SOURCES SOUGHT
U -- RFI - TRAVEL MANAGER TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION PROGRAM
- Notice Date
- 8/13/2007
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 611430
— Professional and Management Development Training
- Contracting Office
- General Services Administration, Federal Supply Service (FSS), Travel and Transportation Acquisition Support Division (QMAC), 2200 Crystal Drive, Crystal Plaza #4, Room 300, Arlington, VA, 22202, UNITED STATES
- ZIP Code
- 00000
- Solicitation Number
- Reference-Number-RFI-CY-000001
- Response Due
- 8/30/2007
- Archive Date
- 9/14/2007
- Description
- REQUEST FOR INFORMATION/SOURCES SOUGHT TRAVEL MANAGER TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION PROGRAM For Federal Employees DESCRIPTION The General Services Administration, Office of Travel, Motor Vehicles and Card Services, Travel and Transportation Acquisition Support Division (QMAC) is posting a Request for Information (RFI) to determine venders? capabilities and interest in potentially providing the Federal Government with a Travel Manager Training and Certification Program. QMAC is seeking information in the form of capability statements from all interested parties with the skills, knowledge, experience and capabilities necessary to meet the stated requirements. BACKGROUND The government lacks a certified training and education program for travel professionals at federal agencies to gain the necessary knowledge and experience to deliver consistent best-in-class travel management practices for their agencies. The goal of travel management excellence throughout the government is important, given the travel expenses incurred across the government and the investments made in upgrading shared services programs such as E-Gov Travel. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) estimates the budget for object class 21 (travel and transportation of persons) as follows: Object Classification (in millions of dollars) Object Class 21 Description Travel and transportation of persons 2006 actual 20 2007 est. 23 2008 est. 24 It is important to ensure that the senior travel professional at each government agency, who is charged with overseeing all components of the agencies travel management program, has the necessary skill sets to perform the functions expected of them. Additionally, the other intended audience for this training is senior travel department professionals involved in travel policy, vendor management, risk management, overseeing their agency?s E-Gov Travel Service, travel finance and budgeting, as well as those responsible for authorizing travel. The overall intended audience throughout the government to which a Travel Manager Training and Certification Program would apply is undetermined but could initially be in the range of 100-200 students. Having a trained workforce will result in best-in-class travel management practices and deliver the following outcomes: ? Increased travel policy and compliance ? Better utilization of negotiated rates ? Leveraged spending ? Stronger oversight of travel spending ? Performance metrics for cost, satisfaction and effectiveness of operational model ? Best value ? Improved audit ability ? Improved supplier management ? Strategic use of human capital REQUIRED SERVICES/PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS The future procurement, if one should occur, will be for a professional travel manager training and development program, which would be offered to all federal agencies, which they in turn would be able to individually access in order to best meet their needs. Anticipated requirements and performance characteristics of the program would include, but are not limited to characteristics listed below. However, it is possible that industry has already established the optimum curriculum and standards for professional travel manager training and certification. The government is looking for industry?s current capability to the extent that there is an industry recognized Travel Manager Training and Certification Program available and the extent to which it would be applicable to the government. The program should: ? Implement world-class commercial travel training processes; ? Offer certification and non-certification professional travel management training opportunities; ? Deliver content via web-based training and/or class room training; ? Include content covering Fundamentals of Travel Management ? Include content covering Financial Management ? Include content covering Change Management techniques; ? Include content covering Business Process Re-engineering techniques; ? Include content covering Program Evaluation techniques; ? Include content covering Risk Management Strategies; ? Include content covering Performance Management techniques, including how to establish baselines for government performance to benchmark against commercial best practices; ? Include content covering Federal travel management regulations and policies; ? Include content covering optimizing use of a organization?s preferred suppliers; ? Include content covering corporate travel management best practices; ? Comply with common characteristics of best-in-class travel training including business drivers, supply chain, governance, and service provided; ? Include strategies and processes for increasing customer satisfaction by optimizing travel training and support processes. You are encouraged to comment on government specific content, if any, that you advise to complement core curriculum. Students successfully completing the entire program should be able to: ? Identify strategies for effectively implementing policy and programs across an enterprise; ? Identify strategies for applying commercial best practices most effectively in their agencies? travel programs; ? Identify strategies for establishing performance measures for their agencies? travel programs and comparing those measures against other agencies? travel programs and commercial best practices; What other skills does your students master? CAPABILITY STATEMENT REQUIREMENTS Interested vendors must submit their responses to this RFI no later than 4:00 P.M. EDT August 30, 2007. Responses must contain the following information: 1) A one page summary of the contractor?s relevant Government and/or non Government past performance with references and contact information; 2) A one page corporate summary, including your web-site address, and (3) a detailed capability statement that addresses the vendor?s travel management expertise, travel industry knowledge, government travel knowledge, experience in providing travel training programs, ability to provide a program that meets the requirements and performance characteristics described in this RFI and answers the questions listed in Appendix A (no page limitations apply but reasonable and concise answers are requested). If you have questions, please include those questions in your response. While a critical issue can be brought to the attention of the Contracting Officer, the government does not anticipate extending the due date. Any vendor responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine relevant qualifications. The Government reserves the right to select potential sources from which to solicit this requirement, should a resultant procurement occur. Only vendors having relevant experience will be deemed qualified for future consideration. This is a Request for Information/Sources Sought notice only. This is not a Request for Proposals and in no way commits the Government to establish a contract, blanket purchase agreement or task order with any vendor. The Government does not intend to establish a task order solely on submissions to this Request for Information/Sources Sought notice, nor does it intend to pay for any costs incurred in response to this notice. Appendix A - Questions Additional Questions to be addressed: 1. What would be considered the optimum curriculum content for both professional travel management certification and non-certification tracts? 2. To what extent would your solution require coordination with GSA programs and policy groups and other government subject matter experts in order to ensure content relevancy? 3. What are the vendor?s suggested criteria for admission to, retention in and graduation from the professional travel management certification program? 4. If you were asked to create a Travel Manager toolbox (library of information) as part of this professional development program, what would you suggest the content be? 5. What would be the optimum delivery methods for certification and non-certification training? 6. What costs (training travel, membership fees) do program participants incur? 7. Once students complete the certification program, what does the vendor recommend as criteria for students to maintain their certification? 8. Will students earn continuing education units or credits for completing all or portions of the vendor?s proposed professional travel management program? 9. How will your organization market your programs to prospective students?
- Record
- SN01371236-W 20070815/070813221923 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
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FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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