12 - ETS2 TMC Guidance - R25

Travel Services Solutions QMAD-CY-090001-B Refresh #25

ETS2 TMC Guidance Page 1 of 3

ETS2 TMC Guidance

Excerpt from ETS2 -GSA SOLICITATION QMAD-JM-10001-N August 20, 2010

ATTACHMENT 15

ETS2/TMC Guidance

I. PURPOSE

This attachment includes the Government’s view for basic roles, responsibilities and rules of operations which when addressed will result in establishing an optimal cooperative working relationship between ETS2 and Travel Management Centers (TMC), including both Accommodated TMCs (ATMC) and Embedded TMCs (ETMC).

The desired performance outcome is the delivery of seamless, comprehensive, streamlined, high quality, secure travel services to the government by ensuring all expectations are clearly understood.

This document is considered supplementary guidance in support of this outcome and looks to Offeror's proposal on how it will achieve the stated performance outcome.

II. OBJECTIVES

a) To delineate the roles and responsibilities;

b) To establish clear expectations of each party’s roles and responsibilities in providing the ETS2 solution to the Federal traveler;

c) To establish uniform policy and procedures regarding the use of the ETS2 vendor’s OTRS;

d) To eliminate confusion associated with financial responsibilities;

e) Conditions under which charges and fees can be made for the use of an

ETS2 vendor’s On-line Travel Reservation Service (OTRS);

f) To eliminate duplication of effort and redundant costs; and

g) To establish an efficient, effective travel service that delivers high quality, secure service to (Agency) travelers.

III. GENERAL GUIDANCE

The parties shall individually and collectively act to foster and support an effective working relationship as necessary to enable the mutual success of all parties in their delivery of services and contract deliverables. Consideration shall be given to addressing:

a) Systems Actionable Messages and PNR Content: In order to maximize the effectiveness of such automated quality assurance, PNR finishing software, back office software, and travel management reporting the parties shall each

ETS2 TMC Guidance Page 2 of 3 deliver system-actionable PNR informational elements, including only consistently applied, standardized prefatory codes and, to the maximum extent possible by each party, only standardized text messages relating to and/or contained within all PNRs. Additionally, the parties shall cooperatively ensure that all PNR Documentary Requirements and all applicable Explanatory Codes are included in all PNRs.

b) Exchange of Data: Each party shall provide compatibly formatted data feeds, each to the other party and to such third party as may be required by the government, for exchange of PNR data and transactional information

i) Each party shall support the timely, consistent, seamless and accurate passing of pertinent reservation and transaction related data as necessary to facilitate services and requirements including but not limited to travel authorizations, vouchers, reporting, CBA reconciliation, etc.

c) Performance Measures: To the extent that the Government or customer agencies have specified performance measures, the parties shall advise such and jointly define such specified deliverables will be accomplished in all cases, including among others, the use of pre-negotiated Government rates for air, lodging, and rental car services.

d) Customer Support:

i) Help Desk: Establish help desk procedures to ensure continuity of service for all type of help desk assistance. The procedures shall include, at minimum, definitions of which type of question are travel booking and fulfillment questions, versus the ETS2 technical questions;

ii) Customer Service Issues: Transaction research and Error handling:

ETS2 Contractor shall provide user level OBE training to authorized TMC representatives and portal access for viewing PRF configuration settings applicable to the shared customer agencies for customer support and PNR trouble research as needed throughout the term.

e) Technical Refresh: The parties shall exercise their best efforts to provide prior notice of all system upgrades, enhancements, or changes to configuration that are reasonably considered likely to impact all parties systems or operations. To the maximum extent practicable, such changes shall be reviewed and/or tested prior to introducing the change to live production PNRs.

f) Allocation of Financial Responsibility:

i) Debit memo Charges: Each party shall be financially responsible for all valid carrier-imposed debit memos caused by their own actions or those of others to the extent that such party is or shall be able to control or prevent such causal actions by others. Roles and responsibilities shall be defined for notification of charges, determination of cause, identification of proper supporting documentation and timeline for payment. Debit memos shall be resolved in 30 days.

ii) Define conditions under which ETS2 vendor may charge fees for the use of its OTRS consistent with Section B of the Master contract.

ETS2 TMC Guidance Page 3 of 3

g) Operational Efficiency and Effectiveness

i) Establish a schedule of periodic meetings for operational coordination and account implementation as to facilitate continuous, high quality, integrated travel management services;

ii) Agree upon GDS queues for processing information between the ETS2 online reservation service and the TMC;

iii) Establish procedures for timely, seamless and accurate passing of pertinent reservation data relating to travel actions including but not limited notification of policy exceptions and special processing requirements, notification of authorization approval to facilitate ticket issuance, exchange ticket transactional detail, vouchers, reporting, etc.;

iv) Establish procedures to timely notify the parties when:

(1) an on-line reservation is converted to agent-assisted;

(2) reservation records (including EC) have been modified; and

(3) when a ticket is issued for on-line reservations.

v) Establish procedures to report on ticketed transaction numbers, to include all CLIN AF & AG transactions, and such other transaction files as necessary to enable ETS2 Contractor to deliver all requisite reporting under the Master Contract.

IV. SUMMARY

There are significant benefits in realizing the operational efficiencies, cost-savings, and increased service to the Federal traveler by utilizing ETS2. These benefits can be best attained by defining, understanding, accepting, and efficiently fulfilling the roles and responsibilities of each individual party. Embracing the guidelines contained within this document will assist the efforts in pursuit of the goal to provide and E-Gov World-Class travel solution.

IV. Summary