Northrop Grumman Mission Systems (NGMS) and Carlson Wagonlit Government Travel (CWGT) have been awarded a 10-year, $450 million contract to provide Web-based travel management for the federal government. According to the General Services Administration (GSA), the deal is expected to cut up to 50 percent of federal travel management costs.
E-Travel, one of President Bush’s 22 E-Government Initiatives, streamlines and consolidates federal travel operations into a simplified, end-to-end travel management service. The contract was awarded after a six-month review process conducted by the GSA in collaboration with 22 other agencies.
The new service hopes to leverage best practices in areas such as administration, finance and information technology. E-Travel will be commercially hosted, minimizing federal technology costs, and promises real-time information.
A GSA statement said 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.
The next step is for selected agencies to 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.
“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.”