NIGP 96178: Travel Agency Services

NIGP 96178 Travel Agency Services, an Item code, encompasses airline reservations, ground transportation bookings, hotel arrangements, and group travel packages procured by state and local governments for employee and student travel. State and local buyers under this code include school districts, state universities, and state transportation agencies. The work involves full-service travel management with optional 24/7 support and online self-service reservation systems; bidders typically must hold ARC/IATA appointments and demonstrate prior governmental travel management experience. Pricing is structured around flat-rate booking fees and per-transaction change or cancellation charges, with contracts often allowing for both primary and secondary supplier awards.

Recent activity concentrates in Florida and Wisconsin. The School Board of Pinellas County, Florida solicited sealed electronic bids for travel management services under ITB #26-HO-028 with a response deadline of July 9, 2026, with an estimated annual contract value of $50,000 and dual-award structure; Florida bidders receive a 5 percent preference when the lowest bid originates from a non-preference state. The University of Wisconsin-Madison issued RFP 2026-UWMSN-01338 for in-house athletic travel agency services with a July 21, 2026 proposal deadline. The State of California posted RFB-IS-26201006 for transportation services on May 27, 2026 with a June 5, 2026 due date, though detailed scope information was not extracted in the source. School districts appear to be the primary buyers in recent postings, with contracts typically running one year with renewable one-year options and price escalation capped at the prior year's CPI-U.