RFQ Number - 19ET1026Q0006_ Domestic Travel Management Services.pdf

U.S. Embassy Addis Ababa

Date: February 13, 2026

Dear Prospective Quoter:

Subject: Request for Quotations number 19ET1026Q0006

Enclosed is a Request for Quotations (RFQ) for Domestic Travel Management Services. If you would like to submit quotation, follow the instructions in Section 3 of the solicitation, complete the required portions of the attached document, and submit it to the address shown on the

Standard Form 1449 that follows this letter.

The U.S. Government intends to award a contract/purchase order to the responsible company submitting an acceptable offer at the lowest price. We intend to award a contract/purchase order based on initial quotations, without holding discussions, although we may hold discussions with companies in the competitive range if there is a need to do so.

The Embassy intends to conduct a pre-quotation conference at the site, The pre-proposal conference will be held on February 24, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. (4:00 a.m.(morning) Addis Ababa time) at the U.S. Embassy, Addis Ababa. Prospective offerors/quoters should contact addiscontract@state.gov no later than 2:00 p.m. (08:00 p.m. (afternoon) Addis Ababa time) on

February 20, 2026 for additional information or to arrange entry to the building.

Quotations are due by March 06, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. (4:00 a.m. (morning) Addis Ababa time).

No quotations will be accepted after this time. Proposals must be in English and incomplete proposals will not be accepted.

Submit your bids in two separate folders, financial and technical. Include Solicitation number

19ET1026Q0006 in the subject line of your email for questions and offer submissions.

Your quotation must be submitted electronically to addiscontract@state.gov It is important to make sure the submission is made in specific size and format; in MS-Word 2007/2010 or MS-

Excel 2007/2010 or Adobe Acrobat (pdf) file format. The file size must not exceed 30MB. If the file size should exceed the 30MB, the submission must be made in separate files and attached to separate emails with less than 30MB each.

mailto:addiscontract@state.gov mailto:addiscontract@state.gov

In order for a quotation to be considered, you must also complete and submit the following:

1. SF-1449

2. Section I, Pricing

3. Section 5 Representations and Certifications

4. Additional information as required in Section 3

5. Proof of SAM Registration

Offerors shall be registered in the SAM (System for Award Management) database at https://www.sam.gov prior to submittal of their offer/proposal as prescribed under FAR 4.1102.

Failure to be registered at time of proposal submission may deem the offeror’s proposal to be considered non-responsible and no further consideration will be given. Therefore, offerors are highly encouraged to register immediately if they are interested in submitting a response to this requirement.

System updates may lag policy updates. The System for Award Management (SAM) may continue to require entities to complete representations based on provisions that are not included in agency solicitations. Examples include 52.222-25, Affirmative Action Compliance, and paragraph (d) of 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications—Commercial Products and Commercial Services. Contracting officers will not consider these representations when making award decisions or enforce requirements. Entities are not required to, nor are they able to, update their entity registration to remove these representations in SAM.

Sincerely, Kathleen Edgin

Contracting Officer https://www.sam.gov/

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION 1 - THE SCHEDULE

• SF 1449 cover sheet

• Continuation To SF-1449, RFQ Number 19ET1026Q0006, Prices, Block 23

• Continuation To SF-1449, RFQ Number 19ET1026Q0006, Schedule of

Supplies/Services, Block 20 Description/Specifications/Work Statement

• List of Attachments to Description/Specifications/Statement of Work, Government

Furnished Property

• Attachments

SECTION 2 - CONTRACT CLAUSES

• Contract Clauses

• Addendum to Contract Clauses - FAR and DOSAR Clauses not Prescribed in Part 12

SECTION 3 - SOLICITATION PROVISIONS

• Solicitation Provisions

• Addendum to Solicitation Provisions - FAR and DOSAR Provisions not Prescribed in

Part 12

SECTION 4 - EVALUATION FACTORS

• Evaluation Factors

• Addendum to Evaluation Factors - FAR and DOSAR Provisions not Prescribed in

Part 12

SECTION 5 - OFFEROR REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS

• Offeror Representations and Certifications

• Addendum to Offeror Representations and Certifications - FAR and DOSAR

Provisions not Prescribed in Part 12

SOLICITATION/CONTRACT/ORDER FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS

OFFEROR TO COMPLETE BLOCKS 12, 17, 23, 24, & 30

1. REQUISITION NUMBER

MPR0581277

2. CONTRACT NO.

3. AWARD/EFFECTIVE

DATE

4. ORDER NUMBER

5. SOLICITATION NUMBER

19ET1026Q0006

6. SOLICITATION ISSUE DATE

02/13/2026

7. FOR SOLICITATION

INFORMATION CALL:

a. NAME

Seble Tadesse

b. TELEPHONE NUMBER(No collect calls)

011 130 6728

8. OFFER DUE DATE/ LOCAL

TIME

03/06/2026 @10:00 a.m.

9. ISSUED BY CODE ET100 10. THIS ACQUISITION IS UNRESTRICTED OR SET ASIDE:____ % FOR:

SMALL BUSINESS WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS

U.S Embassy Addis Ababa

P.O. Box – 1014

Addis Ababa

Ethiopia

HUBZONE SMALL

BUSINESS

(WOSB) ELLIGIBLE UNDER THE WOMEN-OWNED

SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM NAICS:

SERVICE-DISABLED

VETERAN-OWNED

SMALL BUSINESS

EDWOSB

8 (A) SIZE STANDARD:

11. DELIVERY FOR FOB DESTINAT-

TION UNLESS BLOCK IS

MARKED

SEE SCHEDULE

12. DISCOUNT TERMS 13a. THIS CONTRACT IS A

RATED ORDER UNDER

DPAS (15 CFR 700)

13b. RATING

14. METHOD OF SOLICITATION

RFQ IFB RFP

15. DELIVER TO CODE 16. ADMINISTERED BY CODE

U.S Embassy Addis Ababa

Attn: Contracting Office

P.O.box - 1014

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Contracting Officer

17a. CONTRACTOR/

OFFERER

TELEPHONE NO.

CODE FACILITY

CODE

18a. PAYMENT WILL BE MADE BY

Financial Management Office

CODE

17b. CHECK IF REMITTANCE IS DIFFERENT AND PUT SUCH ADDRESS IN

OFFER

18b. SUBMIT INVOICES TO ADDRESS SHOWN IN BLOCK 18a UNLESS BLOCK

BELOW IS CHECKED SEE ADDENDUM

19.

ITEM NO.

20.

SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES

21.

QUANTITY

22.

UNIT

23.

UNIT PRICE

24.

AMOUNT

Domestic Travel Management Services

Year

USD

25. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA

26. TOTAL AWARD AMOUNT (For Govt. Use Only)

27a.SOLICITATION INCORPORATES BY REFERENCE FAR 52.212-1, 52.212-4. FAR 52.212-3 AND 52.212-5 ARE ATTACHED. ADDENDA ARE ARE NOT ATTACHED

27b.CONTRACT/PURCHASE ORDER INCORPORATES BY REFERENCE FAR 52.212-4. FAR 52.212-5 IS ATTACHED. ADDENDA ARE ARE NOT ATTACHED

28. CONTRACTOR IS REQUIRED TO SIGN THIS DOCUMENT AND RETURN ____ COPIES TO

ISSUING OFFICE. CONTRACTOR AGREES TO FURNISH AND DELIVER ALL ITEMS SET

FORTH OR OTHERWISE IDENTIFIED ABOVE AND ON ANY ADDITIONAL SHEETS SUBJECT

TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SPECIFIED HEREIN.

29. AWARD OF CONTRACT: REF. _________________ OFFER DATED ____________.

YOUR OFFER ON SOLICITATION (BLOCK 5), INCLUDING ANY ADDITIONS OR

CHANGES WHICH ARE SET FORTH HEREIN, IS ACCEPTED AS TO ITEMS:

30a. SIGNATURE OF OFFEROR/CONTRACTOR 31a. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (SIGNATURE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER)

30b. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print)

30c. DATE SIGNED

31b. NAME OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)

Kathleen Edgin

31c. DATE SIGNED

02/13/2026

RFQ Number 19ET1026Q0006

SECTION 1 - THE SCHEDULE

CONTINUATION TO SF-1449

RFQ NUMBER 19ET1026Q0006

PRICES, BLOCK 23

1.0 DESCRIPTION

The Contractor shall provide domestic travel management services and other relevant travel related support to U.S. Embassy Addis Ababa employees, their dependents, and TDY personnel, as outlined in this solicitation. The contract will be a requirements-type agreement covering all travel management services needed by the agencies identified in Section 1, paragraph 27.0. The initial period of performance will be one year from the start date specified in the Notice to

Proceed, with four additional one-year option periods for renewal

2.0 MANAGEMENT FEES

Pricing proposals must be strictly based on a management fee.

The Government shall pay the contractor a management fee on a monthly basis regardless of the volume of sales for the respective month. See also Section 1, continuation of block 20, paragraph

2.0 Definitions, and paragraph 17.0 for further information on handling of management fees. See also paragraph 15.0 for a further description of Government Travel Charge Card, Centrally Billed

Account (CBA), and Government Travel Request (GTR) sales.

2.1 PRICING

Offerors shall submit a firm-fixed-price proposal that includes all labor and associated charges for providing comprehensive travel management services.

2.1.1 Base Year

From (__________________________________)

Item Description

Unit

Unit Price in USD Quantity Total Price in USD

Management Fee Month 12

Defense Base Act (DBA)

Insurance Premium costs Year 1

Total amount for the Base Year USD

2.1.2 First Option Year

From ( ________________________________) in USD Quantity Total Price in USD

Management Fee Month 12

Defense Base Act (DBA)

Insurance Premium costs

Total amount for the First Option Year USD

2.1.3 Second Option Year

From ( __________________________________) in USD Quantity Total Price in USD

Management Fee Month 12

Defense Base Act (DBA)

Insurance Premium costs

Total amount for the Second Option Year USD

2.1.4 Third Option Year

in USD Quantity Total Price in USD

Management Fee Month 12

Defense Base Act (DBA)

Insurance Premium costs

Total amount for the Third Option Year USD

2.1.5 Fourth Option Year

in USD Quantity Total Price in USD

Management Fee Month 12

Defense Base Act (DBA)

Insurance Premium costs

Total amount for the Fourth Option Year USD

*** Note - DBA insurance reimbursed.

Other additional charges like the bank transfer fee and tax will not be reimbursed

The Grand Total Contract Amount for the base and all optional years is USD ______________

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• 1.0 - Scope of Work

• 2.0 - Definitions and Acronyms

• 3.0 - Contractor Requirements for Providing Official Travel Services

• 4.0 - Contractor Priority

• 5.0 - Furnishing of Equipment/Property

• 6.0 - Space for Performance of Required Services

• 7.0 - Minimum Personnel Requirements

• 8.0 - Contractor’s Quality Control Plan

• 9.0 - Transition Requirement and Continuity of Services

• 10.0 - Deliverables

• 11.0 - Notice to Proceed, Period of Performance and Options

• 12.0 - Place of Performance

• 13.0 - Hours of Service

• 14.0 - Basis of Compensation to the Contractor

• 15.0 - Billing and Payment Procedures

• 16.0 - Refund Procedures

• 17.0 - Transaction Fee Procedures

• 18.0 - Security

• 19.0 - Government Approval and Acceptance of Contractor Employees

• 20.0 - Key Personnel

• 21.0 - Personal Injury, Property Loss or Damage (Liability)

• 22.0 - Insurance

• 23.0 - Bonding of Employees

• 24.0 - Permits

• 25.0 - Post Award Conference

• 26.0 – Task Order Issuance

• 27.0 – Requiring Activity

CONTINUATION TO SF-1449

RFQ NUMBER 19ET1026Q0006

SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES, BLOCK 20

DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/WORK STATEMENT

1.0 SCOPE OF WORK

1.1. The Contractor shall provide corporate travel services for official domestic travel of

Government employees, their dependents and TDY. The Contractor will provide other relevant travel services required by the mission. Domestic travel includes travel within the country in which the U.S. Embassy Addis Ababa is located. The corporate travel services that the Contractor shall provide include:

• To make travel arrangements/reservations/ticketing issuance and delivery of tickets.

• Assistance in providing information on flights, visas in Galileo system and health requirements.

• Responsible for delivering tickets and other related paper works, as instructed by U.S.

Embassy, Addis Ababa travel office.

• Service is from Monday through Thursday during the hours of 07:30 am – 17:00 pm and on Friday 07:30am – 13:00 pm. TMC shall provide emergency services outside regular working hours through 24-hour access telephone number/7 days a week.

• Standard of two agents, fluent in English, with sufficient trained back-up as necessary to accommodate illness, vacation, or other absences of the primary dedicated agents.

• Ticket agents should have at least 10 years of experience.

• Management information and billing reports derived from the booking database;

• Automated reconciliation of travel charges incurred through the Government's CBA accounts.

• No service fee for all ticket changes except for the airline fee that applies.

• No limitation of service for fare requests and reservation changes.

• The Government accepts no liability for the cost of any personal travel arranged by the TMC for Government employees. The TMC is responsible for collecting payment from the traveler for the cost of personal travel and any transaction fee, if applicable.

• TMC should always provide official fare quote with remarks on the rules and regulation of the fare to the traveler. Cost-construct should be handled separately along with the cost-construct form.

• Travel Agency should have 20 years or more operational experience

• Travel agencies must have at least 10 years with US government travel operation experience and additionally other international agencies.

• Travel agency will be charging monthly flat rate fee as per the agreed fixed rate.

1.2. Each of these items is discussed in detail in Section 1, continuation of block 20, paragraph 3.0, "Contractor Requirements for Providing Official Travel Services".

1.3. The Contractor shall also provide travel services and support for Government employees and their dependents requesting personal deviations from authorized itineraries associated with office, U.S. Government-funded travel. An individual seeking a personal deviation from official travel is required to use the Contractor’s services to arrange the deviation if the Contractor is capable of ticketing using the common carrier(s) and fares(s) requested by the traveler. The Contractor may charge a const construct fee, personally paid by the traveler in addition to the transaction fee for the official portion of the travel. The Contractor shall post and publish the transaction fees associated with such service.

1.4. The Contractor shall also provide travel services for any individual sponsored by a participating agency under this contract, including personnel on temporary duty.

Additionally, the Government is often called upon to assist U.S. citizens who wish to return to the U.S. The Contractor may be called upon to assist with the travel arrangements in such cases. The Contractor shall direct any question as to whether or not a service should be provided to a particular person, to the Contracting Officer or the

Contracting Officer’s Representative.

1.5. Upon the request of employees or other persons with disabilities traveling on official business, the Contractor must arrange necessary and reasonable accommodations, including but not limited to airline seating, in-terminal transfers, ground transportation and barrier-free or otherwise accessible lodging.

2.0 DEFINITIONS AND ACRONYMS

Agency – U.S. Government activity at post, such as State Department, Foreign Commercial

Service, or Foreign Agricultural Service.

ARC - Airlines Reporting Corporation. Website: https://www2.arccorp.com/

Authorized Itinerary – The:

• Lowest cost;

• Usually traveled routing;

• Between a traveler’s authorized origin and authorized destination.

• On the authorized date of travel (for travel that is date-specific);

• In the authorized class of service.

• Using the fare type (unrestricted or restricted) authorized.

• That complies with the GSA City Pair Program

• And complies with the Fly America Act, the US government regulation and the Mission

Travel Policy.

Business Day - Monday through Friday, except holidays listed in Section 2, DOSAR 652.237-

72, “Observance of Legal Holidays and Administrative Leave”.”.

BSP – Iata Billing and Settlement Plan

CBA - Centrally Billed Account. A Charge Card Account established by the General Services

Administration. The Department of State has selected Citibank Visa Charge Cards. The contractor will provide the CBA via the GDS to the airlines such that the airline is the merchant for the air ticket cost. The contractor may only charge the CBA for transaction fees, not for airline tickets.

Commission - Amount paid to the Contractor by another entity not a party to this contract, such as an airline, hotel or rental car, for each airline ticket the Contractor books with that entity.

COR - Contracting Officer's Representative. See Section 2, DOSAR 652.242-70, Contracting

Officer's Representative (COR)

Cost Construct – Travel that deviates from the authorized itinerary or authorized class of service.

The Government will pay no more than the value of the authorized itinerary. A traveler-requested deviation from the date(s) of travel on their travel authorization shall not constitute a cost-construct unless, as a result of the date change, the base fare changes relative to the base fare of the authorized itinerary

DS-4022 – Exception Form for us of non-contract carrier

DS-3093 – Exception Form for use of Foreign Flag Carrier

DS-4087 – Exception Form for Premium/Business Class Travel

DSSR – Department of State Standard Regulations

Embassy – Refers to U.S. Embassy Addis Ababa. Also refers to any consulates listed in paragraph 1.1 above.

Emergency - An unforeseen combination of circumstances that calls for immediate action. The term emergency includes, but is not limited to, disasters, forest fires, evacuations, floods, and civil unrest.

Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) - See 41 CFR Chapters 300-304. Chapter 301 governs travel and transportation allowances for Federal civilian employees. except for DOD personnel, who are subject to the JTR. The regulation can be accessed at website: https://www.gsa.gov/policy-regulations/regulations/federal-travel-regulation-ftr

Fly America Act - See 49 U.S.C. 40118. The Fly America Act requires Federal employees and their dependents, consultants, contractors, grantees, and others performing United States-financed air travel to travel by U.S. flag carriers. Details contained in 41 CFR 301-10.131 through 301-10.143 and 6 FAM 135.

GDS – U.S. Global Distribution System – used by travel agencies to reserve and ticket travel services.

Government - U.S. Government, including all participating U.S. Government agencies.

GSA - U.S. Government General Services Administration.

GTR - Government Travel Request issued on an electronic SF-1169 which is provided to a carrier or a carrier’s agent to procure passenger transportation services for the account of the

U.S. Government. GTRs are used when an airline will not accept the CBA as the merchant. The

GTR shall be used as a supporting document with the bill for the transportation charges.

Hotel and Motel Fire Safety Act of 1990 - Public Law 101-391, September 25, 1990. An Act to amend the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to allow for the development and issuance of guidelines concerning the use and installation of automatic sprinkler systems and smoke detectors in places of public accommodation affecting commerce, and for other purposes.

Hotel and Motel Fire Safety Act National Master List - Places of public accommodation in the

United States and its territories that meet the fire prevention and control guidelines under the

Hotel and Motel Fire Safety Act. Current information is also available on the internet at http://www.usfa.fema.gov/hotel.

IBA – Individually Billed Account, certain travelers (primarily U.S. direct hires) may be eligible to hold a U.S. Government contractor-issued individually billed account (IBA), commonly referred to as a travel card. An IBA should be used to procure transportation for official travel only when a CBA cannot be used or when travel is of an unanticipated, emergency nature and https://www.gsa.gov/policy-regulations/regulations/federal-travel-regulation-ftr https://www.gsa.gov/policy-regulations/regulations/federal-travel-regulation-ftr http://www.usfa.fema.gov/hotel arranging travel through a TMC, thus using a CBA, would prevent accomplishment of the purpose of travel.

Indirect Travel – Travel that deviate, in routing, from the routing of the authorized itinerary.

JTR – Military Joint Travel Regulations

Lowest Available Fare - Except for the constraints of the airline contract program described in

Section 1, continuation of block 20, paragraph 3.2.2 and the Fly America Act, Section 1, continuation of block 20, paragraph 3.2.3, the Contractor shall book the lowest available fare in accordance with agency policy, if any, as expressed in the contract. If reservations made by the

Contractor are not at the lowest available rate allowed, at the time of ticketing, the Contractor shall refund the difference to the Government.

Media - A broad spectrum of methods used to provide a permanent record of communications

(examples include paper, Electronic Data Interface (EDI), electronic, optically stored media, computer disks, or any other acceptable method of available communication).

OBT – The Online Booking Tool is provided by CWT Sato using the “Get There” program

Official Travel - Travel that is paid for and/or for which the traveler is reimbursed by the

Government.

Open Skies Agreement – The EU Open Skies agreement can be a valid exception to the Fly

American Act. Other Open Skies agreements are not as liberal as the EU agreement.

Personal Travel - Travel that is paid for by the employee/dependent and for which reimbursement will not be provided by the Government.

PNR - Passenger Name Records

Post – Embassy, consulate general, consulate, consular agency, presence post, branch office, or mission of the United States.

Premium Class Travel Report – Report, by agency, containing all Premium Class travel tickets issued by the contactor where the USG authorized Premium Class Travel

Refund - Ticket refund consists of the value of the ticket but does not include transaction fee or other service fee associated with issuing of the ticket. For billing purposes under this contract, a refund is not a separate transaction.

SOP – Standard Operating Procedures – Document provided by Contractor to Post detailing processes and procedures for service delivery of all contract requirements

Standard Carrier Alpha Code (SCAC) - Used by the Government to audit the Contractor’s billings. SCAC code may be obtained from the National Motor Traffic Association, Inc. 2200

Mill Road, Alexandria, VA 22314; telephone (703) 512-1800. The current cost is $28.00

($24.00 to renew). The SCAC is only applicable if a GTR is used for payment.

Taxes and Fees - Charges for transportation imposed on travelers by other authority, such as U.S.

Government federal taxes, airport passenger facility charges.

Tenant agencies – Other U.S. Government Agencies assigned to a given Embassy

Transaction - Issuance of a ticket for common carrier transportation, or changes to that ticket after issuance. Other travel reservations associated with the travel under that ticket, including but not limited to, hotel reservations, car rental, and other traveler services, are not considered a transaction for purposes of charging a transaction fee.

Transaction Fee - Fee, charged by the Contractor, for issuance of a ticket for common carrier transportation or changes to that ticket, after issuance. Paragraph 17.0 addresses when a transaction fee may be charged for a transaction.

Travel Authorization - Document authorizing official Government travel. May also be referred to as Travel Order.

Travel Management Center (TMC) - A commercial travel firm under contract to U.S. Embassy, Addis Ababa that provides reservations, ticketing, and related travel management services for

Federal travelers.

Travel Services - Transportation reservations, for all modes of transportation, issuance and delivery of tickets, itinerary and invoices, reservations for lodging and vehicle rental services;

and ancillary support related to travel.

User- Friendly - Ease of use geared towards those with a rudimentary or limited knowledge of computer systems and operations. The knowledge base includes how to log on and off the system, simple menu-based functions in a typical graphical user interface Windows-like environment, (for example, as point and click functions such as file, open, close), simple one-step commands, such as search, print and save.

3.0 CONTRACTOR REQUIREMENTS FOR PROVIDING OFFICIAL TRAVEL SERVICES

3.1 ESTABLISHMENT OF A TRAVELER’S AUTHORIZED ITINERARY

3.1.1 Upon receipt of a travel authorization, the contractor is responsible for determining a traveler’s authorized itinerary. The Contractor is not separately paid to establish the authorized itinerary since such work does not constitute a transaction under the terms of this contract. There is often a degree of subjectivity involved in the establishment of a traveler’s authorized itinerary, with an inherent tension between the principles of economy (lower cost) and efficiency (shorter or more convenient travel). The Contractor shall make authorized itinerary determinations that balance these principles in accordance with “reasonable person” and “prudent traveler” standards.

3.1.2 Any deviation from the authorized itinerary (other than a deviation in date that does not change the fare) constitutes a cost-construct. The value of the authorized itinerary determines the basis of any traveler-requested cost-construct. (Note: all indirect travel is cost-constructed, but not all cost-constructed travel is indirect.)

3.1.1.1 Should the traveler’s deviation from the authorized itinerary result in common carrier transportation costs in excess of the value of the authorized itinerary, the traveler is responsible for paying the difference prior to or simultaneous with the issuance of the ticket(s).

3.1.1.2 In cases when the value of the cost-constructed itinerary is less than the value of the authorized itinerary, savings accrue to the USG, not to the traveler or to the Contractor, and may not be used to offset any other expense, such as a Contractor-charged cost-construct service fee.

3.2.2.6. As a last resort, the Contractor shall provide lowest unrestricted fare if no reduced fares are available, as the U.S. Government must use the lowest unrestricted or lowest restricted fare within policy without regard to particular fare bucket (e.g., if a B class fare is available and unrestricted, a Y class fare cannot be booked).

3.2.4. The Contractor shall provide the Government with the reservation and ticketing services which industry practice normally accords corporate or private travelers, to include new and improved reservation and ticketing technologies. These shall include a 24-hour, toll-free number available to travelers to perform emergency itinerary changes and emergency services outside regular business hours. The Contractor shall be responsible for ensuring that any subcontractor providing such emergency service complies with all conditions of the contract.

3.2.5. The Contractor may only issue premium class tickets for which the Government will have to pay an additional amount when the accompanying travel orders provide authority for that travel. This does not apply to situations in which frequent flyer benefits will be used to obtain the premium class tickets. Premium class tickets reports are required to be given to the GSO.

3.2.6. Back-to-back faring, issuing round trip tickets for one way travel or hidden city ticketing and additional commission mark ups on all fares are prohibited under this contract.

3.2.7. The Contractor shall provide the traveler with advanced seat availability when made available by a carrier at no charge.

3.2.8. The Contractor shall adjust for any change(s) in flight, train, schedules. Tickets and billings shall be modified or reissued to reflect these changes.

3.2.9 The Contractor shall adjust for any change(s) in flight, or train, schedules. Tickets and billings shall be modified or reissued to reflect these changes.

3.2.10. The Contractor shall make a timely effort to notify travelers of airport closings, canceled or delayed flights or trains. The Contractor shall promote the use of APP technologies such as CWTSateToGo, trip case, tripit etc. to provide real time flight and gate changes.

3.2.11 The Contractor’s air reservation system shall have the capacity to issue air tickets using any of the Government’s corporate or other discount rate codes.

3.1.12 The Contractor shall assist the travelers and liaise with the airlines for any change(s) in flight within the 24-hour period before departure time.

3.1.13 The Contractor shall maintain the ability to accept two forms of payment when executing cost construct travel.

3.3. LODGING

Reserved

3.4. RENTAL VEHICLES

3.5. RELATED SERVICES

3.5.1. Health Requirements. The Contractor shall provide travelers with advice on necessary health requirements, including types of inoculations and vaccinations whether required or suggested for foreign travel.

3.5.2. Local Conditions. The Contractor shall provide information and advice on conditions at the various foreign destinations, including climatic conditions, type of clothing which are appropriate or essential, national, and religious holidays, location of American embassies and consulates, etc.

3.5.3. Foreign Currency Information. The Contractor shall provide technical advice on such matters as foreign currency exchange rate and transactions, securing auto insurance in conjunction with foreign automobile rentals, excess baggage requirements and fees.

3.5.4. Visas. The Contractor shall assist travelers in obtaining visas for foreign travel. The

Contractor is required to provide at no cost to the Government, daily visa deliveries/pickups not to exceed five separate delivery/pick-up points per day. This includes pickup and delivery of passports and visas between the Embassy and other foreign embassies, or processing points located within the servicing city or area, on a daily or as needed basis.

3.5.5. SEMINARS AND MEETINGS

3.5.6. INFORMATION PAMPHLETS

3.5.6.1. The Contractor shall develop, print, and deliver to the Government, pamphlets listing procedures for traveler use of the services under this contract. These should be approximately pocket or letter size, about two pages long, and should provide Contractor phone numbers and other relevant information. The Contractor shall prepare as many pamphlets as required by the

Government, subject to approval by the COR, who shall review the pamphlet before it is printed and delivered in quantity to the Government. The Contractor shall maintain at its expense a sufficient supply of these pamphlets throughout the duration of the contract and furnish additional quantities after the initial quantity, when requested by the COR.

3.5.6.2. Additionally, the Contractor shall include one pamphlet with each ticket and itinerary package ordered during the first quarter of the contract period (first three months), and the first quarter of any option years extended under the term of any resulting contract(s).

3.5.6.1. Reserved

3.5.7. Special Fares/Packages - The Contractor shall advertise special fares/packages and tours in the Embassy weekly newsletter. The Contractor shall make arrangements for this advertisement with the COR.

3.6. Traveler's Itineraries - The Contractor shall provide to each traveler a complete, electronic itinerary document including, but not limited to the following:

• carrier(s) both marketing and operating;

• flight, or train, number(s);

• if applicable, annotate that the traveler refused the contract or lowest fare offered;

• departure and arrival time(s) for each segment of the trip;

• name, phone number, location, room rate(s), confirmation number of hotels/motels booked by the contractor at each destination and guaranteed arrival check-in time, cancellation requirements; and where applicable, tax-exempt information. If requested by the Government, the Contractor shall include a clear statement regarding compliance with the Hotel and Motel Fire Safety Act of 1990. If requested, the statement shall read as follows: "The lodging selected satisfies (or does not satisfy) the requirements of the Hotel and Motel Fire Safety Act of 1990." The Government would only make this request if travel will be within an area covered by this Act.

• Seat Assignment whenever possible and if offered free of charge by the airline;

• vehicle rental company, to include name and toll-free telephone number of supplier, pickup and return dates, location of pickup, confirmed rate and confirmation number and, where applicable, special pickup instructions and hours of operation, notably for off-airport suppliers.

• Itemized statement of transaction fee;

• Ticket number for all tickets issued;

• Fare bucket booked for each flight (air travel only);

• local and toll-free numbers, ( toll-free only if available in the country in which these services are provided) for both the servicing office and the after-hours emergency services location.

• a statement and a copy of the passenger receipt coupon of all charges associated with the transportation ticket, including the ticket number, price, fare basis code, any fare restrictions, fees charged and a description of those fees.

• Copy of the e-ticket receipt.

• if use of a non-contract carrier is authorized, the Contractor shall annotate one or more of the following reasons to show contract city-pair coverage and agency justification for non-use. The Contractor may use alpha or numeric codes for representation;

• Space or scheduled flights are not available in time to accomplish the purpose of travel, or use of contract service would require the traveler to incur unnecessary overnight lodging costs which would increase the total cost of the trip; or

• The Contractor's flight schedule is inconsistent with explicit policies of individual Federal departments and agencies, where applicable, to schedule travel during normal working hours; or

• A non-contract carrier offers a lower fare available to the general public, the use of which will result in a lower total trip cost to the Government, to include the combined costs of transportation, lodging, meals, and related expenses.

Note: This exception does not apply if the contract carrier(s) offers a comparable fare and has seats available at that fare, or if the lower fare offered by a non-contract carrier is restricted to Government and Military travelers on official business and may only be purchased with a GTR or Government contractor issued general charge card, such as, YDG, MDG, ODG, VDG and similar fares.

• Listing of ticket numbers for the complete itinerary with price of the ticket to include the TMC service fee being charged. The Itinerary Invoice is a system generated document provided by the GDS;

• Name and address of lodging;

• Nightly rate for lodging (both “base” (pre-tax) and fully encumbered (inclusive of tax and any mandatory fees imposed by a government or hotel/motel);

• Name of rental car provider;

• Pick-up and drop-off locations for car rentals;

• If required by post, an official tax invoice;

• This document shall be presented in a manner that is not readily editable, such as an automated document generated by a GDS. Easily modifiable documents, such as MS

Word, are not acceptable.

3.7. TICKET DELIVERY

3.8. Management Reports and Deliverables - The Contractor shall provide the Government with management information reports. As a minimum, the Contractor shall develop the following reports which shall be delivered within the time frames set forth in Section 1, continuation of block 20, paragraph 10.0: All ticketing level data is to be available to the Embassy or

Department of State Travel and Transportation Management Division when requested.

3.8.1. QUARTERLY PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS REPORT – The Contractor shall provide a concise quarterly narrative of the Contractor's activities. This report shall identify problems and recommend solutions. The report shall include suggestions to enhance service, where appropriate. The Government encourages interim reports, as deemed necessary by the

Contractor.

3.8.2. QUARTERLY SALES ACTIVITY REPORT - The Contractor shall provide a concise quarterly narrative of the Contractor’s activities. This report shall identify problems and recommend solutions. The report shall include suggestions to enhance service, where appropriate. The Government encourages interim reports, as deemed necessary by the

3.8.3. RECONCILIATION REPORT OF TRANSPORTATION BILLINGS

3.9. COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM AND EMERGENCY SERVICES

3.9.1. The Contractor shall provide service, Monday through Friday, compatible with the

Embassy’s standard workday. Section 1, continuation of block 20, paragraph 13.0, below sets forth the normal working hours for Contractor personnel providing services under this contract.

The Contractor shall provide web based technologies and or mobile applications for ticket and travel management, or at a minimum dedicated 24-hour, toll-free telephone service available to the travels that will allow immediate access to a reservation agent to perform emergency itinerary changes and ticket issuance outside regular business hours.

3.9.2. The Contractor shall be responsible for ensuring that any subcontractor providing 24-hour emergency service complies with all conditions of the contract.

3.9.3. In the event of emergencies (e.g., Presidential-declared disasters, forest fires, evacuations, floods, hurricanes, etc.), the Contractor shall maintain operations necessary to support the Government under this contract. This includes operating the office 24 hours a day as required by the Government responding to the emergency/evacuation and providing necessary delivery of tickets.

3.9.4. Telephone - The Contractor shall answer at least 80 percent of calls within 20 seconds and provide a recorded message for those calls not answered in 20 seconds. The recorded message shall be in English and shall give the traveler at least two options:

• to hold or

• to leave a message for a call back.

The Contractor shall respond to all telephone return calls within one (1) hour. The Contractor shall respond to e-mail requests within one business day, unless travel is scheduled on a weekend, holiday, or business day subsequent to the day of the request.

3.9.5. Many times, services required outside normal working hours are as a result of visits by

U.S. Government officials to the Embassy. In providing this service, the Contractor may be required to provide Travel Counselors/Reservationists on weekends, holidays and/or weekdays before or after normal office hours. In adhering to this requirement, the Contractor shall comply with all local labor laws including the payment of staff overtime when applicable. Additionally, the Contractor shall provide travelers' assistance services to official visitors. The average annual number of visitors requiring traveler’s assistance services is `50. Services would be of a

"Visitors Bureau" type that, as a minimum, could include the following:

• Lodging Reservations

• Travel Changes and Confirmations

• Entertainment Reservations, including short excursions

• Travel Document Preparation for Military Travel

• Documentation for Travel Required by Foreign Governments

• VIP Services

3.9.6. If the Contractor's reservation center is remote from the Embassy, the Contractor shall provide toll-free numbers for use by agencies’ employees to make reservations during the

Embassy’s regular hours of operations. Remote is defined as areas where agencies would have to make long-distance calls to reach the Contractor.

3.9.7. Emergencies - The Contractor shall continue to provide services during emergencies or contingencies. In connection with evacuations or large-scale air movements of noncombatants, refugees or troops, the Contractor shall establish temporary office or expand existing services, as appropriate, to expedite travel (such as, Noncombatant Evacuation Operation missions). The

Government will provide its own facilities during emergencies, as required.

3.9.8.1 The Contractor shall be able and willing to accept major credit cards, including VISA, MasterCard, and American Express, for payment of travel services, transaction fees, and common carrier tickets. The Airline for official travel must be the merchant for CBA charges.

3.9.8.2 The Contractor shall be able and willing to accept an EFT for payment of transaction fees.

3.9.8.3 Government Travel Request (GTR) – The Contractor shall be able and willing to accept a

GTR for invoicing/payment of common carrier transportation tickets.

3.9.8.4 The Contractor shall not apply any sort of payment processing surcharge or supplement when either a traveler or the Government elects to use any of the three forms of payment mentioned in this section.

3.10. Media - In addition to the required reports, the Contractor shall produce, within reasonable parameters, other management reports in formats and media requested from time to time by the Contracting Officer. To compile such reports, Contractor's back-office computer shall be capable of collecting all data from reservation and ticketing records in the format requested. The Contractor shall also have the capability to capture data for reports when the

GDS is not operating and for airlines that do not subscribe to a GDS.

3.11. Project Management - The Contractor shall provide reservation agents, personnel and equipment necessary to assure that the highest quality of service is provided. The Contractor shall have the capability to make reservations and provide tickets at its servicing office(s) when its Centralized Reservation System (CRS) is not operating and when reservations cannot be made on an airline through a CRS.

3.12 eTravel SERVICE (eTS)

4.0. Contractor Priority - The Government's official travel requirements shall be accorded the highest priority. The Contractor must ensure that non-Governmental travel considerations do not delay, impede, or frustrate the Contractor's timely effective processing of official Government travel.

5.0 FURNISHING OF EQUIPMENT/PROPERTY

5.1. The Government will provide the property listed in Section 1, Attachment 3. The

Contractor has the option to reject any or all Government furnished property or items. However, if the Government furnished property is rejected, Contractor shall provide all necessary property, equipment, or items, adequate in quantity and suitable for the intended purpose, to perform all work and provide all services at no additional cost to the Government. The Contractor shall use all Government furnished property or items only in connection with performance under this contract. The Contractor is responsible for the proper care, maintenance and use of Government property in its possession or control from time of receipt until properly relieved of responsibility in accordance with the terms of the contract. Negligent use of Government furnished property that results in damage or destruction is cause for repair or replacement at the Contractor's expense.

5.1.1. The Contractor shall maintain written records of work performed and report the need for major repair or replacement work for Government property in its control. The Contractor shall assure that the Government property will be used only for those purposes authorized in the contract and that any required approvals for use will be obtained prior to use.

5.1.2. The Contractor shall physically inventory all Government property in its possession.

Physical inventories consist of sighting, tagging, or marking, describing, recording, reporting and reconciling the property with written records. The Contractor shall conduct these physical inventories annually, as directed by the COR, and at termination or completion of the contract.

Unless approved in advance by the Contracting Officer, personnel who maintain the property records or who have custody of the property shall not be the individuals who perform these inventories.

6.0 SPACE FOR PERFORMANCE OF REQUIRED SERVICES

6.1. On-site Services -For the provision of On-site Travel Management Center (TMC) Services, the Contractor shall operate out of the Government’s facility, on Government property, located at the address set forth below in the paragraph, “Place of Performance”. Any renovation to the space, such as erection or removal of walls and partitions, electrical or plumbing connection, painting, carpeting, and any other related work, shall be at the Contractor's expense. All plans for space renovation must be approved by the COR and all arrangements for renovation work must be made by or through the COR. Until such time as office space and telecommunications arrangements are completed within the Government location, the Contractor shall arrange for delivery of travel documents to the Government location. If working in Government-provided space, the Contractor's employees shall abide by the Government's smoking policies.

6.2. The Contractor shall be responsible for paying for all utilities used.

6.3. The Contractor shall ensure that its employees and agents working on the U.S. Government premises shall observe all health and safety codes including participation in safety drills when directed either orally or by established signals, fire alarms, bomb threat alarms, etc. The

Contractor’s employees shall know the Embassy’s fire regulations and shall report fires immediately upon detection by using the nearest fire alarm or by telephoning the Marine guard.

The Contractor’s employees shall participate in a security briefing about security measures required at the Embassy and the safeguarding of private information about any Embassy travelers.

7.0 MINIMUM PERSONNEL REQUIREMENTS

All Contractor personnel providing services under this contract shall be fluent in English as well as the local language and meet the following requirements. See also paragraph 20.0 below, “Key

Personnel”, for requirements regarding Key Personnel.

7.1. Contractor's Project Manager – The Contractor shall provide a Project Manager who shall be responsible for the administration, supervision, and coordination of its Government operations.

The Project Manager shall have experience in the management of travel services and shall have adequate authority to make decisions for the timely resolution of problems. The Project

Manager shall coordinate closely with the COR.

7.2. Site Manager(s) - At each site, the Contractor shall provide a Site Manager who is experienced in operating automated reservation and ticketing equipment to arrange transportation via all modes, lodging, and vehicle rentals. The Site Manager shall have supervisory experience with travel accounts and be experienced in operating the automated reservation and ticketing systems proposed for this account.

7.3. Travel Counselors/Reservationists - The Contractor shall provide full-time travel counselors/reservationists. The Travel Counselors/Reservationists shall have been trained in operating the proposed automated reservation and ticketing equipment. The Contractor shall provide qualified substitute personnel for absent permanent employees, when service levels are negatively impacted, as determined by the Government.

7.4. Other Personnel - The Contractor shall provide whatever other personnel are necessary to comply with the requirements of this contract.

7.5 Other Considerations – All Contractor personnel who provide services under this contract shall be acceptable to the Government in terms of personal conduct. Employment and staffing difficulties shall not be justification for failure to meet established schedules.

8.0 CONTRACTOR’S QUALITY CONTROL PLAN

8.1. General. The Contractor shall maintain procedures to continually monitor the quality of travel services, with the goal of providing and maintaining the highest level of customer service/satisfaction. These procedures shall ensure compliance with communication requirements, Section 1, continuation of block 20, paragraph 3.10 and include:

• an internal method for monitoring, identifying and correcting deficiencies in the quality of service furnished the Government and

• Quality Service survey form that addresses travel services to be furnished under this contract.

8.2. Specifics. The Contractor’s Quality Control plan shall outline procedures to ensure that the lowest applicable fares are obtained, and that the Contractor complies with contract city-pair fares. To ensure compliance, the Contractor shall, as necessary:

• make adjustments for any change(s) in flight, train, bus or steamship schedules;

• modify or reissue tickets and billings to reflect any changes;

• provide timely notification to customers of changes to tickets/itineraries, particularly those which occur after ticket issuance (e.g., fares, routing, delays, closings), and;

• provide courteous and prompt resolution of customer complaints.

The Contractor’s automated system shall assure reservation accuracy and lowest fares, and rebooking passengers at lower fares or reserving preferred seats if such fares or seats are not available at the first attempted booking. Additionally, the Contractor shall identify methods to check all tickets/itineraries for required data and lowest fares, to include those that cannot be checked through the automated system(s).

8.3. Within fourteen days of contract award, the Contractor shall furnish a Quality Service survey (questionnaire) to the COR for approval. The Quality Service survey shall include, as a minimum:

• measurement factors for prompt telephone response;

• courtesy and professionalism of Contractor personnel;

• reservation accuracy;

• ticket delivery and document accuracy, and;

• overall quality of service provided.

Additionally, the survey form shall identify the Contractor and provide space for customer comments. The Contractor shall periodically distribute these questionnaires to at least ten percent (10%) of ticketed travelers, but not less than twice a year. The Contractor shall make these responses available to the COR.

9.0 TRANSITION REQUIREMENT AND CONTINUITY OF SERVICES

9.1. The Contractor shall comply with FAR clause 52.237-3, "Continuity of Services", during any transition period.

9.2. The Government requires a smooth and orderly transition between the Contractor and the successor Contractor to ensure minimum disruption and avoid decline in service to the

Government. Unless otherwise specified by the Government, the Contractor shall provide to the successor…