Appendix B - Statement of Work.pdf

STATEMENT OF WORK

Travel Management Services

Prepared by: Joseph Metallo – Manager, Global Travel Services Date of Document: May 28, 2024

TRVL-JAID-0011, Travel Services Management SOW rev. March 25, 2024

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Table of Contents

1 Introduction

2 Background

3 Objectives

4 Global Travel Services

4.1 Communications System

4.1.1 Regular Business Service

4.1.2 After-Hours/Emergency Service

4.2 Project Staffing and Management

4.2.1 Customer Service and Support

4.2.2 Dedicated Account Manager

4.2.3 Quality Control

4.3 Facilities Operations and Equipment

4.4 Transportation Reservations and Ticketing

4.4.1 Airlines Reservations

4.4.2 Vehicle Rental Reservations

4.5 Lodging

4.6 Incentive Plans

4.7 Accommodations for Persons with Disabilities

4.8 Itineraries/Passenger Receipt

4.9 Reporting

4.9.1 Data, Security and Dissemination

4.9.2 Management Reporting and Analysis

4.10 Other Considerations

4.11 Corporate Social Responsibility

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1 Introduction

This Statement of Work (“SOW”) describes a range of travel management services to be provided to

Argonne National Laboratory (“Argonne”).

Founded in 1946, Argonne is based outside of Chicago, Illinois and serves the United States as a science and energy laboratory distinguished by the breadth of its R&D capabilities in concert with its powerful suite of experimental and computational facilities. Argonne’s vision is to seek scientific and engineering solutions for sustainable energy, a healthy environment and national security.

Argonne is a U.S. Department of Energy laboratory managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC. As of 2024, Argonne maintains about 4000 full-time employees.

2 Background

Argonne has a decentralized structure that consists of approximately 50 directorates and divisions. Each division is responsible for its own travel costs; there is no “corporate travel” budget nor a single corporate account where all travel is charged. Argonne’s Global Travel Services team works within the Security and Travel Services Division.

Argonne’s Global Travel Office (“GTO”) is responsible for compliance of Argonne’s travel policies and procedures, the U.S. Federal Travel Regulations and Department of Energy travel orders and guidelines.

The GTO also oversees Argonne’s travel service contractors and the laboratory’s travel safety and security programs.

Argonne has traditionally worked with travel management service providers to simplify the process of booking transportation and lodging, maintain control of costs, assist in contract negotiations with airlines and hotels, data management and reporting. The travel management service provider has also been instrumental in supporting compliance with quality control and complex approval workflows. The travel management service provider facilitates both business and business with personal travel.

Argonne uses an integrated, single user interface for the employee travel request process, online booking tool, and expense reporting; non-employee travel is processed using a different Travel Authorization

System. Concur assigns a unique travel request number that is used to track trip history and costs.

Moreover, the Department of Energy requires that reimbursement for travel expenses be based on the published government per diems for domestic and international travel, which consist of a “lodging” component and a “meals and incidental expenses” component. The travel service provider maintains these rates in Argonne’s Concur online booking tool.

The travel management service provider also provides data feeds to International SOS, Argonne’s medical and travel security assistance service.

Argonne operates on a fiscal year, which begins October 1 and ends on September 30.

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3 Objectives

The GTO’s principal initiative is to develop a seamless end-to-end process, which exponentially improves the “customer’s journey,” contains and controls the cost of travel, ensures compliance, and offers customizable reporting for detailed analysis.

Argonne is seeking a global travel support services provider (“Contractor”) to fulfill the following objectives:

• “Customer Experience” – Uphold a superior level of customer service for Argonne travelers that can be measured using key performance indicators.

• Travel Management – Effectively and efficiently coordinate seamless business travel, including transportation and lodging that ensures compliance with the Federal Travel Regulations and DOE

Orders.

• Detailed Reporting and Analysis – Provide centralized data processing and customized reporting of travel activities and costs. Additionally, provide real-time visibility into travel spend with smart dashboards and analytics.

• Premier Pricing and Value-Added Incentives – Facilitate negotiations with airlines, hotels and car rental agencies to ensure best pricing, rebates, and traveler incentives.

• Concur Administration – Provide administrative and technical support for the Concur online travel booking tool.

• Technological Infrastructure – Provide a solid technical infrastructure to seamlessly integrate with Argonne’s travel and expense system – Concur.

• Compliance – Build and integrate an automated control system that fully incorporates travel rules and policies to prevent out-of-policy booking before it happens, ensure compliance and budget management.

• Automatic Approval Process: Develop an automatic approval process for out-of-policy reservations, where such bookings generate an approval and review action for Argonne’s Global

Travel team.

• Cost Management – Continually identify cost reduction opportunities.

The Contractor must comply with Argonne’s travel policies and procedures, the U.S. Federal Travel

Regulations and Department of Energy travel orders.

4 Global Travel Services

The Contractor will arrange for seamless, end-to-end travel within the United States and its territories and possessions (“domestic travel”) and travel anywhere outside the United States except its territories or possessions (“international travel”).

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This includes providing advice to travelers on such matters as lowest logical airfare, the Fly America

Act, securing automobile insurance in conjunction with vehicle rentals, excess baggage requirements and fees, foreign currency exchange rates and transactions, cost comparisons related to business with personal travel, etc.

The primary tasks associated with this contract are broken down as follows and are subject to change based on the needs and requirements of Argonne.

4.1 Communications System

4.1.1 Regular Business Service

The Contractor will provide regular business service Monday through Friday between the hours of

8:00AM and 6:00PM (Central Standard Time) where travelers can receive immediate access to an agent by telephone, email and chat – not a machine.

Service will be provided by highly experienced travel agents who have a comprehensive understanding of Argonne’s travel program, policies and procedures along with the Federal Travel Regulations.

The Contractor is required to handle regular phone-in reservations as follows:

• Follow industry best practices with regard to customer phone service including meeting metrics associated with call holding time, number of rings before pick-up and number of dropped calls.

• Accept collect calls for after-hours/emergency support from areas where 24-hour toll-free access is unavailable or impractical.

• Provide uninterrupted backup service in the event of an onsite disruption such as evacuation or reservation equipment disruption.

4.1.2 After-Hours/Emergency Service

The Contractor will provide an international toll-free number to utilize 24/7 and receive immediate, necessary access to an agent by telephone, email and chat – not a machine.

The comprehensive after-hours/emergency support includes:

• Highly experienced travel agents that are familiar with Argonne’s travel program and the Federal

Travel Regulations

• Information and advice

• New flight, hotel, rail or car rental bookings

• Reservation amendments

• Collaboration with International SOS, Argonne’s medical and travel security assistance service provider

In the event of any changes or interruptions to the Contractor’s after-hours/emergency support line, the

Contractor will provide immediate notification to Argonne’s Technical Representative.

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The Contractor will proactively communicate to Argonne travelers and the GTO, in advance of travel, where 24-hour toll-free access is unavailable or impractical. In these situations, an alternate solution must be provided to the traveler, either by the Contractor or by Argonne’s GTO.

The Contractor will provide a report to Argonne’s Manager of Global Travel Services, on a monthly basis or upon request, containing the details of all after-hours/emergency calls including, but not limited to, the type of call received, the issue and resolution.

4.2 Project Staffing and Management

4.2.1 Customer Service and Support

The Contractor will assign dedicated or designated offsite agents for the Argonne account but will also provide overload support as circumstances may dictate.

• The dedicated or designated agents will be provided training on Argonne’s travel program, policies and procedures.

• Any updates will be communicated to the dedicated agents by the GTO, as required.

The dedicated or designated offsite agents will be responsible for the following:

• Answer incoming calls

• Respond to incoming emails and chat

• Ensure appropriate booking for those on Medical Exception Travel List and the VIP Travel List

• Provide price comparison simulations for alternate travel (i.e. for personal segments that are connected to business travel).

• Argonne reserves the right to request alternate dedicated agents should performance issues arise or determines that dedicated agents are not necessary to Argonne’s travel program.

4.2.2 Dedicated Account Manager

The Contractor will provide an Account Manager who will serve as Argonne’s single point of contact and will report to Joseph Metallo, Argonne’s Manager of Global Travel Services. The Account Manager will:

• become knowledgeable in Argonne’s travel program, policies and procedures and ensure that the assigned agents are compliant

• offer insightful recommendations on current best practices in travel services

• respond to problems or issues that require attention from Contractor management

• provide detailed reporting to include travel activity, costs, agent performance and other ad hoc requests

• provide consultation and support with travel related vendor negotiations

• participate in quarterly review meetings

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The Account Manager will respond to all requests within 2 business days or sooner, when possible.

4.2.3 Quality Control

The Contractor will have procedures in place to continually monitor the quality of the travel services provided, with a goal of maintaining the highest possible level of customer service and satisfaction.

These procedures will provide an internal method for monitoring, identifying, and correcting deficiencies in the quality of service provided to Argonne. The Contractor:

• will maintain procedures (e.g. staff training) to ensure compliance with Argonne’s travel policy and the terms and conditions of the contract.

• will ensure billing accuracy and include procedures for correcting any billing errors that may occur. All bills must be received by the 20th of each month for the services rendered the previous month.

• will ensure that the information captured for reporting purposes is complete, accurate, and timely.

• will not release, sell, or make available any information regarding an Argonne traveler to credit bureaus or any other third party, except as otherwise directed by Argonne’s Global Travel

Services Manager.

• will not use names, addresses, or any other account or card information for any purpose other than that specified in the contract.

• will provide a Customer Service Satisfaction Program that periodically surveys Argonne travelers to capture and report the following metrics:

- promptness of telephone responses

- courtesy and professionalism of Contractor personnel

- reservation accuracy

- ticket delivery and document accuracy

- overall quality of the service provided

The contractor will expeditiously advise Argonne about legislation, regulations, and other information which will affect the contractor’s operation or have an impact on Argonne.

4.3 Facilities Operations and Equipment

The Contractor will operate its own facility off site.

The Contractor will provide the offsite agents with the necessary tools to carry out their duties, which include, but is not limited to, the following:

• Reservation equipment that uses Argonne’s approved Global Distribution System and is capable of displaying all available fares for a given route or market

• Office supplies

• Communications systems

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• Personal computers for each dedicated employee including necessary peripherals

• Dedicated telephone lines

• In-house training

The resources and equipment used by the Contractor will be consistent with industry best practices and maintained, upgraded or replaced as required to provide Argonne travelers with the highest standard of customer service.

It is required that the Contractor is capable of interfacing with Concur, the current online booking system, to provide for continuity in the travel profile administration. Updates with Concur must be interactively tied to the fulfillment of reservations originated online or through traditional agents. The Contractor will have staff to support navigation for Concur and any other applications necessary in maintaining the traveler profiles.

The Contractor will work with Argonne’s 3rd party medical and travel security assistance service provider, International SOS, and provide a seamless, real-time data feed to their system. Argonne reserves the right to change its 3rd party medical and travel security assistance service provider at any time.

4.4 Transportation Reservations and Ticketing

The Contractor will provide Argonne with the same reservation and ticketing services that the travel industry normally accords corporate travelers. This includes facilitating negotiations with airlines, car rental agencies and other transportation service providers to ensure the best pricing and incentives for

Argonne travelers.

In compliance with Argonne Travel Policies and Procedures, the Contractor will make reservations for all commercial modes of transportation, including air, rail, bus, limousine, rental car and taxi. The

Contractor will accept booking requests via telephone, e-mail, chat and the online booking tool.

Additionally, the Contractor will provide advice to travelers on such matters as foreign currency exchange rates and transactions, automobile insurance requirements for vehicle rentals and excess baggage requirements and fees.

The Contractor will provide travelers with last seat availability and advance seat assignments on all airlines for which the Contractor can provide these services. The Contractor will be responsible for making adjustments for any changes in air, rail, bus, limousine, rental car and taxi – modifying or reissuing tickets and itineraries accordingly – and providing timely notification of such changes to travelers.

The Contractor will provide a report to Argonne’s Manager of Global Travel Services, on a quarterly basis or upon request, that contains raw and/or analyzed reservation data, including but not limited to, transportation companies used, travelers, costs, dates and locations traveled.

The Contractor will provide data feeds to the Argonne reporting systems, online tool or other tracking systems, as needed.

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4.4.1 Airlines Reservations

4.4.1.1 Domestic Travel

Domestic travel reservations are made via the Concur online booking tool.

• The Contractor will fulfill the reservations that are made via Concur and provide user and technical support.

• Only registered employees with valid Concur profiles are allowed to book domestic travel.

The Contractor will make domestic travel reservations when a personal segment is included in their business travel.

4.4.1.2 International Travel

The dedicated agents will book all international travel reservations.

4.4.1.3 Other Agent Assisted Travel

The dedicated agents will book travel for pre-approved non-employee travelers such as honorariums, students, new hires and interviewees.

Other special circumstances are made available on a case-by-case basis, which will be determined by

Argonne’s GTO.

The Contractor shall provide a built-in pre-trip approval routing system to accommodate all exceptions requiring approval by Argonne’s GTO.

4.4.1.4 Airline Ticketing Services

The Contractor will issue and deliver tickets for all reservations. Additionally, the Contractor will handle refunds and all other services related to ticketing.

All travel must be handled in the form of an electronic ticket (E-Ticket).

The Contractor will meet the following conditions for airfare ticketing:

• The Contractor will locate and book the lowest available logical fare subject to Argonne Travel

Policies and Procedures.

• Air passenger tickets must be issued only from an approved Airlines Reporting Corporation

(ARC) or its approved equivalent such as airline approved ticket stock.

• The Contractor will track non-refundable tickets inventory and apply tickets on future travel as it is booked and process voids and refunds with notification to Argonne’s accounting department.

• The Contractor must accommodate the payment of airfares to Argonne’s dedicated “ghost” credit card.

4.4.2 Vehicle Rental Reservations

The Contractor will secure the lowest available rate or the negotiated rates with Argonne preferred vendors and accept rental car reservation requests via telephone, e-mail, chat and online booking tool.

The Contractor must understand and comply with Argonne’s policies related to vehicle insurance, including Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) and Liability Waiver (LW).

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Moreover, the Contractor will facilitate negotiations with car rental companies to ensure the best pricing and incentives for Argonne travelers.

4.5 Lodging

Argonne is committed to ensuring, within reasonable reimbursement limits, the availability of quality lodging for its travelers. As such, the Contractor will provide comprehensive lodging services for travelers, including making, changing and confirming reservations and rates.

The Contractor will reserve lodging at less than or equal to government per diem lodging rates when available, communicate deviation from these rates to the travelers and accept lodging reservation requests via telephone, e-mail, chat and the online booking tool.

The Contractor will also facilitate negotiations with hotels to ensure the best pricing and incentives for

Argonne travelers.

The Contractor will provide a report to Argonne’s Manager of Global Travel Services, on a quarterly basis or upon request, that contains raw and/or analyzed reservation data, including but not limited to, booked hotel brands and hotel chains, costs, discounts, incentives, nights spent and average room rates.

4.5.1.1 Domestic Travel

Domestic lodging reservations are typically made via the Concur online booking tool, the Contractor or by the individual traveler.

• The Contractor will fulfill the reservations that are made via Concur and provide user and technical support.

• Only registered employees with valid Concur profiles are allowed to book domestic travel.

4.5.1.2 International Travel

International lodging reservations are typically made via the Concur online booking tool, Contractor or by the individual traveler.

4.6 Incentive Plans

The Contractor will be expected to always provide the traveler’s preferred incentive plan membership information (e.g. frequent flyer program, hotel reward membership) when making travel, lodging or vehicle rental reservations so that the traveler can earn the applicable credit.

4.7 Accommodations for Persons with Disabilities

Subject to approval by Argonne’s GTO, the Contractor will arrange for any necessary and reasonable special accommodations, including airline seating, in-terminal transfers, ground transportation, and barrier-free or otherwise accessible lodging for persons with disabilities traveling on official Argonne business.

4.8 Itineraries/Passenger Receipt

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The Contractor will ensure timely delivery of travel itineraries. Unless otherwise requested, itineraries and other travel-related documents will be issued electronically within 24 hours of making the reservation.

• In instances when E-ticketing is not available and the traveler is scheduled to begin travel within two days, the Contractor will utilize Federal Express to ensure timely delivery.

• In emergency (i.e. last-minute, same-day) situations, the Contractor will be required to arrange for itinerary delivery within a two-hour notice by Argonne’s GTO; such emergencies are expected to be extremely rare.

The Contractor will have the ability to transmit the itineraries to multiple platforms (i.e. mobile devices and e-mails) and in multiple versions (i.e. PDF and Microsoft Word), as consistent with communication technology changes.

Itineraries must include the following information:

• Carrier

• Flight, train or bus number;

• Departure and arrival dates and times for each segment of the trip;

• A highlighted advisory if a layover is less than 1.5 hours for domestic travel and less than 2.5 hours for international travel.

• Name, phone number, address, room rate, and confirmation number of hotel at each destination, guaranteed arrival check-in time, cancellation requirements, and where applicable, tax-exempt information;

• Vehicle rental information, including name and phone number of supplier, pickup and return dates, confirmation rate and confirmation number and where applicable, special pickup instructions and hours of operation – notably for off-airport suppliers; and for international travel confirmation of the Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) and/or Liability Waiver (LW).

• The local and toll-free numbers for both the agency servicing office and the agency after-hours emergency services location;

• A statement and copy of the passenger receipt reflecting all charges associated with the transportation ticket, including the ticket number, price, fee charged and whether the fee constitutes a transaction fee or commission; and

• Purpose, cost code, travel authorization reference number, project identification numbers and any other relevant information Argonne requires for tracking the reservation information.

4.9 Reporting

4.9.1 Data, Security and Dissemination

The Contractor will make the full details of trip reservations and any subsequent modifications available via a secured web based or similar application.

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The Contractor will ensure that all point-of-sale data is secured according to standard commercial practices (i.e. 128-bit encryption).

Data access shall be restricted to individuals authorized by Argonne’s Manager of Global Travel

Services.

4.9.2 Management Reporting and Analysis

Argonne requires that the Contractor provides comprehensive reporting and analysis, which includes, but is not limited to, travel reservations, policy compliance, customer service and costs.

The Contractor will provide regular interval reporting as described below and ad hoc reporting upon the request of Argonne’s Manager of Global Travel Services.

Reports will be presented in

1) PDF format that summarizes the key elements in visual and written form and

2) Excel as a workable file that contains analytical tools such as pivot tables and pivot charts

4.9.2.1 Monthly Reports

Each monthly report will be due to Argonne’s Manager of Global Travel Services within 5 business days after the close of each month. The Contractor will ensure that the following additional information is included in each monthly report:

• For each Argonne cost center, a separate listing that reflects each traveler’s name, itinerary, travel costs, and internal coding that Argonne may deem necessary.

• The Contractor will note any credits that Argonne earned for unused tickets, along with the name of the person whose cancellation prompted the credit.

• Transaction fees or commissions.

• Analysis of reservations by source (online vs. traditional)

• The Contractor will also provide detailed reporting information on the non-refundable ticket inventory and activity in an electronic database format.

Reports will be presented in a PDF format that is easy to read and user friendly.

Additionally, the Contractor will provide workable reports in Excel format that include analytical tools such as pivot tables and pivot charts.

4.9.2.2 Annual Reports

Annual reports will mirror the monthly report format but will be cumulative and cover Argonne as a whole.

Annual reports will also contain additional metrics and analysis that will be determined by Argonne’s

Manager of Global Travel Services.

Each annual report will be due to the Travel Manager within 20 working days after the close of each 12-month period. The annual reporting will follow the Argonne fiscal year of October 1 through September

30.

Reports will be presented in a PDF format that is easy to read and user friendly.

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Additionally, the Contractor will provide workable reports in Excel format that include analytical tools such as pivot tables and pivot charts.

4.9.2.3 Passenger Status Reports

Passenger Status Report will provide information on the status of all travelers with details of country, city, return date and times, etc.

This report must be available on demand and consistent with Argonne’s travel security solutions.

4.9.2.4 Cost Efficiency Reports

The Contractor will provide a program that continually reviews: travel vendor relationships, travel processes, and travel policy to ensure Argonne is meeting its goal to continually reduce travel costs, including reduction of agency transaction fees and provide input on ways to reduce costs.

4.10 Other Considerations

Any agreement resulting from the proposal will include conditions mutually acceptable to the contractor and Argonne, those conditions required by ARC regulation, and those regulations required by the Federal

Government.

Argonne may allow properly supported equitable adjustments to reflect unavoidable increases or decreases in third party fees paid to/by the Contractor originating from hotel, car, rail, air, or other travel service providers for Argonne related transactions. Argonne will not allow adjustments for any increases in fees above the contracted rates for increases in the Contractor’s operating costs, nor will Argonne allow for other assessments based on hotel, car, rail, air or other travel service transactions originating from non-Argonne transactions.

Certain Argonne employees designated by the Global Travel Services Manager will receive a log-in and password from the Contractor to access online reporting data for the purposes of this contract.

4.11 Corporate Social Responsibility

Argonne is always concerned with safety and security, our impact on the environment and the effect of our operations on our stakeholders and the community. We expect all contractors to follow our high standards when fulfilling their obligations to us and in the course of their business operations in general.