bcd travel federal government

BCD Travel invests in its government services practice to unlock full potential of U.S. federal agency travel programs

ATLANTA, Feb. 21, 2019 – BCD Travel today announced the rollout of an enhanced government services practice to expand its travel program offerings tailored to federal agencies within the U.S. The practice is focused on making travel easier for federal employees and contractors, increasing travel program transparency for federal travel managers and bolstering savings.

BCD Government Travel already supports the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Environmental Protection Agency, as well as Fortune 500 companies in the Aerospace & Defense sector. The expansion of its government services practice is part of BCD’s aggressive growth plan. “This plan calls for heavy investment in technology and people,” said Tracy Maier, Senior Vice President, North America, who oversees BCD’s government agency clients. The result for government clients, Maier said: “great service and support.”

BCD’s revamped government services program gives federal travel managers and their travelers access to curated information and resources aimed at federal agencies. This includes BCD’s proprietary TripSource® trip management platform and DecisionSource® analytics and reporting platform; federal guidelines; domestic and per diem rates; GSA government-contracted airfares; and General Services Administration-approved hotel rates.

BCD typically invests over 40% of earnings back into technology and infrastructure. Some of that investment will support BCD Government Travel’s dedicated team of experienced travel counselors trained specifically to support government accounts. The investment will also be used to enhance the program’s new government services website , personalized to the unique travel program needs of federal agencies.

TripSource provides access to trip details, hotel booking, itinerary sharing, real-time flight notifications, global risk alerts, emergency response and convenient 24/7 access via desktop, tablet or mobile device. With DecisionSource, federal agencies and their travelers get integrated and consolidated data in a single report, traveler security tracking for enhanced duty of care, and reporting and spend transparency to help satisfy public expectations.

“We’re here to help government agencies unlock the potential of their travel programs,” said Mark Stone, director of business development for BCD Government Travel. “We can meet the needs of U.S. government travelers and provide them exceptional support while continuing to address the requirements of public agencies to achieve savings and transparency on travel spend.”

Those interested in learning more about BCD Government Travel may visit www.bcdtravel.com/gov .

About BCD Travel

BCD Travel helps companies travel smart and achieve more. We drive program adoption, cost savings and talent retention through digital experiences that simplify business travel. Our 13,000 dedicated team members service clients in 170+ countries as we shape a sustainable future for business travel. For more information, visit www.bcdtravel.com .

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BCD Travel Expands Government Travel Services: Interview with Tracy Maier, SVP, BCD Government Travel

Apr 1, 2019 | Defense Transportation Journal

By Sharon Lo, Managing Editor, DTJ & NDTAGram

Recently BCD announced the rollout of an enhanced government services practice to expand its travel program offerings tailored to federal agencies. DTJ caught up with Tracy Maier, Senior Vice President, to find out more and gain some insights into the greater government travel space.

DTJ : Thank you for taking the time to chat today. BCD recently expanded its government services practice—what exactly did that expansion entail?

Ms. Maier : At BCD, we’ve always invested in people and technology. For our government services practice, we invested in a government-dedicated team of highly-experienced travel counselors who also have an exceptional service approach. Because government travel has distinct requirements, we’ve developed counselor training programs aimed specifically at government travel. We also increased our depth and breadth in business development, account management and leadership, which serves to ensure we’re active in the government travel arena.

From a technology standpoint, we’re applying our proprietary technology used for corporate travel to government travel. This includes our Tripsource ® traveler engagement platform and DecisionSource ® analytics and intelligence platform. We integrated federal guidelines, domestic and per diem rates, GSA government-contracted airfares and GSA-approved hotel rates into these platforms. That means the experience, whether you’re a traveler, travel manager or contracting officer, is easy and compliant. We also developed a website tailored specifically to government traveler and travel managers, where they can find information and advice to improve their travel and their program.

This is the beginning. We know as the government modernizes its travel program, we’ll continue to enhance our people’s skills and our technology’s capabilities. BCD typically invests 40 percent of its earnings back into technology and infrastructure. We see that being the case across corporate and government—and we’re committed to continuing that investment.

DTJ : What was the major driver(s) behind this expansion?

Ms. Maier : The government is undergoing a great deal of modernization. Civilian government agencies started their modernization project about five years ago; the Department of Defense is starting its own project now. In each instance, there’s an appetite to align with industry best practices.

Both DOD and civilian agencies want to attract and retain valuable talent. Studies from industry associations, including the Global Business Travel Association, indicate that the travel program is one of the criteria individuals consider when determining their next career move. So while some may think the travel program is simply a given, we’re finding that it drives choice—the choice to work for an organization or not. Additionally, the service provided to travelers impacts their productivity and satisfaction. A smooth, efficient and engaging service experience results in travelers that arrive at their destination ready to work. For the government, it’s important to implement travel-related opportunities the private sector enjoys. And there are pockets of opportunity for improvement, in areas like service delivery, technology and reporting.

We’ve been part of that modernization, starting with the civilian government several years ago. With modernization comes change. And with change comes choice. We believe it’s a good time to offer government agencies—both military and civilian—more choice.

DTJ : You mentioned change. Any advice for those travel managers facing change?

Ms. Maier : Agencies are no longer locked into the status quo, so their opportunities increase tremendously. Government travel is not typical or business as usual. My advice to travel managers is to look for processes and partners that make your agency’s travel and travel management easier. For travelers, that can take the shape of better technology and tools, along with better support before, during and after the trip. For travel management, it includes a greater choice of TMCs with whom to partner. Expect a higher level of delivery across the program, including traveler service, duty of care and reporting to support compliance and agency transparency. All these equip you to prove your agency is making the most of taxpayer dollars and fulfilling its fiduciary responsibility to the public.

DTJ : So with the changes you have made, what are the major advantages you are hoping to achieve for your government customers?

Ms. Maier : We’re focusing on three key areas: traveler support, cost savings and increased transparency. We know the future holds immense opportunity for government agencies in these areas. I like to think of helping our client agencies achieve headlines like, “Government employees report all-time satisfaction record with their travel program,” “Agency traveler hold times reach near non-existent status,” “Agency drives savings to new heights with increased compliance to government rates,” or “Agency gives public full view of travel budget investment.” Each of these builds the profile of the agency with their travelers, their leaders and their constituents.

DTJ : How did these changes affect the BCD team?

Ms. Maier : When we increased our government focus, we created opportunities within our own organization to expand current employees’ skillsets. For instance, corporate travel counselors who want to add to their experience can come into the government practice and learn the information, resources and processes critical for successful government travel management. That can include the GSA City Pair Program, Fly America Act, FedRooms and other areas specific to official travel. We have distinct training programs for our government counselors and that training prepares agents to handle complex government requirements. And while these counselors may need to learn the specifics of the government arena, they come with a strong client service mentality, as that’s important to every role at BCD.

We’ve increased roles and opportunities in business development, account management, IT management and leadership as well. These roles not only support our government clients, but also ensure we actively participate in helping realize the future of government travel.

Our focus also enables us to attract top talent, whether they’re starting out in the industry or have been working in it for years. Our culture, combined with our technology investment, has made us a place where top travel counselors want to invest their time and talent.

DTJ : You’ve touched a bit on your technology solutions—can you tell us a little more about that?

Ms. Maier : Our corporate travel clients use our proprietary TripSource ® traveler engagement platform and DecisionSource ® analytics and intelligence platform on a daily basis. TripSource ® simplifies travel, enabling travelers to access their trip details, book hotels, share itineraries, get real-time flight notifications and other alerts, as well as respond in an emergency, all through 24/7 access on desktop, tablet or mobile devices. DecisionSource ® gives travel, procurement and financial managers the business intelligence they need to manage their travel program better, provide duty of care, increase spend transparency and make faster and more confident decisions. When appropriate, these platforms can be made available for our government clients.

Beyond our platforms, one of the areas where we’re focusing is data protection. We recognize the significance of government travelers and the duty we have to protect their data. For example, traditional ways of paying for hotel stays can be improved upon with technology-based options, like virtual cards and virtual payment automation. We’ve seen clients benefit greatly from virtual payment automation, which protects traveler data, removes the payment burden from travelers and, at the same time, streamlines payment and reconciliation for travel management.

Another area we know all organizations and agencies are concerned about is duty of care. In today’s world, it’s not a matter of if, but when a crisis will occur. We’re using technology and technology partners to help travel and security departments locate impacted travelers quickly and precisely, send alerts and reach out to them to check on their wellbeing or offer emergency assistance. When a crisis matters, seconds count.

DTJ : BCD has already been providing support to the Department of Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency, and other federal entities—how do travel needs vary across departments and agencies?

Ms. Maier : Agency travel is not your typical business as usual. Always on service requirements, exceptionally large programs, and extreme confidentiality requirements are just a few examples of that. And each agency has its own challenges. For example, the Department of Defense has special considerations distinct from civilian agencies; for the DOD, we’re combat enablers which can include rush deployments. Some agencies have surge travel due to disasters. In those situations, we operate with a “all hands on deck” mentality to get federal employees where they need to be to provide necessary support. Other agencies have their own distinct needs, which may not fit into a typical model. We operate 24/7, so we can handle specialized needs no matter when or how they happen.

Successful TMCs aren’t one-size-fits-all; they need to be willing to customize to make clients’ jobs easier. Quite simply, that’s what we aim to do every day.

DTJ : What excites you about what you see in the government travel space?

Ms. Maier : We’re excited about the federal government aligning with industry best practices to adopt what’s working and adapt it for official travel. There’s an intentional recognition of the complexity and significance of official travel—that all who touch the travel program, regardless of role, are combat enablers for the DOD and service enablers for the civilian side. The recent reduction of the travel policy from hundreds of pages to a guide that can be read in about 15 minutes is testament to that. And that’s just the start—government travel leaders are looking at every component of the travel program to achieve modernization goals. Using the right travel management company is critical to accomplishing those goals; agencies need a TMC that can flex with them rather than remain locked into historical practices. We’re excited to help agencies adapt proven processes and tools to the government arena.

DTJ : Being that BCD’s expertise originated in corporate travel, how do the two compare?

Ms. Maier : Regardless of what arena our clients are in, travel should always be evolving. In corporate travel, we typically say 3-5 percent of spend is invested in managing the program. The other 95-97 percent is spent with suppliers. Your TMC needs to understand that and work for you on making the most of the 95-97 percent. Our experience with corporate travel means we can bring best practices from that environment to the government in areas like cost reduction, traveler engagement, duty of care and technologies that overlay and enable those.

The best TMC partner also looks out for what’s coming ahead. As I mentioned before, duty of care is a big focus for government and corporate organizations alike. But what actions do you take to proactively impact duty of care? There’s a variety of actions you can take. For one, we know that increased hotel attachment directly impacts ability to reach travelers quickly in the event of a crisis. So we’ve been helping corporate clients increase their duty of care effectiveness by increasing their hotel attachment. We can bring this same expertise to government agencies.

And we’ve learned a lot about traveler engagement from the corporate arena. You can foster traveler engagement by ensuring travelers know the value they bring to their role. For the government, ensuring travelers know the value they bring to our country through their travel is essential. Using industry best practices, we can help agencies find ways to enhance their communication so travelers know how they contribute to the greater good.

DTJ : Is there anything we have not covered that you would like to share with DTJ readers?

Ms. Maier : The commitment DOD employees have made in their careers is humbling. We’re honored to serve government travelers and travel management. The outlook is exciting for government travel and we’re committed to helping agencies realize their future potential. We believe that change and choice can lead to very good results for the government, its agencies and its travelers.

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BCD Travel invests in its government services practice to unlock full potential of U.S. federal agency travel programs

BCD Government Travel already supports the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Environmental Protection Agency, as well as Fortune 500 companies in the Aerospace & Defense sector.

UTRECHT, THE NETHERLANDS – BCD Travel announced the rollout of an enhanced government services practice to expand its travel program offerings tailored to federal agencies within the U.S. The practice is focused on making travel easier for federal employees and contractors, increasing travel program transparency for federal travel managers and bolstering savings.

BCD Government Travel already supports the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Environmental Protection Agency, as well as Fortune 500 companies in the Aerospace & Defense sector. The expansion of its government services practice is part of BCD’s aggressive growth plan. “This plan calls for heavy investment in technology and people,” said Tracy Maier , Senior Vice President, North America, who oversees BCD’s government agency clients. The result for government clients, Maier said: “Great service and support.”

BCD’s revamped government services program gives federal travel managers and their travelers access to curated information and resources aimed at federal agencies. This includes BCD’s proprietary TripSource trip management platform and DecisionSource analytics and reporting platform; federal guidelines; domestic and per diem rates; GSA government-contracted airfares; and General Services Administration-approved hotel rates.

BCD typically invests over 40% of earnings back into technology and infrastructure. Some of that investment will support BCD Government Travel’s dedicated team of experienced travel counselors trained specifically to support government accounts. The investment will also be used to enhance the program’s new government services website, personalized to the unique travel program needs of federal agencies.

TripSource provides access to trip details, hotel booking, itinerary sharing, real-time flight notifications, global risk alerts, emergency response and convenient 24/7 access via desktop, tablet or mobile device. With DecisionSource, federal agencies and their travelers get integrated and consolidated data in a single report, traveler security tracking for enhanced duty of care, and reporting and spend transparency to help satisfy public expectations.

“We’re here to help government agencies unlock the potential of their travel programs,” said Mark Stone , director of business development for BCD Government Travel. “We can meet the needs of U.S. government travelers and provide them exceptional support while continuing to address the requirements of public agencies to achieve savings and transparency on travel spend.”

Tatiana Rokou

Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.

She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.

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U.S. Government Accountability Office

CW Government Travel, Inc. d/b/a CWTSato Travel

CW Government Travel, Inc. (CWT), of Arlington, Virginia, protests the terms of request for quotations (RFQ) No. 47QMCB21Q0026, issued by the General Services Administration (GSA) on behalf of the Department of Defense (DOD), Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO) for travel management company (TMC) services. The protester contends that GSA unlawfully cancelled the prior solicitation for this acquisition to avoid correcting the errors in its prior evaluation and issuance of a task order to BCD Travel, USA, LLC (BCD) after the Court of Federal Claims issued a permanent injunction and enjoined performance of that task order. The protester further contends that the RFQ, as revised from the prior solicitation, is now inadequate to permit vendors to compete on an intelligent basis, and reflects bias in favor of BCD.

DOCUMENT FOR PUBLIC RELEASE The decision issued on the date below was subject to a GAO Protective Order. This redacted version has been approved for public release.

Matter of:  CW Government Travel, Inc. d/b/a CWTSato Travel

File:  B-420412; B-420412.2

Date:   March 23, 2022

Lars E. Anderson, Esq., Charlotte R. Rosen, Esq., and James P. Miller, Esq., Odin, Feldman & Pittleman, P.C., for the protester. Jeremiah Strack, Esq., General Services Administration, for the agency. Charmaine A. Stevenson, Esq., and John Sorrenti, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision.

1.  Protest alleging that the solicitation does not provide adequate information or relative weights for technical evaluation criteria to reasonably permit vendors to prepare competitive quotations is denied where the solicitation provides adequate information for vendors to compete intelligently and on an equal basis.

2.  Protest that the solicitation improperly fails to state that the agency will perform an unbalanced pricing analysis is denied where it is undisputed that the agency is legally required to analyze unbalanced pricing in its evaluation of vendors’ quotations, and the agency states that it will perform such an analysis.

3.  Protest that the agency’s decision to cancel the prior solicitation and issue a new one after the Court of Federal Claims issued a permanent injunction and enjoined task order performance is evidence of bias in favor of the prior awardee is denied where the agency has provided reasonable justification for its chosen course of corrective action.

CW Government Travel, Inc. (CWT), of Arlington, Virginia, protests the terms of request for quotations (RFQ) No. 47QMCB21Q0026, issued by the General Services Administration (GSA) on behalf of the Department of Defense (DOD), Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO) for travel management company (TMC) services.  The protester contends that GSA unlawfully cancelled the prior solicitation for this acquisition to avoid correcting the errors in its prior evaluation and issuance of a task order to BCD Travel, USA, LLC (BCD) after the Court of Federal Claims issued a permanent injunction and enjoined performance of that task order.  The protester further contends that the RFQ, as revised from the prior solicitation, is now inadequate to permit vendors to compete on an intelligent basis, and reflects bias in favor of BCD.

We dismiss the protest in part and deny the protest in part.

The RFQ was issued on October 28, 2021, using Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) subpart 8.4 procedures to holders of GSA multiple award schedule (MAS) category L contracts for travel agent services.  Contracting Officer’s Statement (COS) at 1; Agency Report (AR), Exh. 3, RFQ at 1. [1]   DTMO requires TMC services for U.S. Army activities and facilities in the contiguous United States (CONUS) including Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and all United States Army Corps of Engineers locations.  The RFQ requires that TMC services be provided for DOD travelers to arrange official travel, such as making reservations and issuing tickets for commercial modes of transportation, making reservations for car rental and lodging, and performing related services.  Id. at 3.  The RFQ further requires that TMC services be compatible with the existing DOD online booking tool (OBT) platform and any revised versions or future systems/programs.  Id. at 4.

Prior to issuing the RFQ that is the subject of this protest, the agency conducted a procurement for these requirements pursuant to RFQ No. 47QMCB20Q0010, issued by GSA on May 13, 2020.  GSA’s initial issuance of a task order to BCD was challenged by CWT; our Office dismissed the protest as academic when the agency advised that it would take corrective action in response to a supplemental protest filed by CWT.  CW Government Travel, Inc. , B-419193, B-419193.2, Nov. 18, 2020 (unpublished decision).  Following corrective action, the agency’s repeat selection of BCD was again protested by CWT; our Office denied the protest.  CW Government Travel, Inc. , B-419193.4 et al. , Apr. 15, 2021, 2021 CPD ¶ 188.

CWT then filed a protest at the Court of Federal Claims, raising the same arguments it previously raised with our Office, and seeking to enjoin performance of BCD’s task order.  The Court concluded that GSA failed to properly apply the RFQ’s key personnel experience requirements when evaluating BCD’s quotation, and that CWT was prejudiced by this error.  The Court further concluded that GSA failed to perform an overall price realism analysis as required by the RFQ, as well as an unbalanced pricing analysis as mandated by the FAR.  Accordingly, the Court issued a permanent injunction enjoining performance of BCD’s task order.  CW Government Travel, Inc. v. United States , 154 Fed. Cl. 721 (2021). 

Rather than reevaluate BCD’s quotation consistent with the Court’s decision, or amend the prior RFQ and solicit and evaluate revised quotations, GSA terminated BCD’s task order and cancelled the solicitation.  COS at 6.  The contracting officer states that DTMO informed GSA that it “had determined that the Key Personnel requirements, as laid out in the original solicitation, did not accurately reflect the minimum needs for key personnel to satisfy the Government’s requirements.”  Id.   In addition, the contracting officer states that other revisions to the RFQ were made to streamline the evaluation criteria and provide more clearly defined quotation submission instructions.  Id. at 4, 7.

Several RFQ amendments were issued to extend the due date for the submission of quotations.  Id. at 2.  On December 14, CWT filed this protest, and after receipt of the agency report, filed its first supplemental protest on January 31, 2022.

The protester challenges multiple aspects of the agency’s actions in this procurement in response to the decision by the Court of Federal Claims.  The crux of this protest is that the agency unlawfully cancelled the prior solicitation, and the new RFQ has defectively vague technical evaluation factors, has failed to include a requirement for the agency to evaluate unbalanced pricing, and reflects bias for the prior awardee, BCD.  As discussed below, we find that the agency has provided reasonable justification for cancelling the prior RFQ, and otherwise dismiss or deny the remaining protest allegations. [2]

Dismissed Allegations

As an initial matter, we dismiss some of the protest allegations because they are moot as a result of intervening agency corrective action.  Specifically, the protester raised the following arguments in its protest:

·   The minimum required experience for the Program Manager, Operations Manager, and the Site Managers is now unlawfully vague and ambiguous, prevents vendors from formulating quotations on a common basis, and is subject to divergent interpretations that may not relate to the RFQ requirements.  Protest at 5-11.

·   The past performance factor is unjustifiably and unacceptably vague and ambiguous regarding what constitutes a relevant past project.  Id. at 15-18.

·   The RFQ provides inadequate technical and scope information to vendors regarding a new DOD online booking tool system for vendors to intelligently prepare their quotations for evaluation by the agency.  Id. at 21-24.

·   The RFQ fails to include requirements to support the matching of vendors’ schedule contracts with the services priced in quotations, or explain how GSA will lawfully evaluate open market items.  Id. at 24-26.

On January 7, 2022, the agency advised that it intended to take corrective action.  Specifically, the agency stated that it would “amend the RFQ with respect to Key Personnel requirements, open market items, and other amendments as necessary,” and take any other corrective action “considered necessary and appropriate.”  Req. for Dismissal at 1.  Our Office conducted a teleconference with the parties on January 12, and concluded that the agency’s request rendered some, but not all, of the protest allegations academic.  We advised the parties that the allegations regarding the required experience for certain key personnel, DOD’s online booking tool, and open market items were dismissed, and required that the agency address the merits of the remaining allegations in its report.  See Electronic Protest Docketing System (EPDS) No. 13, Jan. 12, 2022, Minute Entry.

On January 14, the agency advised that it would take additional corrective action.  In this regard, the agency states as follows:  “GSA will amend the RFQ to revise ‘travel management services,’ to ‘TMC services,’ (where ‘TMC’ is a term defined in the RFQ), provide a definition of relevance with respect to past performance, and make other changes to the RFQ’s past performance provisions as necessary.” [3]   Supp. Req. for Dismissal at 1.  The agency additionally stated:  “GSA also re-affirms that it will take corrective action with respect to protest grounds [dismissed by GAO on January 12] by amending Request for Quotations No. 47QMCB21Q0026 (‘the RFQ’) with respect to Key Personnel requirements, the MyTravel system, open market items, and other provisions as necessary.” [4]   Id.   As a result of this additional corrective action, we also dismiss the protester’s allegation regarding the past performance evaluation factor.

In addition, in its first supplemental protest, the protester raises a series of arguments regarding the agency’s acquisition planning.  Specifically, CWT initially argues that the agency violated the FAR by failing to develop a final acquisition plan, but also argues that the RFQ is misleading because it fails to include the relative weight of the evaluation factors that were included in the acquisition plan documents produced by the agency.  Supp. Protest at 6-10; Supp. Comments at 8-11; see e.g. , AR, Exh. 38, Acquisition Plan, Aug. 20, 2021, at 10 (stating that the technical evaluation factors are listed in descending order of importance, and that the technical and past performance factors, when combined, are significantly more important than price).  The agency argues that an acquisition plan was completed at the start of the procurement, and the plan has been periodically revised as required by FAR section 7.104(a) when there were significant changes in the procurement.  COS at 1-2; Supp. Memorandum of Law (MOL) at 2-4; see AR, Exh. 18, Acquisition Plan, May 8, 2020; Exh. 46, Revised Acquisition Plan, Jan. 19, 2022. 

While we acknowledge that the protester is correct that the relative weight of the evaluation factors as stated in the acquisition plan is not included in the RFQ, nevertheless we dismiss the allegations because they fail to state legally sufficient grounds of protest.  4 C.F.R. §§ 21.1(f) and 21.5(f).  The jurisdiction of our Office is established by the bid protest provisions of the Competition in Contracting Act of 1984, 31 U.S.C. §§ 3551-3557.  We only review specific procurement actions, such as the issuance of a solicitation or proposed award of a contract or order.  Id. § 3551(1). 

Here, the acquisition plan documents were produced by the agency in response to the protester’s document requests and under the protective order issued in this protest.  The protester has not explained how the RFQ could have been misleading to CWT or other vendors based on the content of these non-public documents.  Cf. , Vizada Inc. , B-405251 et al. , Oct. 5, 2011, 2011 CPD ¶ 235 at 4 n.5 (“A lleged deviations from an agency’s acquisition plan do not themselves provide a basis for questioning the validity of the evaluation; such plans are internal agency instructions and as such do not give outside parties any rights.”).   To the extent the argument merely anticipates that the agency will not evaluate quotations consistent with the RFQ, it is premature.  Accordingly, the allegations are dismissed. 

On February 28, the agency issued amendment 0010 to the RFQ, which included revisions to, among other things, key personnel requirements, the past performance evaluation factor, information about the online booking tool, and the evaluation of open market items.  In a second supplemental protest (B-420412.3) filed with our Office on March 7, CWT raises challenges to the amendment 10 revisions that are similar to the allegations made in this protest.  As noted above, the protester’s aforementioned allegations regarding these aspects of the RFQ at issue in this protest have been rendered academic based on the agency’s proposed corrective action filed with our Office on January 7 and 14 and are dismissed.  Ferris Optical , B-403012.2, B-403012.3, Oct. 21, 2010, 2010 CPD ¶ 265 at 1-2.  Insofar as amendment 10 constitutes GSA’s promised corrective action, we will resolve the second supplemental protest challenging the terms of amendment 10 consistent with our Bid Protest Regulations.  31 U.S.C. § 3554(a)(3).

Evaluation Factors and Basis for Award

The protester argues that, as compared to the cancelled RFQ, the technical evaluation factors are now so vague as to be defective, and are so generic that vendors are left without sufficient information to intelligently prepare their quotations.  Protest at 11-15.  The protester further argues that the RFQ is defective because it fails to assign any weight to the evaluation factors, including pass/fail factors that “presumably would not have any weighting assigned.”  Id. at 20-21; see id. at 21 (“Because GSA has the opportunity to address and clarify the weighting of each technical factor and of all of them relative to price, it should do so.”).

The agency argues that the revisions to the RFQ are consistent with the simplified procedures afforded to agencies under FAR subpart 8.4, and that most of the language in the prior solicitation remains in the RFQ.  COS at 2-4; MOL at 3-8.  GSA further contends that the RFQ provides sufficient information for quotation submission, evaluation criteria that clearly state the technical evaluation is more important than price, and that the agency is not required to weight the evaluation factors.  COS at 5-6; MOL at 9-10.

Here, the RFQ provides that award will be made on a best-value tradeoff basis to the responsible vendor that provides the most advantageous solution to the government.  RFQ at 115.  Specifically, the RFQ states as follows:

The Government may elect to award to other than the lowest priced [vendor], or other than the highest technically rated [vendor].  In either case, a best value determination will be conducted.  The Government is more concerned with obtaining superior technical features than with making award at the lowest price to the Government.  However, the Government will not make an award at a significantly higher overall price to the Government to achieve slightly superior technical features.  The Government reserves such right of flexibility in conducting the evaluation as necessary to assure an award with the [vendor] providing the best value to the Government.

The RFQ states that the following five factors will be used to evaluate quotations:  TMC passenger name record (PNR) validation; technical approach; past performance; small business participation; and price.  Id.   In addition, the technical approach factor includes the following six elements:  corporate experience; technical approach; implementation and transition; centrally billed account reconciliation process; key personnel; and personnel workforce plan.  Id. at 116-117.  The RFQ further states that the TMC PNR validation factor will be evaluated on a pass/fail basis, and that a PNR validation configuration confirmation must be received in order for a vendor to be eligible for award.  Id. at 116.  Similarly, the RFQ states that the small business participation factor will be evaluated on an acceptable/unacceptable basis.  Id. at 117.

To support its argument, the protester provides comparisons of the current RFQ to the prior solicitation.  For example, regarding corporate experience, the protest provides the following comparison:

Protest at 11-12.  CWT argues that the corporate experience factor is “now nonsensical” because the RFQ is already limited to GSA travel schedule contractors, all of whom already satisfy the definition of TMC provided in the RFQ.  Id. at 14.

The contracting officer explains that revisions to the RFQ’s evaluation criteria were made because the prior RFQ’s evaluation criteria were burdensome and inconsistent with the RFQ submission instructions, as both sections included quotation instructions to vendors.  Therefore, the contracting officer concluded that it was appropriate to relocate language from the evaluation criteria section to the submission instructions in the new solicitation.  COS at 4.  The contracting officer further states that this change served to clearly define what information is requested from vendors in their quotations and also would serve to simplify and streamline the actual evaluation criteria and technical evaluation process, consistent with the streamlined procedures afforded to agencies in FAR subpart 8.4 acquisitions.  Id.

As a general rule, contracting agencies must give firms sufficient detail in a solicitation to enable them to compete intelligently and on a relatively equal basis.  See SEK Solutions, LLC , B-406939.2, Feb. 27, 2014, 2014 CPD ¶ 87 at 5.  The agency’s description of its needs must be free from ambiguity and describe the agency’s minimum needs accurately.   Global Tech. Sys. , B-411230.2, Sept. 9, 2015, 2015 CPD ¶ 335 at 19.  However, there is no legal requirement that a competition be based on specifications drafted in such detail as to completely eliminate all risk or remove every uncertainty from the mind of every prospective offeror.  United Aeronautical Corp. , B-417560, Aug. 7, 2019, 2019 CPD ¶ 289 at 4.  The determination of a contracting agency’s needs and the best method of accommodating them are matters primarily within the agency’s discretion.  Trailboss Enterprises, Inc. , B-415812.2 et al. , May 7, 2018, 2018 CPD ¶ 171 at 4. 

Based on our review of the RFQ, we do not find that the evaluation criteria are too vague and generic as to be defective.  Indeed, while the protester accurately quotes the RFQ’s evaluation criteria regarding corporate experience, it fails to acknowledge that the RFQ’s submission instructions also require vendors to include certain information in their technical quotations, stating as follows:

Corporate Experience:  A narrative description of the [vendor’s] experience and knowledge with the travel management industry in performing TMC services.  The [vendor’s] travel industry knowledge, experience, ability and expertise in the areas of TMC Assist and OBT transaction services shall be described in this section.

RFQ at 109.  The submission instructions additionally require that vendors submit, among other things, a key personnel plan and a personnel workforce plan, and explains the specific information that must be addressed in these plans.  Id. at 110-111.  On balance, we find that these requirements are substantially similar, although not identical, to the language from the prior RFQ.

We further find no basis to question the agency’s representation that the RFQ adequately states the agency’s minimum requirements and provides sufficient information for vendors to compete intelligently and on an equal basis.  As noted, the RFQ states that the agency is more concerned in obtaining superior technical features than in making an award to the lowest price quotation, but “reserves such right of flexibility in conducting the evaluation as necessary to assure an award with the [vendor] providing the best value to the Government.”  RFQ at 115.  Accordingly, these allegations are denied.

Evaluation of Unbalanced Pricing

The protester argues that the agency has unreasonably and arbitrarily deleted the requirement to evaluate quotations for unbalanced pricing from the solicitation.  Specifically, the protester argues the removal of this requirement from the RFQ is irrational because GSA expressed concerns about BCD’s pricing in its prior evaluation, and the agency’s failure to perform an unbalanced pricing analysis of BCD’s quotation was one of the bases the Court of Federal Claims found for enjoining performance of BCD’s task order.  Protest at 18-20. 

The agency argues that removal of the unbalanced pricing requirement from the RFQ has no effect on the agency’s evaluation because GSA is required by law to perform an unbalanced pricing analysis, and intends to do so in its evaluation of quotations.  MOL at 10-11.  Specifically, GSA states:  “For Department of Defense acquisitions, ordering activity contracting officers using GSA’s Multiple Award Schedule are required to make a determination of fair and reasonable pricing for individual orders using the proposal analysis techniques at FAR 15.404-1.”  Id. at 10 (citing CW Government Travel, Inc. v. United States , supra at 745 (“GSA is required by law to analyze bids in fixed-price contracts for unbalanced pricing.”)); see also Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) Class Deviation 2014-O0011.

Here, the record includes a document entitled “[Court of Federal Claims (COFC)] Decision and GSA Corrective Action,” dated September 21, 2021.  In response to the Court’s finding that GSA failed to analyze BCD’s quotation for unbalanced pricing, the document provides the following:

SOLUTION:  GSA removed the RFQ statement regarding unbalanced pricing.  While not required under FAR Part 8 procedures, DFARS Class Deviation 2014-O0011 requires GSA to follow the proposal analysis techniques in [FAR] 15.404-1, which includes an analysis for unbalanced pricing.  It is no longer explicitly spelled out in the RFQ, but GSA will complete the required proposal analyses (including unbalanced pricing) in future pre-award determinations. 

AR, Exh. 40, COFC Decision and GSA Corrective Action at 2.

On this record, we find no basis to conclude that the RFQ is rendered deficient by the failure to explicitly state that the agency will perform an unbalanced pricing analysis since the agency is otherwise required by law to do so.  It is undisputed by the agency that DOD class deviation 2014-O0011 applies to this procurement, and requires that DOD contracting activities use the price analysis procedures of FAR section 15.404-1 in lieu of FAR section 8.404(d) to make a determination of fair and reasonable pricing for individual orders under a GSA schedule contract, which includes an unbalanced pricing analysis.  See FAR 15.404-1(g)(2) (“All offers with separately priced line items or subline items shall be analyzed to determine if the prices are unbalanced.”).  Moreover, the agency affirmatively states that it will perform the required unbalanced pricing analysis.  COS at 5; MOL at 10-11.  Accordingly, we deny this allegation.

Improper Corrective Action and Bias

The protester argues that the agency’s decision to cancel the prior procurement and issue the current RFQ is an improper corrective action in response to the Court of Federal Claims decision, and was done for the purpose of preempting other protests.  Protest at 26.  Specifically, CWT argues that GSA’s requirements have not changed, and the revisions to the RFQ after CWT’s successful protest at the Court are hard to explain absent bias in favor of the prior awardee, BCD.  CWT argues that many of the deletions and revisions in the RFQ make little sense except to demonstrate that GSA is seeking to avoid addressing the deficiencies found by the Court in GSA’s prior evaluation of BCD.  Id. at 26-27.  The agency refutes these allegations, and argues it reasonably terminated the award to BCD, and revised the RFQ to correctly reflect DTMO’s actual requirements and streamline the conduct of the procurement consistent with FAR subpart 8.4.  COS at 6-7; MOL at 11-14.

A contracting agency must have a reasonable basis to support a decision to cancel an RFQ.  CEdge Software Consultants, LLC , B-418128.7, Aug. 4, 2020, 2020 CPD ¶ 262 at 4.  An agency may properly cancel a solicitation regardless of when the information first surfaces or should have been known, and even if the solicitation is not canceled until after quotations have been submitted and evaluated, or as here, discovered during the course of a protest.  Qbase, LLC , B-417371.4, B-417371.5, June 26, 2020, 2020 CPD ¶ 252 at 3.  Where a protester has alleged that the agency’s rationale for cancellation is pretextual, that is, the agency’s actual motivation is to avoid awarding a contract or order on a competitive basis or to avoid resolving a protest, our Office will review the reasonableness of the agency’s actions in canceling the solicitation.  Harmonia Holdings Grp., LLC , B-417475.5, B-417475.6, Jan. 2, 2020, 2020 CPD ¶ 18 at 3.  A reasonable basis to cancel exists when, for example, an agency determines that there was a flaw in the procurement, or when the agency determines that a solicitation does not accurately reflect its needs.   Digital Forensic Servs., LLC , B-419305.3, Feb. 25, 2021, 2021 CPD ¶ 106 at 3.

In addition, our decisions have consistently explained that government officials are presumed to act in good faith, and a contention that procurement officials are motivated by bias or bad faith must be supported by convincing proof; our Office will not attribute unfair or prejudicial motives to procurement officials based upon mere inference, supposition, or unsupported speculation.  Peraton Inc. , B-416916.5; B-416916.7, Apr. 13, 2020, 2020 CPD ¶ 144 at 9.  A protester must present facts reasonably indicating, beyond mere inference and suspicion, that the agency acted with specific and malicious intent to harm the protester.   Id.

Here, the record includes several documents demonstrating that multiple meetings and communications occurred between GSA and DTMO following the Court’s decision, resulting in the issuance of the new RFQ.  In particular, in scheduling a meeting between GSA and DTMO to discuss how to move forward in light of the Court’s decision, the GSA contracting officer framed the discussion as follows:

As it stands, the Key Personnel requirements are:

·   Contract Manager/Program Manager/Account Manager – Ten years of commercial travel experience, with five (5) years of U.S. Government travel experience.

·   Operations Manager – Ten years of commercial travel experience, with five (5) years of U.S. Government travel experience

·   Quality Control Manager – Five (5) years of commercial travel experience.

·   Site Managers – Five (5) years of commercial travel experience, with two (2) years U.S. Government travel experience

For the meeting on Tuesday, we would like to discuss DTMO’s position on the U.S. Government travel experience requirement for Key Personnel. U.S. Government travel experience was included in the original requirement package and challenged in the protest.  Whether or not government travel experience as a requirement for Key Personnel is critical in determining the best plan forward with the remaining acquisitions.

AR, Exh. 23, Email Chain re Key Personnel Requirements, July 1, 2021, at 3:53 PM. 

The record shows that the meeting participants considered that “[s]chedule vendors are already determined to be able to meet government requirements.”  AR, Exh. 24, DOD TMC Services Next Steps, July 7, 2021, at 2.  In particular, the record reflects that the participants considered that GSA’s MAS contractors are “ask[ed] for commercial sales practice [] to be brought to the government in service offerings practice and pricing to qualify their services and benchmark pricing as well as integrate with government OBT.  It is not that the supplier has to have government experience it is that they must provide services which abide by the government regulations.”  Id. at 2.

In a memorandum to file regarding removal of requirements that key personnel possess U.S. Government travel experience, the contracting officer memorialized the discussion and conclusions from that meeting as follows:

A meeting was held on Wednesday, July 7th to discuss this question and the DTMO stated that the Key Personnel requirements included in the original requirement are not accurate minimum requirements to satisfy the Government’s needs.  Therefore, the Government decided that a change to these requirements to reflect broader experience in the travel management industry more accurately describe the DTMO’s actual requirements.  As a result, the revised RFQ has been modified to reflect these changes to the Key Personnel requirements and the qualifications described meet the current needs of the DTMO.

AR, Exh. 42, Contracting Officer Memorandum to File, Oct. 27, 2021, at 2; see also AR, Exh. 40, COFC Decision and GSA Corrective Action at 2 (“RFQ definitions amended in Section 1.18 from ‘U.S. Government travel experience’ to a broader definition of ‘travel management experience’[.]”). 

The record further shows that the agency considered three alternative actions following the Court’s decision:  (1) appeal the Court’s decision; (2) take corrective action in the current procurement; or (3) issue a new RFQ.  See AR, Exh. 23, Email Chain re Key Personnel Requirements, July 7, 2021, at 6.  The contracting officer states that the agency concluded that “removal of U.S. Government travel experience from the Key Personnel requirements was indeed substantial and could potentially allow another [vendor] to submit a quotation in response to the solicitation,” and “was the most reasonable course of action to both accurately reflect DTMO’s requirements and enhance competition for this requirement.”  COS at 7; see also id. (“The fact that U.S. Government travel experience is no longer required for Key Personnel performing on this effort is, in the [contracting officer’s] determination, a major change to the requirement that affords other MAS schedule holders the opportunity to compete.”).  The contracting officer denies any bias against the protester, and states that the protester will have the opportunity to respond to the RFQ, and its quotation will be evaluated fairly and in accordance with the terms of the RFQ’s evaluation criteria.  Id.

On this record, we think the agency has provided a reasonable basis for its decision to cancel the prior RFQ and for the revisions reflected in the current RFQ, and find no support for the protester’s contention that these actions reflect bias in favor of BCD.  As discussed, following the Court’s decision, the agency concluded that U.S. government travel experience was not a minimum mandatory requirement for the key personnel employed by a vendor to be able to successfully perform the requirements.  The agency further concluded that revising this requirement was a significant change that warranted cancellation of the prior RFQ, and that issuing a revised RFQ could enhance competition for this requirement.  None of the protester’s arguments provide a basis to conclude that the agency’s actions are unreasonable.

For example, CWT argues that the RFQ revisions removing key personnel requirements reflects bias in favor of BCD because, as found by the Court, BCD’s prior quotation did not satisfy these requirements.  Comments at 24 (“In the original RFQ the awardee, BCD, chose to utilize only its current employees as Key Personnel, despite their lack of U.S. Government travel experience.”).  The protester further argues that “[t]he apparent conclusion reached that contractor top managers did not need to have experience in providing the [U.S.] government travel services makes little sense.”  Id. at 29.  The protester’s disagreement with the agency’s judgment concerning its needs and how to accommodate them, without more, does not establish that the agency’s judgment is unreasonable.  See United Aeronautical Corp. , supra ; Chenega Fed. Sys., LLC , B-414478, June 26, 2017, 2017 CPD ¶ 196 at 3.

As noted, the record provides the reasons considered by the agency to support the position that the requirement that key personnel possess U.S. government travel experience exceeded the agency’s minimum mandatory requirements.  In particular, the record shows that the agency concluded vendors were already deemed able to meet government requirements by virtue of having been awarded their MAS category L contracts.  See AR, Exh. 24, DOD TMC Services Next Steps, July 7, 2021, at 2-3.  More generally, the record reflects the agency’s view that the revisions to the RFQ would advance DOD’s goals for “modernizing and streamlining travel processes [ ] to acquire travel management services that are best able to complement those reforms using commercial innovations and processes.”  Id. at 2. 

CWT also argues that because the competition is limited to large business holders of MAS category L contracts, there is no support for the contracting officer’s claim that enhanced competition could result from cancelling the prior RFQ.  Comments at 31-33.  In this regard, the protester notes that the agency’s market research indicated that the agency believed that the requirements were too large to be set aside for small business, and that small businesses held 14 of the 22 current category L contracts.  Id. ; see AR, Exh. 45, Market Research Report at 6; Exh. 46, Revised Acquisition Plan, Jan. 19, 2022, at 10.  After analyzing the eight large business contract holders, the agency concluded that there were at least four vendors, including CWT, capable of meeting the requirements.  AR, Exh. 46, Revised Acquisition Plan, Jan. 19, 2022, at 11-12.  CWT therefore contends that because the agency already concluded that only four vendors could meet these requirements, cancelling the prior RFQ necessarily would not lead to enhanced competition.  Comments at 32-33.

We think the contracting officer’s conclusion that less restrictive key personnel requirements could increase competition, even in a competition limited to MAS category L contract holders, is a reasonable one.  With regard to enhancing competition, we have explained that an agency may reasonably provide for an evaluation that fosters competition by increasing the viability of proposals being submitted by non-incumbent offerors.  See Accenture Fed. Servs., LLC , B-418321.4, Jan. 29, 2021, 2021 CPD ¶ 67 at 4; see also New Mexico State Univ. , B-409566, June 16, 2014, 2014 CPD ¶ 228 (denying protest challenging terms of solicitation intended to promote competition among prospective non-incumbent offerors).  While the agency’s market research identified four vendors that the agency believed capable of performing the requirements, the protester has not demonstrated that the contracting officer’s conclusion that competition could be enhanced is unreasonable, particularly since the RFQ no longer requires that key personnel possess U.S. government travel experience.  Moreover, the protester’s argument fails to acknowledge that less restrictive requirements may also increase competition amongst the potential vendors identified. 

On this record, we find no basis to conclude that the agency’s cancellation of the prior RFQ was improper, or that the current RFQ includes revisions that are unreasonable and reflect bias in favor of BCD.  In our view, the agency’s actions are consistent with the broad intent of the Competition in Contracting Act’s central mandate that agencies use full and open competition to fulfill the government’s requirements.  See 41 U.S.C. § 3301.  In sum, we see no violation of procurement law or regulation in the actions taken by GSA here in response to the Court’s decision.

The protest is dismissed in part and denied in part.

Edda Emmanuelli Perez General Counsel

[1] Citations to the RFQ in this decision are to RFQ amendment 0001.

[2] In its various protest submissions, CWT has raised arguments in addition to, or that are variations of, the arguments discussed in this decision.  We have considered all of CWT’s arguments and find no basis to sustain its protest.

[3] The RFQ currently defines “Travel Management Company (TMC)” as “[a] commercial company that provides a full range of travel services.”  RFQ at 15.

[4] The MyTravel system is DOD’s online booking tool that “uses a commercial Software as a Service to book travel, manage travel related expenses, and initiate travel-related financial transactions.”  RFQ at 12; Protest at 10.

GAO Contacts

Kenneth E. Patton Managing Associate General Counsel [email protected] (202) 512-8205

Edward (Ed) Goldstein Managing Associate General Counsel [email protected] (202) 512-4483

Office of Public Affairs

Chuck Young Managing Director [email protected] (202) 512-4800

Related Pages

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Court Of Claims Blocks $47M Contract For Army Travel

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BCD Travel Rolls Out Enhanced Government Services Practice

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Solutions for every business travel program

Business Travel Management

We simplify the conversation around managed business travel, showing you how to combine capabilities and services to deliver or improve on your program goals. Review your current program or design what it might look like in the future. Focus on a single area or make plans across the entire program. Wherever you are today, there’s a solution to help you get where you want to go tomorrow. Get started

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Contact us  if you have any questions, or if you’d like to know more about our solutions for business travel management.

Recognized by the industry

We’re honored that our work, members and company are repeatedly recognized by the travel industry and organizations. BCD Travel awards and recognition

Stay up to date with news, trends and insights from BCD Travel and the business travel industry.

Report: Taking real climate action

Together with our marketplace partner, goodcarbon, we’re looking at ways we can engage in responsible climate actions that will make a difference to the climate crisis. This new report, “Moving beyond climate neutrality claims: Taking real climate action,” illustrates how companies can effectively reduce emissions and use carbon credits responsibly.

BCD cracks the code to delivering travel program data in an instant

We get it. Travel managers are busy. They need answers and insights fast – but massaging and analyzing travel data isn’t exactly a speedy process. Getting answers from travel data generally involves waiting and hours of sorting pivot tables. Not anymore. Not for BCD clients. Enter Instant Query (IQ), a new feature within our flagship DecisionSource® platform that does just what its name suggests: provides answers in an instant.

April agenda: Meet BCD in Toronto and Brighton

Meet and network with BCD Travel and Advito at these April 2024 events.

What to look for in a Travel Management Company?

Finding the right Travel Management Company (TMC) to partner with your organization requires strategic planning, a methodical process and involvement from the right travel stakeholders. 

Travel buyers are responsible for how an organization uses travel and meetings to help achieve their broader goals. Partnering with the right TMC leads to improved safety, productivity and wellbeing for business travelers and streamlined processes and cost savings for your organization.

The TMC should demonstrate broad experience in managing travel for organizations like yours. Identify the specific services you need from them, such as ability to connect travel program strategy to company mission and purpose, sector experience, hotel program expertise, sustainability, travel policy compliance, risk management, or a defined approach to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I).

Latest travel management resources

Moving beyond climate neutrality claims: taking real climate action.

In today’s business environment, companies have an increased responsibility to engage in proven effective climate action.

Impact on travel of the Paris Olympics and UEFA European Championship

In 2024, Europe will host two major multinational sporting events. Building upon a report originally published by Oxford Economics, this Insights report explores the implications for travel.

Cities & Trends U.S. 2023 edition

Discover the latest insights into U.S. business travel for 2023 with BCD’s Cities & Trends report. Explore key trends in destinations, flight routes, and car rentals. Optimize travel strategies, control costs, and benchmark your company’s performance effectively.

Change how you manage guest travel

As business evolves, companies are relying more on contractors, consultants, and mobile professionals to travel on their behalf.

BCD Invite is an innovative solution designed to streamline the management of guest travel. Drive compliance, eliminate manual processes, keep information secure, and most importantly, safeguard your reputation by providing a best-in-class experience for your guest travelers. Because first impressions last.

When entertainment is your business, every detail has to be right.

Case studies.

It’s all about excellent service and partnership

Michael O’Neill and David Currie from the Irish Football Association share why they’re so proud of their strategic partnership with BCD M&E Sports.

Innovative solution transforms HCP and group travel for healthcare company

Discover how BCD helped a multinational healthcare company by implementing two innovative configurations to manage HCP and group bookings.

Hong Kong customer consolidates travel program in APAC

Based on BCD Travel’s expertise and trust, a multinational financial services customer in Hong Kong decided to consolidate all travel in APAC with BCD.

more case studies

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• Per Diem Lookup

Travel resources

Per diem look-up, 1 choose a location.

Error, The Per Diem API is not responding. Please try again later.

No results could be found for the location you've entered.

Rates for Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. Territories and Possessions are set by the Department of Defense .

Rates for foreign countries are set by the State Department .

2 Choose a date

Rates are available between 10/1/2021 and 09/30/2024.

The End Date of your trip can not occur before the Start Date.

Traveler reimbursement is based on the location of the work activities and not the accommodations, unless lodging is not available at the work activity, then the agency may authorize the rate where lodging is obtained.

Unless otherwise specified, the per diem locality is defined as "all locations within, or entirely surrounded by, the corporate limits of the key city, including independent entities located within those boundaries."

Per diem localities with county definitions shall include "all locations within, or entirely surrounded by, the corporate limits of the key city as well as the boundaries of the listed counties, including independent entities located within the boundaries of the key city and the listed counties (unless otherwise listed separately)."

When a military installation or Government - related facility(whether or not specifically named) is located partially within more than one city or county boundary, the applicable per diem rate for the entire installation or facility is the higher of the rates which apply to the cities and / or counties, even though part(s) of such activities may be located outside the defined per diem locality.

City Pair airfares

Visit City Pair Program to learn about its competitive, federally-negotiated airline rates for 7,500+ domestic and international cities, equating to over 13,000 city pairs.

• Search for contract fares

Note: All fares are listed one-way and are valid in either direction. Disclaimer - taxes and fees may apply to the final price

Taxes and fees may apply to the final price

Your agency’s authorized travel management system will show the final price, excluding baggage fees. Commercial baggage fees can be found on the Airline information page.

Domestic fares include all existing Federal, State, and local taxes, as well as airport maintenance fees and other administrative fees. Domestic fares do not include fees such as passenger facility charges, segment fees, and passenger security service fees.

International

International fares do not include taxes and fees, but include fuel surcharge fees.

Note for international fares: City codes, such as Washington (WAS), are used for international routes.

Federal travelers should use their authorized travel management system when booking airfare.

• E-Gov Travel Service for civilian agencies.
• Defense Travel System for the Department of Defense.

If these services are not fully implemented, travelers should use these links:

• Travel Management Center for civilian agencies.
• Defense Travel Management Office for the Department of Defense.

GSA lodging programs

Shop for lodging at competitive, often below-market hotel rates negotiated by the federal government.

FedRooms provides federal travelers on official business with FTR compliant hotel rooms for transient and extended stays (up to 29 days). The program uses FEMA and ADA-compliant rooms with flexible booking terms at or below per diem rates. Federal employees should make reservations, including FedRooms reservations, via their travel management service.

Visit GSALodging for more details on FedRooms and for additional programs offering meeting space, long term lodging, and emergency lodging.

Privately owned vehicle (POV) mileage reimbursement rates

GSA has adjusted all POV mileage reimbursement rates effective January 1, 2024.

* Airplane nautical miles (NMs) should be converted into statute miles (SMs) or regular miles when submitting a voucher using the formula (1 NM equals 1.15077945 SMs).

For calculating the mileage difference between airports, please visit the U.S. Department of Transportation's Inter-Airport Distance website.

Plan a trip

Research and prepare for government travel.

Per diem, meals & incidental expenses (M&IE) Passenger transportation (airfare rates, POV rates, etc.) Lodging Conferences/meetings Travel charge card State tax exemption

Services for government agencies

Programs providing commercial travel services.

Travel Category Schedule (Schedule L) E-Gov Travel Service (ETS) Emergency Lodging Services (ELS) Employee relocation

Travel reporting

Federal Travel Regulation Table of contents Chapter 300—General Chapter 301—Temporary Duty (TDY) Travel allowances Chapter 302 - Relocation allowances

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( Lock A locked padlock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Employee Travel

USDA offers its employees who are traveling on official business special services and discounts to assist with their travel needs.

GSA SmartPay

The GSA SmartPay Program provides agencies with travel payment solutions. The current SmartPay 2 Government Travel Charge Card contract will expire on November 29 th , 2018 and the new SmartPay 3 contract will begin on November 30 th , 2018. Please visit ocfo.usda.gov/travel-express/TravelCard for information such as milestones and answers to frequently asked questions to support USDA’s transition from SmartPay 2 to SmartPay 3.

GSA Travel Resources

USDA travelers use special government hotel rates, tax exemptions, and airfare discounts. Employees must also follow federal travel regulations when working out-of-town.

International Travel Instructions

USDA Travelers who plan on traveling internationally for USDA must obtain official passports and visas through the FAS International Travel Section (ITS).

Travel Benefits and Services

The U.S. General Services Administration offers many travel services and special programs for federal agencies and employees.

Travel Directives

USDA has travel policies for its employees which supplement the Federal Travel Regulation.