Deadline approaches for eTravel

With a Dec. 31 deadline looming, agencies are snatching up eTravel contracts and preparing to migrate to new travel systems, but as many as three agencies will wait until after the New Year to make an award.

Timothy Burke, the General Service Administration's eTravel Service program manager, said the Treasury and Transportation departments have already installed an eTravel program and have plans for migrating to the new system, but two agencies, and possibly a third, will be make their eTravel award after the Dec. 31 deadline.

Burke said the agencies are delaying the award because of ongoing financial system upgrades. Because the eTravel Service programs will plug into agencies' financial systems, the agencies wanted to complete the upgrades before deciding on an eTravel vendor.

Earlier this month, CW Government Travel Inc. was awarded GSA's eTravel Service award that is valued at $10 million for 23 months with options that could extend the agreement for a total of nine years. The company's program, E2 Solutions, will also service the Labor and State departments, the Agency for International Development, the Small Business Administration, the Holocaust Memorial Museum and the National Business Center.

EDS's FedTraveler.com is currently contracted with the Justice, Commerce and Agriculture departments, the National Science Foundation and the Federal Trade Commission; Northrop Grumman Corp.'s GovTrip will serve the Health and Human Services, Transportation and Treasury departments, the National Archives and the Environmental Protection Agency.

About 2,000 workers are using the eTravel systems on a monthly basis, according to Burke, and he expects that number to rise to as many as 6,000 in January. Burke said the systems' biggest challenge is ensuring that the government is getting the best price on airline tickets, rental cars and hotel rooms, while the agencies' challenge is to remain on schedule. "If some unpredictability occurs, it requires a great deal of effort to stay on that schedule and keeping eTravel from getting pushed to the back burner."

GSA spokeswoman Viki Reath said vendors are meeting or exceeding their small business contracting plans.

Small travel agencies have complained that the new system locks small agencies out of the federal travel business, which totals about $20 billion annually, because each eTravel system is aligned with a travel agency.

Ted R. Lawson, chairman of the Society of Government Travel Professionals technology committee, sent a letter to federal executives requesting that they consider qualified small travel agencies. He said this would allow the government to fully consider all travel agencies and be able to use small travel agencies in fulfilling federal small business subcontracting goals.

Burke said that small travel-agency business with federal agencies has reflected the marketplace in that large clients contract with large travel agencies. He did acknowledge that there was some confusion in communicating between offices around the country, but he believes that streamlining the booking process will make the market more competitive.