PS-20-2542 Travel Management Services UWS RFP- Supplier Questions and Answers_8-8-2019_Final.pdf

PS-20-2542 Travel Management Services UWS Request for Proposal (RFP)

Supplier Questions and Answers

General Questions:

1. Section 3.11.1: Please provide an example scoring scenario of three bidders so we can better understand how the scoring is weighted? Answer: 3.11.1 IS an example of the

RFP scoring system. Please contact the UWSA Procurement Lead and he will schedule a time to walk your company through the scoring matrix. The technical response scoring is based on 750 points overall (for each of the three categories) including the video. It is up to the evaluation committee to determine how to allocate those 750 technical points, and that happens after the “gag order” begins, currently scheduled for late August, for this RFP selection committee.

2. Section 3.13.1 Question y: Please clarify what “acting as the intermediary between UWS insurer and traveler” entails. We may be looking in the future to roll out a more defined duty of care process and procedure and want to understand if you have the ability to help start any “claims” that may occur and be reported from our travelers and help work with our insured provider (for example an iSOS)

3. Section 3.13.1 Question ee: Please clarify what is referred to as “issue resolution” for after-hours and emergency support. Issue resolution is defined as providing a solution for the urgent request required (if someone’s flight for example gets canceled at 11

PM, how quickly will that call take when they call in until the new flight is ticketed)?

4. Section 3.13.1.3 Question a: Please give an example and more information what you mean by “ad hoc regional requests”? We may need a report run for UW Whitewater on all to understand total number of flights booked from January 1 – June 30 of 20XX), or need a systemwide report run to see total volume spent on a certain airline carrier.

We are trying to understand typical turnaround time for these type of requests that may come from a campus (or region) or from the System. We just recently restructured in that all of our 4 year institutions recently have taken on all of our 2 year campuses, and we often look at our reports by campus (or region) and overall.

5. Section 3.13.1.3 Question c: Please clarify what you would like to benchmark against:

spend, industry, or geographic location? Are you looking for actual benchmark data, or our benchmarking capabilities? We are looking at benchmark capabilities, and if you an industry standard, such as Topez or another provider, or use your own solution, or a combination of both industry solution offerings and have your own solution for benchmarking as well.

6. Section 3.13.1.4: Please define account management requirements for the Group Block and Athletic travel components. We currently do not have defined account management requirements for Group Blok and Athletic Travel. The Account

Management requirement applies only to the Employee Travel Services contract.

7. Section 3.13.1.5 Question c: Please clarify if this is in reference to TMC agent training or your Onsite agent training? We would like to understand what training would be offered if we ever decide to continue to have UWS access to the agencies GDS. We currently have one UWS employee with GDS access to help troubleshoot and look up documentation in the GDS.

8. Section 3.13.3.3: Please clarify ticket deliveries. Is reference to “department” meaning the campus, the UW System, or Athletic department? Athletic department delivery of packets (likely not tickets, but ticket confirmations and other confirmation numbers).

Please replace the word “tickets” with “confirmation packets”

9. Do we need to register to VendorNet to formally bid? Answer: No, but it is recommended for bid receipt in the future. VendorNet is the official public posting for UWSA RFP and Bids.

10. Can we only bid the Air component of this RFP? Answer: No. A proposer may bid for 1.

Employee Travel Services, 2. University Group Block Travel, or 3. UWS Athletic Travel

Services.

11. In reference to Section 2.3.1 (page 59) Are the accommodation and ground transportation a requirement for this bid? Per this section Group Air is required and

Ground Transportation and Accommodation Sourcing when possible. (UWSA understands the Group Block Supplier may not be able to accommodate international

Ground Transportation and Accommodation.

12. Is the UWS willing to pay for the deposit if required by the airline to hold group seat reservation? Yes

13. In reference to section 2.3.1 (page 59) Is the contractor allowed or permitted to outsource the accommodation and ground component of this bid? Yes - Per Section B

Item 23 Sub-Contracts. The University requires prior approval of all subcontract agreements with Travel Management Services the Contractor intends to enter into on behalf of the University.

14. For section 3.13.2, University Group Block Travel Services, how many percentage of work is dedicated to air, accommodation and ground transportation? We currently don’t break out University Group Block Services, but after discussing with our current

TMC estimate 80% air, 15% accommodation and 5% ground transportation. We believe this is an area for potential growth as using our contracted TMC is only mandated for air.

15. 1.1 Section C, Cost Proposal: Transaction Fee: Does your reference to transaction fee include just the agency fee or does it include the airline change/cancellation fee? Just the agency fee.

16. 2.4 Submitting the Proposal: For the video presentation, are you seeking a voiceover with a PPT presentation or an actual video format? Answer: Either would be fine if it best represents your company’s solution.

17. 2.4 Submitting the Proposal: For the video, should we only cover what is specifically outlined in 1.1.9 Video Presentation Overview or cover that as well as the information housed in the RFP? Answer: You are required to section 3.13 in writing and in formatted outlined order it is presented in the RFP. We are requesting those hard copies. UWSA is also requiring a hard copy of the cost proposal form. We require electronic copies of this documentation on thumb drives. The Video presentation should follow what is requested in 1.1.9 Video Presentation Overview. It is important to include what sets your company above any other proposer and may include items that were covered in a question. You should emphasize anything that may give you a competitive advantage.

18. 1.1.1.1 General and Technical Employee Travel Services (Travel Management Company

(TMC) Set Up and Overview) Is your company able to provide Scalable Service that can cope with catastrophes? If yes please explain how. Can you please clarify what you define as catastrophe? Is this referring to internal systems or political/environment during travel? Is the Scalable Plan equivalent to Business Continuity Plan? It would be any kind of an event that would be a major disrupter to travel, that is not specific to your own internal systems. It will include weather or other political/environmental impacts. We want to understand what your plan is if, for example, something hits the east coast and thousands of flights are canceled, how do you handle call volumes when many clients are impacted and ensure calls are answered and you are able to continue service to UWS? Do you subcontract and if so with whom and how does that work?

19. 1.1.1.1 General and Technical Employee Travel Services (Travel Management Company

(TMC) Set Up and Overview) Does your company have the capacity to advise UWS Insurers and Travelers when a booking is made to a destination that may be deemed at risk?

(for example by the FCO, CDC, and WHO). This will include obtaining information from travelers and acting as the intermediary between UWS insurer and traveler. If yes, please outline your company’s process and service offering. Can you please clarify what type of communication you would require and what capacity you are seeking? We want to understand if you have the ability to send out or any warnings to our travelers after something happens that may disrupt travel. We want to understand what would be communicated and how (via email, text, calls) and where you get the information from. We also want to understand how you would repot that to UWSA Travel and other stakeholders as well.

UWS Athletic Travel Management Services Specific Questions:

1. Please tell us your pain points. What are the top three opportunities the selected travel management company could improve in the way travel is handled today? Response:

Assisting with charter bus arrangements for “away” games, booking the hotel blocks – finding hotels close to the “event” and under budget/and under the hotel per diem, and ensuring we get the very best rates as budgets are very tight. Historically it has been hard for the Athletic teams to have the Travel Agency to book hotel rooms as they believe they might be able to find it cheaper by booking on their own.

2. Please describe your group hotel needs and if the awarded TMC would handle all/most requests? How is sourcing group hotels being handled today? Today, our TMC uses

Lanyon to source most of the hotel requests, but it is not mandatory for the accommodations to be booked through the TMC. We estimate our current TMC handles about 15-25% of the current volume on hotels, but this is a very hard number to estimate, and is just an estimate.

3. For ground transportation, will the selected TMC handle all/most destination (fly first) charter bus needs? How is this being handled today? Currently the majority of the ground transportation is being handled by the athletic department and not by the

TMC. We estimate our current TMC handles about 25-30% of the ground transpiration needs (car/van rentals and bus). Again, since we don’t have a way of easily knowing the number of reservations made direct, this is just an estimate.