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August 15, 2003
Bush Administration’s E-Travel Initiative
Under Way
GSA Awards E-Travel
Contract Expected to Save Millions
Washington, DC
– E-Travel, one of President Bush’s
E-Government Initiatives, reached a major milestone today,
with the announcement that Northrop Grumman Mission Systems
(NGMS) and Carlson Wagonlit Government Travel Inc. (CWGT)
have been selected to provide Web-based travel management
for the federal government. The contract was awarded after
a rigorous, six-month review process, conducted by the General
Services Administration (GSA) in collaboration with 22 other
agencies.
President Bush’s vision, which the
Office of Management and Budget has helped to implement, harnesses
the Internet to reap new efficiencies for the government and,
ultimately, save taxpayers money. E-Travel contracts embrace
best commercial practices, effective use of the Internet and
empower the federal traveler—all at a substantially
lower cost. They streamline and consolidate federal travel
operations into a simplified, end-to-end travel management
service. The 10-year, $450 million, E-Travel contract, awarded
Wednesday, Aug. 13, is expected to cut federal travel management
costs up to 50 percent.
“E-Travel is an innovative E-Government
initiative that will advance President Bush’s vision
to create a more results-oriented and efficient government,”
said GSA Administrator Stephen A. Perry. “This initiative
addresses the challenge of reengineering the government’s
travel function. By doing so, it will allow all agencies to
benefit from the full buying power of the federal government.”
E-Travel will be commercially hosted, minimizing
federal technology costs, guaranteeing real-time information.
From travel planning and authorization to reimbursement, the
service will leverage best practices in important areas such
as administration, finance and information technology, realizing
significant cost savings and improved employee productivity.
NGMS of Fairfax, Va., and CWGT of San Antonio
demonstrated they can provide travel management supporting
federal travel regulations and policies, accommodating existing
travel agencies and FedTrip?. GSA will verify and validate
vendors’ solutions. Next, selected agencies will launch
E-Travel to demonstrate capability before it becomes available
government-wide in December. All civilian agencies should
be using it by Sept. 30, 2006, under a Federal Travel Regulation
proposed revision. For E-Travel information, visit egov.gsa.gov.
GSA, a centralized Federal procurement
and property management agency, was created by Congress to
improve government efficiency and help agencies better serve
the public. Its 14,000 associates acquire office space, information
technology, other office supplies and services for 1 million
federal workers in 8,000 buildings in 1,600 U.S. communities.
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