SOLICITATION NOTICE
V -- Travel Management Services
- Notice Date
- 1/13/2003
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- Contracting Office
- General Accounting Office, Acquisition Management, Acquisition Management, 441 G Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20548
- ZIP Code
- 20548
- Solicitation Number
- OAM-2003-N-0002
- Response Due
- 2/12/2003
- Archive Date
- 2/27/2003
- Point of Contact
- Harold Miles, Senior Contract Specialist, Phone 202-512-3607, Fax 202-512-3999 or 2879, - Harold Miles, Senior Contract Specialist, Phone 202-512-3607, Fax 202-512-3999 or 2879,
- E-Mail Address
-
MILESH@GAO.GOV, MILESH@GAO.GOV
- Description
- (THIS IS PART 1 OF 2 OF GAO's PART 12 SYNOPSIS/SOLCITATION NO. OAM-2003-N-0002, SECTIONS I THROUGH VI) This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for an IDIQ contract based on firm fixed prices per-transaction for Travel Management (TM) services for GAO at its headquarters in the Washington DC metropolitan area and 11 field offices located throughout the continental United States. Included as part of the services to be provided are the travel services requirements for the Library of Congress (LOC). Services to be provided will include comprehensive travel services, management reporting services and basic meeting arrangements. In addition to the TM Services, GAO is seeking an optional Desktop Reservations Booking System. GAO's Travel Management Center's (TMC) desktop reservation booking system must have a self-service web-based online travel-booking engine with the flexibility to be interfaced with Gelco's Travel Manager (presently) 8.1 or higher and/or a system developed by the Government under the eTravel initiative. The booking system must be able to plan and make reservations for Government travelers using the Government city-pair contract fares, the Government rental car program, and the Government lodging programs. The desktop reservation booking system is being procured presently as an optional requirement. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. This is a Request for Proposals (RFP) OAM-2003-N-0002. This combined synopsis/solicitation is organized in fifteen (15) parts: I. General Requirements II. Background; III. Scope; IV. Facilities; V. Management Information VI. Titles of Addendum Statement of Work Requirements; VII. Format of Proposal; VIII. Price Proposal Instructions; IX. Evaluation Criteria; X. Applicability of FAR; XI. Addendum Custom GAO Clauses; XII. Procurement Schedule; XIII. Submission of Offeror's Technical Questions; XIV. Point of Contact; XV. Submission of Offers and XVI. Building Entry for Handcarried Proposals. I. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS: The purpose of this acquisition is to obtain commercial travel management services for the United States General Accounting Office. Under this contract, comprehensive domestic and international travel services, management reporting, and basic meeting arrangements will be provided. II. BACKGROUND: The General Accounting Office (GAO) is the investigative arm of the United States Congress, and is responsible for examining all matters related to the receipt, disbursement, and application of public funds. Congress, government agencies and the public rely on GAO for timely, independent, nonpartisan analysis. Principal GAO activities include: the conduct of audits and evaluations of government programs and activities; development of government wide accounting, auditing and evaluation principles and standards; provision of comprehensive legal services to the Congress and government agencies; and issuance of written reports and testimony to the Congress. GAO carries out its mission through headquarter units located in the Washington, DC and Baltimore, Maryland metropolitan area, and 11 field offices located throughout the continental United States. The bulk of all travel performed is for mission-related purposes, primarily the conduct of audits and evaluations, and often may be subject to short notice requests, as well as last minute and en route changes. Headquarters units account for approximately 40-50 percent of GAO travel expenditures, with the balance originating in field offices. Estimated GAO travel expenditures for the government fiscal year ending September 30, 2003 are: common carrier transportation - $4 million; lodging - $1.5 million; and car rental - $300,000. The LOC travel expenditures for the government fiscal year ending September 30, 2003 is: common carrier transportation - $750,000.00. The distribution of domestic and international travel expenses, respectively, is 80 and 20 percent. PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE VOLUMES ARE ESTIMATES ONLY; ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE; AND DO NOT REPRESENT A GUARANTEE OF SALES. Like many public and private organizations, GAO faces the prospect of an increased and more technologically complex workload without concurrent increases in staff or other resources. Consequently, it has turned its attention to seeking quality and productivity gains to meet the ever-growing demands and challenges of the future while maintaining its reputation for professional excellence. GAO anticipates that firms providing commercial goods and services to the agency will share its commitment to quality management principles and practices as a means of ensuring consistently reliable and responsive delivery of quality services to their clients. III. SCOPE: A. CORE SERVICES The contractor is solely responsible for assuring that services are provided in compliance with the terms and conditions of the contract. The contractor must have methods to make reservations at its servicing office(s) when its Computer Reservation System (CRS) system is not operating and/or when reservations must be made on an airline that does not subscribe to CRS. The contractor will provide or arrange for the following official travel services: RESERVATIONS AND TICKETING SERVICES - The contractor will provide GAO travelers with comprehensive reservation and ticketing services consistent with those normally provided to commercial accounts. The contractor is expected to make available to GAO any specialized reservation assistance normally provided to the contractor's preferred commercial accounts, such as international travel desks, executive help desks, dedicated hotel, car, and other supplier desks, and group/meeting arrangements. Air passenger tickets must be issued only from approved Airline Reporting Corporation (ARC) or its approved equivalent such as airline approved ticket stock. - The reservation system must be a WEB based application hosted on the vendor's data center. The reservation system must be compatible with Internet Explorer 5.1 or higher and the vendor's data center must support a virtual private network (VPN) connection to GAO's network. The reservation system must provide real-time updates to Gelco's Travel Manager version 8.1 or higher. - As reservations are made within the reservation system, estimated costs are updated on the Travel Manager travel order. Once a travel order is approved within Travel Manager, the travel is funded and the reservation system must process the tickets. When a travel order is cancelled within Travel Manager, the reservation system must also cancel all tickets and related reservations. GAO is hosting Travel Manager on a Windows 2000 server using an ORACLE 8.1.6 database on a separate WINDOWS NT 4 server. - The contractor must be able to participate in the Federal Government eTravel Initiative that establishes a single portal that Federal employees making official business trips use to obtain travel authorizations, make reservations, and pay for airline tickets and other expenses. The eTravel Initiative?s system will work much like commercial web-based systems that the public uses to book business travel. Ticketing Services: Make reservations and be capable of booking reservations through the Government's eTravel Initiative and/or Gelco?s Travel Manager 8.1 or higher; Issue and deliver tickets for all commercial modes of transportation to include air, rail, bus, or steamship; Provide last seat availability, boarding passes, and advance seat assignment on all airlines for which the contractor can provide these services; Provide the traveler with information/reservations for ground transportation service; Make itinerary changes; Issue refunds; Claim travelers' awards for frequent flyer airline benefits; Furnish other services related to making and booking a reservation.; and Consider use of prepaid tickets only as a last resort. Agency Travel Policy Compliance: Comply with GSA's Airline City-Pair Program; Participate in the Federal Government eTravel Initiative which establishes a single portal that Federal employees making official business trips use to obtain travel authorizations, make reservations, and pay for airline tickets and other expenses. The system will work much like commercial web-based systems that the public uses to book business travel. Comply with the provisions of the Fly America Act; GAO's Actual Subsistence policy limits maximum reimbursement to 150% of the established lodging and Meals & Incidentals Expenses rate; Premium class travel must be authorized on the official travel authorization prior to issuance of ticket. All requests for use of premium class fares should be reported to the COTR prior to issuance of ticket. Lowest available fare except for the constraints of the contract city-pair airline program and the Fly America Act, require prepayment audit by the contractor to confirm the lowest available rate at the time of ticketing. Use of fares involving penalties for changes or cancellations should be considered only on a case-by-case basis where travelers can meet all applicable restrictions, and there is little likelihood that plans will change. When such fares are used for official segments of travel, they should be authorized on the travel authorization in order to protect the traveler from individual liability for paying any penalty resulting from a change/cancellation beyond his or her control. When such fares are used for personal segments of travel taken in conjunction with official trips, travelers are responsible for paying any penalties resulting from a change or cancellation and should be so advised by the contractor at the time reservations are made. When no contract or other discount fares are available, full coach fares may be used. Book domestic rental cars using the Military Traffic Management Command (MTMC) Department of Defense?s negotiated rental car agreements. Federal travelers will not be reimbursed insurance coverage for non-MTMC car rentals for domestic rentals. Lodging Reservations: Comprehensive lodging services to include: Making and confirming hotel and motel reservations and rates, to the extent possible, within the per diem rates set for government travelers. Travelers must be advised if their lodging rate exceeds the authorized per diem rate for a locality. Contractor is reminded that the final selection of lodging accommodations rests with the traveler; Book reservations in compliance with the Hotel and Motel Fire Safety Act of 1990 and the Government's eTravel Initiative; Knowledge and ability to book travelers in hotels participating in the GSA Federal Premier Lodging Program; Knowledge of tax exemptions offered to federal travelers, and to the extent practical, to have available applicable state and local tax exemption forms. Commercial Rental Vehicle Reservations ? Use of the Department of Defense Military Traffic Management Command (MTMC) negotiated discount automobile rental agreements; Provide lowest available rates if there are no government rates, including corporate or preferred rates, available to or negotiated by the contractor; Advise overseas travelers of the need to obtain insurance for overseas car rentals; Secure automobile insurance for overseas travelers; and Book reservations through the Government's eTravel Initiative. Accommodations for Persons with Disabilities Arrange necessary and reasonable special accommodations, including, but not limited to, airline seating, in-terminal transfers, ground transportation, and barrier-free or otherwise accessible lodging. International Travel ? Arrange for international travel, including reservations and ticket delivery for air, rail, bus, or steamship transportation, reservations for hotel/motel accommodations, and for car rental services; Advise travelers on: Documentation requirements, including passports and visas; Necessary health and safety requirements, including inoculations and vaccinations either required or suggested; Locations of American embassies and consulates; Foreign currency exchange rates and transactions, securing automobile insurance in conjunction with foreign car rentals, excess baggage requirements and fees; Conditions at foreign destinations, including climatic conditions, appropriate and essential types of clothing, national and religious holidays, civil unrest, etc.; and Upon request, the contractor must assist travelers in obtaining passports and visas. Itineraries/Passenger Receipt Coupon A complete, automated itinerary document including, but not limited to, the following: (a) carrier(s); (b) flight, train, bus, or voyage numbers and schedules; (c) if use of a non-contract air carrier is authorized, annotate on the itinerary the exception code justifying the use of a non city-pair fare; (d) departure and arrival time(s) for each segment of the trip; (e) name, phone number, location, room rate, and confirmation number of hotels/motels booked by the Contractor at each destination; guaranteed arrival check-in time; cancellation requirements; and, where applicable, tax exempt information; (f) vehicle rental information, to include name and telephone number of supplier, pickup and return dates, confirmed rate, and confirmation number and, where applicable, special pickup instructions and hours of operation, notably for off-airport suppliers; (g) local and toll-free phone numbers for both the servicing office and the after-hours emergency service location; (h) special notices or information requested by GAO; (i) a statement and a copy of the passenger receipt coupon with all charges associated with the transportation ticket, including the ticket number, price, fees charged, and a description of those fees; and (j) travel authorization number. Ticket Delivery Ensure timely delivery of tickets, itineraries, and other travel documents to Federal travelers. Unless otherwise requested, tickets and other documents will be issued no earlier than necessary to arrive two (2) days before departure. ? Primary method of ticket delivery will be ticketless or electronic ticketing where available and when acceptable to traveler. When electronic ticketing is not available, U.S. first class mail or overnight delivery, as appropriate, will be used to ensure timely ticket delivery. Fees for ticket issuance/delivery apply when (1) ticketless or electronic ticketing is available but not acceptable to the traveler, or (2) when electronic ticket delivery is not available and the traveler requires a delivery option beyond that required to ensure timely ticket delivery. The Contractor will be able to provide ticket delivery for emergency tickets at an appropriate domestic airport within two (2) hours notice by the traveler. NOTE: The offeror is invited to propose how they would provide ticket delivery services to GAO. Reconciliation of Centrally Billed Accounts: The contractor shall have the ability to provide at no cost automated reconciliation of transportation billings charged through GAO?s centrally billed accounts with GAO's charge card vendor. The contractor must use an automated accounting system with a direct interface among the reservation, ticketing, and accounting elements so that all passenger reports and summary data are automatically generated from point-of-sale information. The contractor shall acknowledge receipt of a transaction file from the charge card vendor within one (1) working day. No later than five (5) working days from receipt of transaction file, the Contractor shall match the charge card vendor's transaction file data against its own transactions and provide GAO with reconciled charges, or notify the charge card vendor and GAO if, and why, the file cannot be used for reconciliation. IV. FACILITIES - Government Space - GAO will provide up to 1,000 square feet of office space in its headquarters office building for the Travel Management Center?s (TMC) reservation staff. GAO will provide necessary space for installation of equipment at designated locations. Any renovations or alterations to space, to include erection or removal of walls and partitions, electrical or plumbing connections, phone installation, painting, carpeting, and other work related to equipment installation or occupancy of space will be at the contractor?s expense. All such arrangements must be coordinated through appropriate GAO officials. GAO will provide telephone service, reasonable office space, furnishings and equipment as required for one agent in the GAO headquarters building if the TMC's full reservation staff is located off-site. Hours of Operation: Monday through Friday between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Eastern time. In the event of emergencies (e.g., Presidential declared disasters, forest fires, evacuations, floods, hurricanes, etc.), the Contractor will maintain operations necessary to support the agencies under this contract. A Contractor may offer and price overtime services for emergency situations; and ? 24-hour-a-day access for emergency service and necessary delivery of tickets. Telephone Service Dedicated local or toll-free telephone service Monday thru Friday between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. eastern time; 24-hour toll-free number that allows travelers immediate access to a reservation agent to make after hour emergency reservations or perform emergency itinerary changes outside regular business hours; Accept collect calls when toll-free access is unavailable Answer 80 percent of the calls within 20 seconds (measured on a monthly basis) and provide a recorded message for those calls not answered within 20 seconds. The recorded message shall give the traveler at least two options--to hold or to leave a message for a call back. Return calls will be made within one (1) hour. The recorded message should advise employees what to do when telephone services are delayed because of unexpected call volumes resulting from weather-related or other emergencies. In lieu of a recorded message, the Contractor may use an alternative system for ensuring timely response to travelers. NOTE: The offeror is also invited to propose how they will provide services to GAO. Facsimile/E-Mail: Respond to facsimile or e-mail requests by close of business on the following business day, unless travel needs to be scheduled sooner. V. MANAGEMENT INFORMATION - In accordance with its standard commercial practices, the Contractor will provide management information from data elements contained in the reservation and ticketing records, as well as data elements such as accounting codes, travel authorization numbers, etc., as requested. The contractor shall ensure that all program information is secure, at a minimum, according to standard commercial practices. Data access shall be restricted to individuals authorized by this contract or authorized individuals designated by GAO. Management Reports 1. The contractor will make available to GAO the same full range of management reports customarily produced for their commercial accounts. The contractor should provide GAO with raw data collected on the account so that GAO can generate its own management reports which should be available in ASCII or spreadsheet file format. Final selection of specific reports, frequency, media and recipients will be determined by the Contracting Officer (CO) and Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) in coordination with the contractor subsequent to contract award. 2. If not already included in the contractor's standard reports package, the contractor will provide the following reports to GAO headquarters and field offices, as noted: (a) Monthly Sales and Progress Report. A brief, monthly report submitted to the CO and COTR containing a general summary of monthly business volumes and sales activity, and a narrative description of special accomplishments and outstanding problems or issues, particularly those which may require CO/COTR participation to resolve; (b) Billing Analysis Report. A monthly listing containing full detail of all common carrier ticket purchases to be used as an accounting report to verify invoices and a reconciliation tool to verify charge account purchases. Separate reports will be required for GAO headquarters and field offices. At the request of each report recipient, the contractor will also include additional identifying data, such as travel order numbers, and accounting and job codes; and (c) A quarterly summary report in a format to be established by the contractor, but containing at least the following minimum information summarized for GAO headquarters and field offices: (1) Air/rail transportation - dollar sales: - total dollar sales - total contract fare sales - cost avoidance based on difference between actual sales and lowest unrestricted coach fares; (2) Air/rail transportation - tickets issued: - total tickets issued total tickets issued on contract carriers subtotaled by contract and non-contract fares - total contract fare exception tickets issued; (3) International abstract - transportation: - total dollar sales - total tickets issued; (4) Other transportation sales: - total dollar sales - total tickets issued; and (5) Other travel services: - hotel bookings by total number of transactions and room nights - car rental bookings by total number of transactions and rental days. 3. Monthly reports described in paragraph two (2) above are due no later than 20 days after the end of the report month. The quarterly summary report is due no later than 30 days following the end of the quarter, and will be based on standard quarters of the government fiscal year (October 1 - September 30). The contractor must also maintain an accurate database that can generate reports and has on-line access. 4. The Contractor will provide automated reconciliation of transportation billings charged through GAO's centrally billed accounts. 5. Use of prepaid tickets should be considered only as a last resort. 6. At the request of each participating GAO location, the contractor will include additional identifying data, such as travel order number, and accounting and job codes. 7. Provide GSA with reporting data normally submitted by other Government agencies. VI. TITLES OF ADDENDUM STATEMENT OF WORK REQUIREMENTS: NOTE: in addition to the above core services, incorporated by reference and made a part of this Part 12 synopsis/solicitation are the following addendum Statement of Work requirements: 1. PERSONNEL, 2. CUSTOMER SUPPORT, 3. QUALITY CONTROL, 4. IMPLEMENTATION, 5. MEMORANDA OF UNDERSTANDING and 6. TRANSITION REQUIREMENTS. Interested firms must request a copy of the addendum SOW requirements by sending an email with their address to milesh@gao.gov (c/o Harold Miles). NOTE: PLESE SEE FEDBIZOPPS SECTION V TO OBTAIN PART 2 OF THE MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS FOR OAM-2003-N-0002, SECTIONS VII THROUGH XVI).
- Place of Performance
- Address: U.S. General Accounting Office, 441 G Street NW, Washington DC
- Zip Code: 20548
- Country: United States
- Zip Code: 20548
- Record
- SN00238124-W 20030115/030113213626 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps.gov Link to This Notice
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