR or JFTR applies to contractor travel. Travel must be reasonable, allocable and allowable and the lodging and per diem reimbursements need to be in line with the ceilings the government provides. The FAR identifies which regulation to use for lodging and per diem. The JFTR, although not directly applicable to contractors, is a good source of guidelines to follow. To wit, if the government does not deem fit to reimburse a certain expense for its own employees, then it may not be reasonable for the contractor to consider the same expense as reasonable, allowable and billable! Consistent application, good judgment and a written policy that justifies reimbursable expenses under a qualified plan is a companies best bet.