C - Travel Management Services - Solicitation Package - 19CV1026Q0001.pdf

Embassy of the United States of America Praia, Cabo Verde.

March 9th, 2026

Dear Prospective Quoter:

Subject: Request for Quotations number 19CV1026Q0001

Enclosed is a Request for Quotations (RFQ) for Local Inter-Island Ticketing Services. If you would like to submit a 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 attached to this solicitation.

The U.S. Government intends to award a contract to the responsible company submitting an acceptable offer at the lowest price. We intend to award a contract 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 March 13th , 10 a.m. (local time) at the US Embassy Praia - Annex.

Prospective offerors/quoters should contact Albertina Lopes by March 12th, 2026 at 5p.m. for additional information or to arrange entry to the building.

Quotations are due by April 25th, 2026 at 5 p.m. Praia time and must be submitted electronically to praiaprocurement@state.gov with subject line 19CV1026Q0001 - Local Inter-Island Ticketing

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

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

6. Proof of SAM Registration mailto:praiaprocurement@state.gov

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.

Sincerely, Leslie Bowser

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

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION 1 - THE SCHEDULE

• SF 1449 cover sheet

• Continuation To SF-1449, RFQ Number PR15839079, Prices, Block 23

• Continuation To SF-1449, RFQ Number PR15839079, Schedule of 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

SECTION 1 - THE SCHEDULE

CONTINUATION TO SF-1449

RFQ NUMBER S- PR15839079

PRICES, BLOCK 23

1.0 DESCRIPTION

The Contractor shall provide travel management services to the U.S. Embassy, Praia, as described in this solicitation. The contract type is requirements type contract for all travel management services required by the agencies set forth in Section 1, paragraph 21.0. The contract will be for a one-year period from the date to start services, set forth in the Notice to

Proceed, with four one-year options to renew.

2.0 TRANSACTION FEES AND COMMISSION REFUND PROCESS

2.1 Transaction Fee. The Government shall pay the Contractor a transaction fee based on a fixed rate per transaction. See also Section 1, continuation of block 20, paragraph

2.0, Definitions, and paragraph 14.0 for further information on handling of transaction fees.

2.2 Reserved

2.3 PRICING

2.3. A. VALUE ADDED TAX (VAT)

Value Added Tax (VAT) is not included in the CLIN rates. Instead, it will be priced as a separate Line Item in the contract and on Invoices. Local law dictates the portion of the contract price that is subject to VAT; this percentage is multiplied only against that portion. It is reflected for each performance period. The portions of the solicitation subject to VAT are:

Transaction

Description Base Period

Option

Period 1

Option

Period 2

Option

Period 3

Option

Period 4

Online Booking

Transaction Fee with air

Online Booking

Transaction Fee with ferry

Off-Site Services -

Transaction Fee

Reservation & ticketing for Online Booking

Changes fee to ticket after issuance

Overnight Delivery Fee

MINIMUM / MAXIMUM

The contract guarantee minimum for the entire contract is 100,000.00 CVE. The maximum contract for base and all option years is 112,000,000.00 CVE.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• 1.0 - Scope of Work

• 2.0 - Definitions and Acronyms

• 3.0 - Contractor Requirements for Providing Official Travel Services

• 4.0 - Minimum Personnel Requirements

• 5.0 - Contractor’s Quality Control Plan

• 6.0 - Transition Requirement and Continuity of Services

• 7.0 - Deliverables

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

• 9.0 - Place of Performance

• 10.0 - Hours of Service

• 11.0 - Basis of Compensation to the Contractor

• 12.0 - Billing and Payment Procedures

• 13.0 - Refund Procedures

• 14.0 - Transaction Fee Procedures

• 15.0 - Key Personnel

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

• 17.0 - Permits

• 18.0 - Post Award Conference

• 19.0 - Task Order Issuance

• 20.0 - Requiring Activity

• 21.0 - Quality Assurance and Surveillance Plan (QASP)

CONTINUATION TO SF-1449

RFQ NUMBER PR15839079

SCHEDULE OF 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 and their dependents. Domestic travel includes travel within the country in which the U.S. Embassy Praia is located. Services are restricted to domestic travel within Cabo Verde. The corporate travel services that the Contractor shall provide include:

• Travel reservations and issuance of tickets for air and ferry;

• Detailed travelers' itineraries.

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

• Information pamphlets for Government travelers who use the contract.

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 cost 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.

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 refundable 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.

Business Day - Monday through Friday, except holidays, 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, for each airline or ferry 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 Praia.

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.

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 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 or ferry 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.

https://www.gsa.gov/policy-regulations/regulations/federal-travel-regulation-ftr https://www.gsa.gov/policy-regulations/regulations/federal-travel-regulation-ftr

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.

PR – Procurement request

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 14.0 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 US Embassy

Praia 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; 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.

3.1.3 When a traveler disputes that the Contractor-established itinerary should constitute their authorized itinerary in accordance with USG travel regulations, the traveler may request a review by the GSO or Management Officer at the relevant post, who will either concur with the Contractor’s determination or identify an alternate itinerary that constitutes the traveler’s authorized itinerary. The Transportation and Travel Management division in

Washington, DC has the authority to make a final determination regarding the itinerary that constitutes a traveler’s authorized itinerary

3.2 TRANSPORTATION

3.2.1 The Contractor shall comply with mandatory Government programs for air and ferry travel. The Contractor shall offer the lowest available fare that complies with the agency’s mission requirements and the Mission Travel Policy, as well as check for lower fare at time of final ticketing. If reservations made by the Contractor are not at the lowest available rate allowed by policy, the Contractor shall refund the agency the difference.

3.4. RELATED SERVICES

3.4.1. 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 INFORMATION PAMPHLETS

3.5.1. 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.

3.5.2. 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. 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 ferry, 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),

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

• Itemized statement of transaction fee;

• Ticket number for all tickets issued;

• Fare bucket booked for each air or ferry travel;

• 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.

• Listing of ticket numbers for the complete itinerary with price of the ticket to include the TMC service fee being charged.

• 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

3.7.1. E-tickets shall routinely be provided no earlier than two days in advance of travel unless the Government requests otherwise or if earlier ticketing is required by the airline or ferry company. The Contractor shall deliver tickets only to employees designated by the Government.

The Contractor shall provide e-ticket receipts with the Itinerary Invoice.

3.7.2. Travelers shall be provided an itinerary and confirmation number in advance of travel.

The Contractor shall issue tickets for authorized travel in advance of travel and must have received an approval travel authorization to do so. In addition, to the itinerary invoice, the

Contractor shall provide copies of all e-ticket receipts.

3.7.3 Tickets should include frequent flyer numbers if provided in advance by travelers. The

Contractor’s air or ferry reservation system should securely store and automatically add those numbers to issued tickets.

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 7.0: 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. Reserved - RECONCILIATION REPORT OF TRANSPORTATION BILLINGS

3.8.3.1. Agencies participating in the Government’s charge card program have agency CBA accounts established with the charge card company. The Contractor will be provided with the

CBA billing as a PDF or Excel file to perform automated reconciliation of accounts, The

Contractor shall reconcile charges, no later than five (5) working days from receipt of the charge card vendor’s billing statement. The Contractor shall log the dates when the CBA invoice is received by each post and the dates when the reconciliation is submitted back to posts.

3.8.3.2 The Contractor shall deliver reconciliation reports and supporting documents to posts electronically. If a post requests, or the Contractor chooses, to deliver a hard copy in addition to the electronic copy, by courier or other means, the Contractor will pay the shipping, delivery, and customs charges.

3.8.4 QUARTERLY SALES ACTIVITY REPORT

3.8.4.1. The Contractor shall provide a monthly summary of sales activity data. The Contractor shall prepare the report in accordance with the sample in Section 1, Attachment 2. This summary shall reflect all official sales activity for each Post and agency using the contract, whether the travel was purchased using PR, IBA or CBA.

3.8.4.2 MONTHLY TRANSACTION FEE REPORT

3.8.4.2.1 The Contractor shall provide a monthly report based on the transaction fee schedule of the contract. This report shall list all transaction fees to be paid by the user agency. The fees shall be broken down by agency, and by type of transaction, following the line items in the pricing portion of this contract.

3.8.4.2.2 Upon request of the COR, the Contractor will provide BSP reports listing all official travel tickets paid by the TMC as cash or credit card pass through to the airlines or ferries company.

3.8.4.3 MONTHLY UNUSED TICKET REPORT

3.8.4.3.1 The Contractor shall provide a monthly report of all unused tickets from the previous

12 months.

3.8.4.4 ANNUAL PREMIUM CLASS TRAVEL REPORT

3.8.4.4.1 The Contractor shall provide an annual report of all premium class tickets issued in the previous 12 months, excluding tickets upgraded by travelers at their own expense or with their own frequent flyer miles. The report shall show the comparable coach class ticket fare for each itinerary, for comparison purposes.

3.9. COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM AND EMERGENCY SERVICES

3.9.1. The Contractor shall provide service, Monday to Friday, compatible with the Embassy’s standard workday. Section 1, continuation of block 20, paragraph 10.0, 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 three

(3). Services would be of a "Visitors Bureau" type that, as a minimum, could include the following:

• Travel Changes and Confirmations

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 or ferry 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.

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.

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 or ferry company through a CRS.

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.

4.0 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 16.0 below, “Key

Personnel”, for requirements regarding Key Personnel.

4.1. 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.

4.3. 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.

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

4.5 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.

5.0 CONTRACTOR’S QUALITY CONTROL PLAN

5.1. 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.

5.2. Specifics. The Contractor’s Quality Control plan shall outline procedures to ensure that the lowest applicable fares are obtained. To ensure compliance, the Contractor shall, as necessary:

• make adjustments for any change(s) in flight and ferry 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).

5.3. 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.

6.0 TRANSITION REQUIREMENT AND CONTINUITY OF SERVICES

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

6.2. 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 Contractor copies of all bookings and Passenger Name Records (PNRs) taken on or before the contract expiration date, for travel taking place after the expiration of the contract. In addition, the Contractor shall provide the successor Contractor with copies of all agency profiles and all Government traveler sub-profiles as well as all Government travel preference profile cards currently in possession of the Contractor, as directed by the Contracting Officer or COR.

6.3. The Contractor shall book all requests it receives prior to the expiration of the contract regardless of the date of commencement of travel. Unless otherwise requested by the ordering agency, however, the Contractor shall not issue tickets for travel that commences later than two working days after the expiration of the contract.

6.4. For example, if a contract ends on Friday, the Contractor, unless otherwise requested, shall not issue tickets for travel commencing later than the following Tuesday. The

Contractor is required to issue and deliver all such tickets by close of business of the last working day of its contract (in this example, Friday). Issuance of and delivery of tickets for travel beginning the following Wednesday or later, even if originally booked by the Contractor, is the responsibility of the successor Contractor. As of Monday, all new requests shall be handled by the successor Contractor.

6.9.5. The Contractor shall adhere to the following procedures during the transition process:

6.5.1. The outgoing Contractor shall not take travel reservations later than twelve noon on the day of operations except in cases of emergency travel. Such emergency ticketing shall be done only when authorized by the COR.

6.5.2. Afternoon hours of the final day of operation for the outgoing Contractor shall be used for the transfer of the PNR's to the incoming Contractor.

6.5.3. If the transition is for an on-site operation, the on-site office shall be closed to walk-in traffic, starting at twelve noon (local time) on the day prior to the last day of operations of the outgoing Contractor, except for emergency travel arrangements.

6.5.4. If the incoming Contractor had proposed to take over the outgoing Contractor’s CRS or other equipment, this should be finalized during the afternoon hours of the last day of the transition.

6.5.5. The Government is responsible for notifying its employees of the proposed closings and interim procedures for obtaining emergency services. Such notice shall be posted in the on-site office.

6.5.6. The outgoing Contractor shall make all seminar and meeting arrangements it receives prior to the end of the contract, regardless of the date of commencement of the meeting. Unless a purchase order has been issued to the outgoing Contractor, all arrangement information shall be turned over to the incoming Contractor. If a purchase order has been issued to the outgoing

Contractor, that Contractor will continue to make the requested arrangements in accordance to the terms of the contract under which the purchase order was issued.

NOTE: Failure to affect a smooth transition will be documented, forwarded to the outgoing

Contractor, and will be made available for future past performance evaluations in accordance with solicitation requirements.

7.0 DELIVERABLES

7.1. The Contractor shall provide the following deliverables/submittals within the time frames identified below:

REFERENCE/

DELIVERABLE

DUE DATE* ADDRESSEE

Ticket Delivery As applicable, routinely, no earlier than two days prior to travel, emergency prepaids to appropriate airports or port within 2 hours.

Traveler, either by pickup or by Contractor delivery as outlined in this contract

Quarterly Problems and

Solutions Report

10th day after the last day of each calendar quarter

COR

Quarterly Sales Activity Report 10th day after the last day of each calendar quarter

COR

Reconciliation Report of

Transport Billings

10th day after receipt of charge card vendor’s billing tapes

COR

Transaction Fee Report 25th day of each month COR

TMC Information Pamphlet 14 days after start date listed in Notice to Proceed and for all other deliveries within 3 days of request from COR; to individual travelers at time of ticket issuance

COR/Traveler

Quality Service Survey 14 days after start set forth in Notice to Proceed

COR

*Days represent calendar days

7.2. ADDRESSEES

7.2.1. The address for the COR is set forth below:

duartema@state.gov praiatravel@state.gov

2606810/9916369

8.0 NOTICE TO PROCEED, PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE, AND OPTIONS.

8.1. NOTICE TO PROCEED

8.1.1. Immediately upon receipt of notice of award, the Contractor shall take all necessary steps to prepare for performance of the services required hereunder. The Contractor shall have a maximum of thirty calendar days to complete these steps.

8.1.2. Following receipt from the Contractor of acceptable evidence that the Contractor has obtained all required licenses, permits and insurance and is otherwise prepared to commence providing the services, the Government shall issue a Notice to Proceed.

8.1.3. On the date established in the Notice to Proceed (this notice will allow a minimum of seven (7) calendar days from the date of the Notice to Proceed, unless the Contractor agrees to an earlier date), the Contractor shall start work.

8.2. The performance period of this contract is from the start date established in the Notice to

Proceed and continuing for 12 months, with four (4), one-year options to renew. This contract also includes an additional option under FAR 52.217-8. The initial period of performance includes any transition period authorized under the contract.

9.0 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

The Contractor is required to provide one Travel Management Center to be used to provide the services required hereunder. This center shall be staffed by the Contractor's personnel and located in:

Praia, Cabo Verde

10.0 HOURS OF SERVICE

The Contractor shall provide service Monday-Friday during the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The Contractor shall provide emergency services outside regular working hours through a 24-hour, toll-free phone number, available to all Government travelers. See also Section 1, continuation of block 20, paragraph 3.10.

11.0 BASIS OF COMPENSATION TO THE CONTRACTOR

11.1. Official Travel. The Government will reimburse the Contractor for transportation services for official travel arranged by the Contractor. This reimbursement will include only the actual carrier rates and/or fares effective for air and ferry tickets issued to Government travelers for official travel. The Government will also pay the Contractor, upon receipt of a proper invoice, the applicable transaction fees. The Contractor shall comply with travel authorization requirements established by the Government to verify that transportation billed is for official travel. The Government shall issue a Travel Authorization (TA), which shall be furnished by the traveler to the Contractor. The Contractor shall use this TA to document each official ticket. The Contractor shall ensure that the Government is billed for prepaid ticket charges only when required by airline or ferry tariff. Most airlines and ferry companies have exemptions to this charge for official Government travel.

11.2 Transaction Fee. See paragraph 17.0 for details regarding how the transaction fee shall be administered.

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

11.4. Commissions by Service Providers. Other compensation for services provided under this contract may be in the form of commissions received by the Contractor from carriers. The

Government accepts no responsibility or liability for payment of such concessions. The

Contractor is warned that commercial practices may not apply to the payment of commissions on

Government rates.

12.0 BILLING AND PAYMENT PROCEDURES

12.1. Billing and payment procedures for transportation expenses will differ, as noted below, according to whether the agency is participating in the Government travel card program. Only the cost of official carrier transportation and excess baggage may be charged to the Government, plus the transaction fee, reduced by any commission.

12.2. The Contractor shall refund immediately the difference in cost if the Contractor has failed to book the lowest available fare except for the constraints noted in Section 1, continuation of block 20, paragraph 3.2.1, that satisfies agency needs. No transaction fee shall be charged for this refund, but neither shall the transaction fee paid by the Government, be refunded by the

12.5. Agencies not participating in the Government Travel Charge Card or CBA Program

12.5.1. Each traveler’s agency will assign the Contractor, PR, as an obligation/procurement instrument covering a designated period of time corresponding to the billing cycle. Each ticket issued by the Contractor shall reference the appropriate PR number in the endorsement.

12.5.2 At each agreed upon billing cycle, the Contractor shall prepare and issue to each agency an itemized report or invoice which sets forth the name of the traveler, origin and destination points, ticket number, PR number and fare. The statement shall also include a summary of the number and currency value of all tickets issued during the designated period.

Enclosed with this statement shall be the supporting documentation, such as ticket coupons, together with related TA's.

12.5.3. The Contractor shall bill no more frequently than monthly.

13.0 REFUND PROCEDURES

13.1 Under no circumstances shall the Contractor provide any Government employee with a cash refund on tickets for official Government travel.

13.2. Agencies shall use SF 1170s or receipts for returned tickets to apply to the Contractor for refunds for unused transportation purchased directly by the agency. Documentation standards shall be established by each agency but, as a minimum, the Contractor shall identify each refund or credit by original ticket and invoice number (if applicable).

13.2.2. For PR Purchases: The Contractor shall remit refunds to the agency within ten working days after receipt of request for refund. There is nothing expressed or implied in this provision to preclude the Contractor from making refunds on account.

13.3 Employees who have been issued Government Travel Charge Cards shall apply directly to the Contractor, through the delivery control point, for refunds for unused transportation. The

Contractor shall treat such refund requests in the same manner as refunds for similar charge or travel card purchases. Refunds shall be given immediately, in the form of a credit refund receipt returned to the employee, with the credit applied to the individual employee's travel card account.

14.0 TRANSACTION FEE PROCEDURES

14.1 Official and Personal Travel. These procedures apply only to official Government travel, not personal travel. Any transaction fee charged to an individual on personal travel shall be between the traveler and the Contractor. However, the Contractor shall post in a plainly visible location, the transaction fee to be charged to a traveler on personal travel.

14.2. Charging of Transaction Fees. Block 20, paragraph 2.0 includes definitions for

“Transaction” and “Transaction Fee”. The pricing portion of this contract sets forth more than one transaction fee amount and the applicable fee is based upon which category in the pricing table describes the transaction. For example, if the service is performed on-site, then the transaction fee charged for the transaction shall be the “on-site services domestic transaction fee”. The following paragraphs describe what constitutes a transaction for purposes of charging a transaction fee.

14.2.1. When requested by the Government, the Contractor is required to arrange for transportation of one or more individuals. The Contractor may charge only one transaction fee per itinerary when the ticket is issued. When multiple people travel on the same order, each individual traveler would have an itinerary. The (individual) itinerary could have multiple tickets, but only one transaction fee per is charged. (Fee is not based on the number of tickets needed to complete the (individual) itinerary). Until such time as the Government requests the Contractor to issue and the Contractor issues a ticket for transportation, no transaction fee shall be charged for any services associated with that transportation, including but not limited to:

• the original transportation reservations;

• changes to the original transportation reservations;

• any related services described in Continuation of Block 20, paragraph 3.5 or elsewhere in this contract

14.2.2. Upon issuance of the transportation ticket, the Contractor shall charge the Government the applicable transaction fee for one transaction, that transaction being the ticket issuance. The

Contractor shall not charge additional transaction fees for any other services noted above or elsewhere in this contract.

14.2.3. Once the ticket is issued, if the traveler requests a change in that ticket that requires ticket reissuance, the Contractor shall charge the Government an additional transaction fee. No additional transaction fee shall be charged for any other services.

14.2.4. After ticket issuance, if the Contractor must change and/or change and reissue the ticket because the Contractor or the Government discovers a Contractor-caused error in the routing, carrier or other problem, there shall be no additional transaction fee charge.

15.0 KEY PERSONNEL.

15.1 The Contractor shall assign to this contract the following key person to the identified position/function:

POSITION/FUNCTION NAME

Project Manager *

Site Manager(s) *

*To be completed at time of award.

15.2. During the first 90 days of performance, the Contractor shall make no substitutions of key personnel unless the substitution is necessitated by illness, death, or termination of employment.