22 - SIN 599-2 Travel Agency Services SOW

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B.5.2 SIN 599-2, Travel Agent Services/Travel Management Center Service

If submitting a new eOffer, please refer to the Price Proposal Template (PPT) and Commercial Sales Practice (CSP) attachments. For contract support items such as delivery fees, emergency or after hour services, VIP TMC services, etc., please refer to the Price Proposal Template (PPT) for SIN 599-1000. Please remember to include pricing with and without the $3.10 Industrial Funding Fee (IFF). For more information on IFF (72A reporting), please refer to https://vsc.gsa.gov.

The Service Contract Act applies to SIN 599-2 and each individual task order must contain an applicable wage determination in accordance with the Service Contract Act. Additionally, please note that the terms “Travel Management Centers (TMCs)” and “Commercial Travel Offices (CTOs)” are interchangeable.

For all questions about SIN 599-2 (Travel Agency Services) please contact the GSA Vendor Support Center at 1-877-495-4849 / vendor.support@gsa.gov or the Contracting Officer Jason Cross at Jason.cross@gsa.gov.

B.5.2.1 DEFINITIONS:

48 Hour Cancellation Rule: Beginning October 1, 2012, the City Pair Program (CPP) contracts include the 48 hour auto cancellation rule, which gives airlines the discretion to cancel domestic CPP reservations (YCA and _CA) that are not ticketed 48 hours prior to departure. Note: All CPP contract fares remain fully refundable and are not subject to change fees. The rule does not impact those benefits.

Accommodated TMC (ATMC): Under the ETS program, an Accommodated TMC is a Travel Management Center (TMC) or Commercial Travel Office (CTO) that is under contract directly through the GSA Travel Services Schedule (TSS) The ATMC works closely with the E-Gov Travel Services (ETS) or Defense Travel System (DTS) contractor to provide a full range of travel services as described within the customer agency TSS task order.

Airline Reporting Corporation (ARC): An airline-owned company serving the travel industry with financial services, data products and services, ticket distribution, and settlement in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Churning: The excessive changing, rebooking, and canceling of the same itinerary in the same Passenger Name Record (PNR) in order to hold the reservation.

City Pair Program: GSA’s procurement program for air passenger transportation services. The GSA travel card or Government Transportation Request (GTR) is the only form of payment accepted under the City Pair Program.

Common Carrier: Types of common carrier authorized – airline, train, ship, bus, or other transit system. The basic requirements for using common carrier transportation fall into three categories: a.)

Using contract carriers, when available and if government agency is a mandatory user of GSA’s city-https://vsc.gsa.gov/ https://vsc.gsa.gov/ https://vsc.gsa.gov/ mailto:Jason.cross@gsa.gov mailto:Jason.cross@gsa.gov

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599-2 Travel Agency Services SOW Refresh 23 2 pair program. b.) Using coach class service, unless other than coach class is authorized. c.) Mandatory use of U.S. Flag Carrier (or ship) service for air or ship passenger transportation.

Contract Fare – The Federal Government awarded airfares as it pertains to the City Pair Program Contract. Contract fares include Unrestricted (YCA), Capacity Controlled (_CA) and Contract Business (_CB) fares.

CONUS: Within the 48 contiguous States and the District of Columbia.

CORE HOURS: Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. through 10:00 p.m., U.S. Eastern time, without supplementary costs to the Government

Debit Memo: Any written or electronically transmitted request from a carrier to a TMC for payment of any obligation arising under the ARC Agent Reporting Agreement, including penalties and fees charged including, but not limited to inaccurate reporting, prohibited booking practices, and ticketing in violation of applicable fare and tariff rules. Failure to pay a Debit Memo sent to it by a carrier may result in termination by the carrier of its appointment of the TMC as its agent, and withdrawal of its airline identification plate, effectively preventing the TMC from any further ticketing of reservations on the carrier.

DoD Preferred® – A commercial lodging program managed by the Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO) for Department of Defense (DoD) personnel on DoD official travel. Commercial lodging properties that are required to meet specific quality, safety and security requirements, and provide amenities and traveler conveniences at no additional cost, with rates below per diem. Hotels in this section are displayed by rate, lowest to highest and are strategically sourced with only the number of properties needed by DoD to lodge personnel.

Defense Travel System (DTS) - A fully integrated, automated, end-to-end travel management system that enables DoD travelers to create authorizations (TDY travel orders), prepare reservations, receive approvals, generate travel vouchers, and receive a split reimbursement between their bank accounts and the Government Travel Charge Card (GTCC) vendor. DTS operates at over 9,500 total sites worldwide. On average, DTS processes more than 25,000 transactions while approximately 100,000 unique users access it on a daily basis.

Dual Fares: In certain markets, there are two awarded contract City Pair fares, including an unrestricted fare (YCA), and a capacity controlled fare (_CA) with the number of seats available as the only restriction. Use of either fare satisfies the requirement to use the contract carrier. [The blank before CA (_CA) refers to an alpha character variable that may be applied by various airlines.]

Duplicate Booking: Additional reservations (bookings – e.g., air, rail, lodging, rental vehicles) that cannot logically be used by the traveler that are similar or identical to another reservation for the same traveler contained in one or more PNR(s). Duplicate bookings (e.g., air, rail, lodging, rental vehicles) are subject to cancellation without notice by the affected supplier, GDS, or TMC and result in additional penalties and charges in the form of Debit Memos to the TMC by the affected carrier that then may become a financial obligation to the Federal agency or the traveler.

Embedded E-Gov Travel Service (ETS) TMC (ETMC): A TMC that is a subcontractor directly to an ETS

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Emergency Travel Service: Emergency travel service provides reservation and ticketing support for travel needs meeting the following criteria: a) the call occurs before/after contract- defined established business hours and b) the travel will commence within the following 24 hours or the need to travel arises over the weekend or during a holiday for travel that will commence over the weekend or on the next business day, and the traveler cannot wait until the next business day to process reservations.

E-Gov Travel Service (ETS): GSA's contracted cloud based service used by more than 90 federal agencies for travel booking and expense management.

ETS2: GSA's contract to launch the next generation of the federal government’s web based travel management service.

Explanatory Codes/Exception Codes: Codified explanatory notations recorded in the PNR that document, among other things, reasons for certain airline or hotel travel options selected by the federal traveler, including policy deviations. Also known as reason codes, certain required explanatory codes for the GSA City Pair Program are defined in Schedule 599 Travel Services Solutions posted FedBizOps attachment, Valid Exception Codes.

Fiscal Year: October 1 through September 30.

FedRooms® - FedRooms® provides Federal Travel Regulation (FTR)-compliant hotel rooms for federal government travelers while on official business. The FedRooms® contract is a designated Best In Class (BIC) solution per the Office of Management and Budget. BIC solutions are rigorously vetted, well-managed Government-wide solutions that help Government-wide efforts in optimizing spend under management. Agencies should utilize FedRooms® when booking lodging for official duty travel to take advantage of the benefits and protections.

Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) - enumerates the travel and relocation policy for all Title 5 Executive Agency employees. Federal civilian employees and others authorized to travel at the government's expense must follow the policies defined in the Federal Travel Regulation (FTR). The FTR includes policies on: Temporary duty (TDY) travel allowances.

Fulfillment or Fulfillment Services: The manual and automated assisted steps a TMC must take between the time a reservation is made and the transaction is completed, including but not limited to performing policy management, providing quality assurance, completing all documentary requirements, issuing and delivering an electronic or paper ticket with a correct and complete travel itinerary, and performing ARC reporting. These processes support travel reservations made through

ETS/DTS.

Global Distribution System: A computer reservation service/system (CRS), typically owned jointly by airlines or travel suppliers, that includes reservation databases for a large number of international airlines, rail carriers, lodging providers, rental car agencies, etc. GDSs are used by Travel Agencies to reserve worldwide travel accommodations for their customers.

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Government Transportation Request (GTR) – Standard Form OF1169, the Government document used to buy transportation services. GTRs are issued and used only for officially authorized passenger transportation for the account of the United States. GTRs may be used to pay for international air travel. For domestic air travel, GTRs may be used under special circumstances and for travel related expenses. Special domestic circumstances are defined as acts of God emergency situations, and when purchasing a domestic ticket in the USA in conjunction with travel that originated overseas.

Government Travel Charge Card/ SmartPay®: The Travel and Transportation Reform Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-264) mandates Federal Government cardholders to use the SmartPay® contractor-issued travel charge card for official government travel expenses in accordance with FTR Section 301-

70.704. The GSA SmartPay® travel charge card (Visa or MasterCard branded) shall be used only for authorized official travel.

Centrally Billed Account (CBA): A travel card/account established by the SmartPay® contractor at the request of the agency/organization. These may be card/cardless accounts. Payments are made directly to the SmartPay® contractor by the agency/organization.

Individually Billed Account (IBA): A Government SmartPay® contractor-issued charge card issued to authorized employees to pay for official travel expenses for which the SmartPay® charge card contractor bills the employee.

Industrial Funding Fee (IFF): The IFF reimburses the General Services Administration for the costs incurred in procuring and managing the Travel Services Solution Schedule.

International Air Transportation Association (IATA) Number: Number used to identify the travel agent.

Invitational Travel: Authorized travel of individuals either not employed or employed (under 5 U.S.C.

5703) intermittently in the Government service as consultants or experts and paid on a daily when-actually-employed basis and for individuals serving without pay or at $1 a year when they are acting in a capacity that is directly related to, or in connection with, official activities of the Government. Travel allowances authorized for such persons are the same as those normally authorized for employees in connection with TDY.

Long Term Lodging (30+ nights) - Lodging accommodations for durations of 30 or more nights.

Lowest Fare: The lowest applicable fares compliant with FTR, contract City Pair Program (CPP) airfare usage and reporting requirements.

Management Information Service (MIS). A commercial service that aggregates and normalizes data from government travel service providers such as travel agencies/TMCs, government charge card vendors and ETS vendors to provide the information necessary to support the effective acquisition and management of government-wide travel contracts.

Non-Emergency After-Hours Service: Calls requesting travel services not meeting the definition of emergency travel services that occur outside core service hours. Examples of non-emergency travel

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599-2 Travel Agency Services SOW Refresh 23 5 service requests include, but are not limited to: a) requests for flight schedule information, b) transaction fee questions, c) requests for invoice copy, d) requests to update traveler profiles, e) requests to add frequent flyer information to reservation, and f) requests to change seat assignments

OCONUS: Outside of the 48 contiguous States and the District of Columbia.

Passenger Information: PNR locators, names, dates of service; ticket numbers; carrier/rental car company/hotel name & code; class of service; base fare/tax/total ticket amounts; departure and arrival airport codes by segment; origin and destination markers; reason codes; lowest available fares;

ticket designator; user-defined ID fields, and car rental rate types. Contractors must delete all Personal Identifiable Information (PII) from all GSA reports (NOTE: while PII must be deleted from GSA reports, and it must be deleted from the data transferred to GSA or GSA-designated third parties unless as agreed to by GSA. (See B.2.13 for distinction between GSA reports and GSA data transfer).

Passenger Name Record (PNR): A file in a Global Distribution System or Computerized Reservation System that contains all the pertinent information relating to a specific reservation.

Per Diem Allowance: A daily payment for lodging, meals, and related incidental expenses used instead of reimbursement for actual expenses.

Secure Flight: The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 requires that the DHS conduct preflight comparisons of passengers to Government watch lists. DHS requires travelers to provide gender, date of birth, and passport or number as well as redress number, if applicable, for air and/ or rail reservations.

Special Publication 800-87 (SP 800-87): Provides agency organizational codes used under this schedule for reporting purposes. This standard data element may be used for the interchange of information on federal operations when that information is identified by organization. This publication is available at http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/index.html

Strategic Meetings Management (SMM) - Is a disciplined approach to managing enterprise-wide meeting and event activities, processes, suppliers and data in order to achieve measurable business objectives that align with the organization's strategic goals/vision, and deliver value in the form of quantitative savings, risk mitigation and service quality.

Temporary Duty Travel (TDY): Travel at a place, away from an employee’s official duty station, where the employee is authorized to travel.

Transaction A - Air and/or Rail Ticket with or without Lodging and/or Car Rental Reservations:

Transaction A fee applies for all arrangements and reservations related to one itinerary for which an air or rail ticket is issued. The fee includes making and changing arrangements (air/rail, lodging, and/or car rental) for one or multiple locations. The fee may only be charged at time of ticket issuance and is not refundable if the travel is subsequently cancelled. The transaction fee covers tracking of unused tickets and the processing of refunds or credits for unused tickets. An additional transaction fee may be incurred if changes in the itinerary require the issuance of a new ticket. The contractor shall not charge a fee for cancellations made prior to issuance of tickets. Research of travel arrangements, http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/index.html

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599-2 Travel Agency Services SOW Refresh 23 6 changes to existing arrangements, and air/rail reservations for which tickets are not generated shall not be considered as a Transaction A transaction.

Transaction B - Lodging and/or Car Rental Reservations: Transaction B fee applies for all arrangements and reservations related to one itinerary for which an air or rail ticket is not issued. The fee includes making and changing lodging and/or car rental arrangements for one or multiple locations when air or rail transportation is not included in the itinerary. Research of travel arrangements, changes to existing arrangements, and reservations that are cancelled prior to the check-in date shall not be considered as a Transaction B transaction. Transaction B fees shall be charged at the point the authorization is approved by the customer agency travel authorizing/approving official or his/her designee.

Transient Lodging (1-29 nights) - Includes rooms occupied by those with reservations at rack, corporate negotiated, package, government, or foreign traveler rates. Also includes rooms booked via third party websites (exception: simultaneous bookings of 10 or more rooms which should be defined as a group). Lodging accommodations to include short term and extended stays (typically more than 5 consecutive nights) for durations of less than 30 nights.

Travel Authorization: Written approval to travel on official business.

Blanket or Open Travel Authorization: Written approval to travel on official business for a given period of time, normally 1-year.

Trip-by-Trip: Written approval to travel on official business on a trip-by-trip basis.

Travel Management Center (TMC) or Commercial Travel Office (CTO): A company under contract with an agency to arrange travel services for Federal employees on official travel, including tickets and transportation, and reservation of accommodations.

VIP Travel Services: Specialized travel agency services provided by a TMC that do not include usual, customary, and ordinary TMC requirements and are performed by specifically designated travel counselors who provide enhanced travel reservation services to designated customer agency personnel. VIP travel services include specific duties and performance standards regarding responsiveness and unique areas of travel industry knowledge. These services may be offered under SIN 599-1000, Contract Support Items

YCA Fare– The code used to designate unrestricted coach class contract fares for Government contract carriers. “CA” means “contract award.”

_CA Fare– A three-letter code used to identify capacity-controlled coach class contract fares for Government contract carriers. Such codes shall include the letters “_CA” as the last two characters.

_CB Fare– A three-letter code used to identify capacity-controlled Government contract business class fares.

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B.5.2.2 DESCRIPTION OF WORK

The Contractor shall provide professional travel agent and related services to assist the Government and the ETS/DTS contractors in meeting its travel needs for various types of domestic and international travel (e.g., invitational, TDY, blanket, trip-by-trip). This may include, but is not limited to, the following:

Airline service Accounting service Arrangement Booking Business services Car rental service

Commission follow-up Credit and refund services Delivery service

Destination services Documentation Emergency services Enroute services

Frequent traveler programs Fulfillment International services

Invoicing Itineraries Lodging service

Messaging Meeting services Integration

Onsite/offsite support Outsourcing Passport services Performance standards

Policy support Preferred supplier programs Profiles Quality assurance/control Rail service Receipts

Reconciliation Reporting Reservations

Routing Support services Ticketing Training

Transportation services Traveler services Technology

Unused ticket accounting User support Visa services

Call center services Operational support

Typical tasks may include, but are not limited to:

a. Arrange and fulfill official travel for individuals and groups

b. Ensure travel services are booked with Government contract/agreement holders

c. Provide policy support

d. Reconcile centrally billed accounts

e. Provide management reports

f. Provide onsite travel agent services

Agencies will identify specific requirements when following the ordering procedures in FAR 8.4.

Note that work associated with ETS/DTS may require the TSS vendor to provide reports that include but are not limited to air/rail, car, and hotel data.

B.5.2.3 SCOPE & COMPLEXITY

The Contractor shall:

a. Provide a full range of services necessary to satisfy ordering agencies’ travel management requirements. The Government is seeking services that industry normally accords to its

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b. Be capable of providing services for ordering agencies with multiple organizational levels and geographic locations nationwide and/or worldwide as specified in the Scope of the Contract (Clause I-FSS-103).

c. Be capable of handling multiple task orders simultaneously.

B.5.2.4 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

a. Provide travel agent services as negotiated and ordered by agencies and as specified herein.

The Privacy Act and Service Contract Act apply to travel agent services.

b. Ensure that Secure Flight Passenger data is captured in accordance with standard commercial practices.

c. Ensure that its company and staff maintain any generally required professional certification, accreditation, license, bond, and proficiency relative to their area of expertise. This includes, but is not limited to, adherence to a code of conduct through the Association of Retail Travel Agents or the American Society of Travel Agents, accreditation by supplier organizations such as Airline Reporting Corporation, compliance with State and local licensing requirements, if any, etc. The Contractor shall retain documentation of such records. The Government will not pay for expenses to meet this requirement.

d. Provide dedicated Government support similar to what is available to commercial clients.

e. Provide a toll-free or collect telephone number for both domestic and international customers.

f. Provide high-quality telephone and message handling maintaining a 70/30 level of service, which means that 70% of calls will be answered within 30 seconds or less.

g. Provide 24 hours x 7 days/week x 365 days/year service or as requested by agencies.

h. Have a method to make reservations when the GDS system is not operating and when reservations must be made on an airline that does not subscribe to a GDS.

i. Ensure that travelers have access to and are aware of all Government contract fares and

Government preferred suppliers, subject to the restrictions noted below in subparagraph (7), City Pair Program (CPP) Requirements, and per diem rates (unless actual expenses are authorized). Fulfill travel requirements with all Government contract and preferred suppliers.

j. Ensure delivery of services provided is in compliance with the Government’s travel regulations. This may include, but not be limited to, reservation, booking and fulfillment of travel services with mandatory programs (e.g., Airline City Pair Program, DoD Preferred lodging), preferred suppliers (e.g., FEDROOMS Best In Class lodging contract solution), car rental (Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO)), and agency-specific policies; and

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599-2 Travel Agency Services SOW Refresh 23 9 processing credits and refunds for unused, partially used or exchanged tickets. The Federal Travel Regulation (FTR), Joint Travel Regulation (JTR)/Joint Federal Travel Regulation (JFTR) for DoD civilian and military members, Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM), and other applicable travel regulations, and related agency policies regulate the Federal travel process.

k. Provide a Quality Control Program (QCP), including automated and automation-assisted quality control processes, to ensure reservations are to the maximum extent possible correctly booked and documented at the point of sale, without re-contacting the traveler or the need for manual post-call (or post-booking) processing by agents. QCP shall ensure all PNRs are evaluated for accuracy, completeness, policy compliance, etc. To the maximum extent possible use of automated file finishing to minimize or eliminate the need for manual intervention in reservations fulfillment. QCP shall include tracking of unused tickets.

l. Provide prompt reconciliation of centrally billed accounts. The Contractor shall reconcile centrally billed accounts within 5 business days of the receipt of travel card information, or within a timeframe mutually agreed upon at the task order level. The Contractor shall deliver to each customer agency a monthly commercial standard Charge Card Reconciliation Report to include sufficient transactional detail as necessary to properly associate charges with tracked expenses authorized by the Government.

m. Service Level Agreements (SLAs) may be proposed at the task order level to the extent the terms of such agreements do not conflict with the terms and conditions of this Schedule (see paragraph, Order of Precedence, of Clause 52.212-4) and can be used in conjunction with Performance Incentives. SLAs may be negotiated with ordering agencies.

n. An informational copy of all SLAs shall be provided to the GSA Contracting Officer at 1) onthego@gsa.gov 2) travel.programs@gsa.gov , with the subject line: SLAs for task order XXX, contractor name and contract number, within 5 business days of execution.

o. Provide GSA with task order information for each ordering agency. The Contractor shall develop and maintain a current database of agencies/organizations serviced under this contract. The database shall include, the agency/organization task order number, est. dollar volume of the task order, the agency/organization name; the agency/organization point of contact; and the address; telephone/facsimile numbers and e-mail address (if available) for the point of contact. Within five (5) business days of a request from GSA, the Contractor shall provide a current report of the agency/organization program data.

p. The Contractor shall provide a copy of all Task Orders and any subsequent modifications to

GSA. After receipt of an awarded task order, the Contractor shall provide one complete electronic copy of the task order and its technical and price proposal and all subsequent modifications thereto, to the GSA Contracting Officer or his representative within 10 calendar days after execution. Copies should be emailed to 1) onthego@gsa.gov and 2) travel.programs@gsa.gov

q. Provide Government agencies with standard commercial, contract management reports specified in section 5.2.12 (a)and custom reports as requested in task orders. This includes, mailto:onthego@gsa.gov mailto:travel.programs@gsa.gov mailto:onthego@gsa.gov

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599-2 Travel Agency Services SOW Refresh 23 10 but is not limited to, pre- and post-trip reporting, travel booking analysis (e.g., air, hotel, car, other), policy compliance reporting, exception reporting, fare basis, top travel destinations/markets/vendors, reconciliation reports, unused tickets, class of service (e.g., first class) required by travel regulations.

r. Transfer data, as outlined in B.5.2.13 DATA TRANSFER/REPORTS, to GSA on a monthly basis.

All transfer of data is at no cost to the Government. All data generated under this contract and associated task orders, and stored in contractor’s systems (such as back office systems), as well as data transferred to GSA is owned by the Government. The Contractor must provide GSA with data specified in this contract without requiring or seeking authorization at the task order level. Task orders do not supersede GSA’s rights under this contract.

s. Provide GSA and/or ordering agencies with reports within 15 days of request or at regularly defined intervals. All GSA Reporting is at no cost to the Government. All reports are owned by the Government. The Contractor must provide GSA with reports without requiring or seeking authorization at the task order level. Task orders do not supersede GSA’s rights under this contract. See B.5.2.13 DATA TRANSFER/REPORTS for submission requirements.

t. Unused Tickets: The Contractor shall redeem unused/partially used tickets (both e-tickets and paper tickets) issued by the Contractor on behalf of the ordering agency. This includes, but is not limited to, identifying unused tickets, completing necessary forms for their refund, submitting the claim to the carrier, receipt, accounting and reconciliation of the refund, and reporting such activity. Such services can be offered under SIN 599-1000.

u. Leisure Travel: The Contractor may offer services to plan and book leisure (personal) travel conducted in conjunction with official travel provided:

v. Leisure travel services are provided at no cost to the Government, including any costs for development, maintenance, operation, customer support, etc.

w. Travelers cannot book City-Pair or other Government-negotiated fares (which are not authorized for personal use) for leisure travel.

x. A method for direct payment by the traveler is provided for personal travel. Travelers may book FEDROOMS lodging rates for leisure travel if the hotel approves.

y. Security Risk Management: The Contractor shall apply commercially accepted security risk management standards, processes, and frameworks that achieve the intent and objectives of Government Certification and Accreditation (C&A) requirements. This would be accomplished using a commercially accepted or a combination of commercially accepted frameworks that can be mapped back to achieve the same desired security outcomes found under FISMA, NIST, and GSA Policy. Specifically, security control objectives based on the NIST 800-53 Rev. 3 Control Families (i.e., Access Control, Awareness & Training, Audit & Accountability, Security Assessment & Authorization, Configuration Management, Contingency Planning, Identification & Authentication, Incident Response, Maintenance, Media Protection, Physical & Environmental Protection, Planning, Personnel Security, Risk Assessment, System & Service

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Acquisition, System & Communication Protection, System & Information Integrity, Program Management) shall be met. The Contractor shall provide documented evidence of compliance and all applicable deliverables for the Contractor-defined equivalent commercial security standards, processes, and frameworks to the PMO upon request by the Government.

Ordering Agencies determine the applicability of the FISMA requirements to their procurement at the task order level.

Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002: This act provides a comprehensive framework for ensuring the effectiveness of information security controls over information resources that support Federal operations and assets. It also provides effective Government wide management and oversight of the related information security risks, including coordination of information security efforts throughout the civilian, national security, and law enforcement communities. The act also sets minimum controls required to protect Federal Information and information systems. It may be found at http://csrc.nist.gov /policies/FISMA-final.pdf

NIST 800-53 can be found at http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-53-Rev3 /sp800- 53- rev3-final_updated-errata_05-01-2010.pdf

B.5.2.5 COMMISSIONS

In accordance with the industry practice of rebating commissions on international air travel, the Contractor shall rebate its airline commissions to the ordering agency to reduce in whole or in part the ordering agency’s costs for travel agent fees as negotiated in the task order.

B.5.2.6 E-GOV TRAVEL SERVICE REQUIREMENTS

In support of E-Gov as specified in agency task orders, the Contractor shall ensure that products/services provided to participating agencies complement and support the E-Gov Travel Service and its objectives in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

The objective of the ETS is to:

a. Consolidate travel processes at the Government-wide level;

b. Consolidate travel processes through the common Government-wide E-Gov Travel Service

c. Consolidate data to enable leveraging the Government’s travel buying power;

d. Provide an integrated, web-based travel management environment that is customer-centric, self-service, and offers end-to-end travel services from travel planning, reservation and ticketing services through voucher approval and common data output for agency financial systems;

e. Facilitate and simplify the travel process for the Federal traveler, and improve customer service to the Federal traveler; and foster superior customer satisfaction; Accelerate reimbursement of travel expenses to the Federal traveler and to travel charge card vendors;

f. Enable central travel management and make travel procedures configurable at the department, agency, and subordinate organization levels;

http://csrc.nist.gov/policies/FISMA-final.pdf http://csrc.nist.gov/policies/FISMA-final.pdf http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-53-Rev3/sp800-53-rev3-final_updated-errata_05-01-2010.pdf http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-53-Rev3/sp800-53-rev3-final_updated-errata_05-01-2010.pdf http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-53-Rev3/sp800-53-rev3-final_updated-errata_05-01-2010.pdf

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g. Minimize or eliminate the Government’s capital investment as well as Government-wide operational and maintenance costs;

h. Significantly reduce the cost of Federal travel management to achieve dramatic savings by avoiding unnecessary duplication of automation efforts by the various federal agencies;

i. Provide Government-wide consolidated and aggregated data to support world class travel management and afford greater visibility into Federal travel processes for continued management improvement and cost savings;

j. Leverage commercial and Government travel management best practices and adopt commercial standards and practices wherever possible;

k. Maximize the use of open architecture standards, as well as leverage industry standards and commercially available services and support items.

Work with and exchange data with the E-Gov Travel Service (ETS) contractors as specified in the task order. This may include interfacing/integrating with the ETS provider by providing contact information, telephone numbers, file formats/sample PNRs, open branch access/pseudo city codes; participating in subcontractor/teaming agreements; participating in training and/or meetings; non-disclosure agreements;

synchronization and security requirements; testing requirements; etc. Unless otherwise mutually agreed to between the ETS and TSS contractors, ownership of the PNR shall reside with the ticketing entity. Each ETS contractor’s standards for accommodating non-ETS travel agent service providers are provided at Attachment 5, E-Gov Travel Service Standards for Accommodating External Travel Agent Services

a. The Contractor must state its understanding that its services, products and processes offered must complement the E-Gov Travel Service for all civilian agencies using the E-Gov Travel. If the Contractor is offering a booking engine in conjunction with its offered services, it must state its understanding that such a booking engine may only be offered to those agencies not participating in the ETS (in full or in part) and/or to those agencies not subject to the Federal Travel Regulation.

B.5.2.7 DEFENSE TRAVEL SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS (DTS)

While DoD is an authorized user of this schedule, DOD has traditionally contracted separately for TMC/CTO Services. In the event DoD uses this schedule, and in support of its travel system, DTS, the Contractor shall ensure that products/services provided to DoD customers complement and support the DTS and its objectives in an efficient and cost-effective manner as specified in any task order. that may be issued for DoD travel services. Information pertaining to working with the DoD is available at the DTS webpage at: http://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/site/cto.cfm

B.5.2.8 CITY PAIR PROGRAM (CPP) REQUIREMENTS

a. Ensure that city pair contract fares are booked unless a valid exception applies (see Attachment

2).

There are currently two types of City Pair coach class contract fares, both of which are fully http://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/site/cto.cfm

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Dual fare (_CA) – this fare is capacity controlled, but no other restrictions apply to this fare.

When booking this fare, a simple override entry may be required to bypass ticketing requirements. A _CA fare should be used to the extent practical if it is available and meets the customer’s Government travel needs.

YCA fare – this fare is an unrestricted coach fare.

Beginning October 1, 2012, the City Pair Program (CPP) contracts include the 48 hour auto cancellation rule, which gives airlines the discretion to cancel domestic CPP reservations (YCA and _CA) that are not ticketed 48 hours prior to departure. Note: All CPP contract fares remain fully refundable and are not subject to change fees. The rule does not impact those benefits.

Though available only to military and Government personnel, DG fares are not contract fares.

They are only to be quoted and/or used when one of the FTR exception to the use of contract fares is applicable.

Where no contract fare exists and common carriers furnish the same service at different fares between the same points for the same type of accommodations, the Contractor shall ensure that travelers use the lowest available fare in accordance with the ordering agency’s policies unless the ordering agency determines that the use of higher cost service is more advantageous to the Government. This includes, but is not limited to a:

i. Combination of contract fares; or

ii. Combination of a contract fares and the lowest available fare

In addition, the Contractor shall ensure that fare rules are followed in accordance with the Airline Tariff Publishing Company tariffs or as contained in the carrier’s contract of carriage for domestic markets, and for international markets, in accordance with the Fly America Act and the International Air Transportation Association tariffs or as contained in the carrier’s contract of carriage where no contract fare exists.

b. Ensure that only authorized users of the CPP, as specified by the GSA, are given access to contract City-Pair fares. This entails understanding the Government’s list of eligible/non- eligible entities (free training will be provided by the GSA on request—contact onthego@gsa.gov, subject: CPP Training).

c. Ensure that Government contractors are not provided access to contract City-Pair fares.

d. Ensure that when Government contractors need to travel for a Federal customer, that the travel is arranged using the proper form of payment and account numbering sequence that denotes no access to the CPP.

e. Ensure that reason codes stated as defined in the Schedule 599 Travel Services Solutions posted mailto:onthego@gsa.gov

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FedBizOps attachment, Valid Exception Codes; and in Government travel management systems such as ETS/DTS are captured for each air transaction.

f. Document and report City Pair usage/non-usage (see CPP REPORTS).

g. Provide information as to fare availability when dual fares (two coach class contract City- Pair fares) exist for a requested City Pair.

B.5.2.9 FLY AMERICA ACT REQUIREMENTS

a. Ensure that travel is made in accordance with the Fly America Act. This Act requires Federal travelers to use a U.S. flag air carrier service for all air travel funded by the Government except when:

(i) Use of a foreign air carrier is determined to be a matter of necessity in accordance with Sec. 301-10.138 of the Federal Travel Regulation; or

(ii) The transportation is provided under a bilateral or multilateral air transportation agreement to which the United States Government and the government of a foreign country are parties, and which the Department of Transportation has determined meets the requirements of the Fly America Act; or

(iii) The traveler is an officer or employee of the Department of State, or USAID, and travel is paid with funds appropriated to one of these agencies, and travel is between two places outside the United States; or

(iv) No U.S. flag air carrier provides service on a particular leg of the route, in which case foreign air carrier service may be used, but only to or from the nearest interchange point on a usually traveled route to connect with U.S. flag air carrier service; or

(v) A U.S. flag air carrier involuntarily reroutes travel on a foreign air carrier; or

(vi) Service on a foreign air carrier would be three hours or less, and use of the U.S. flag air carrier would at least double the en route travel time; or

(vii) When the costs of transportation are reimbursed in full by a third party, such as a foreign government, international agency, or other organization.

(viii) For travel between the US and another country:

(1) If a U.S. flag air carrier offers nonstop or direct service (no aircraft change) from the origin to destination, a U.S. flag air carrier service must be used unless such use would extend the travel time, including delay at origin, by 24 hours or more

(2) If a U.S. flag air carrier does not offer nonstop or direct service (no aircraft change)

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a. Increase the number of aircraft changes that the traveler must make outside of the U.S. by 2 or more; or

b. Extend the travel time by at least 6 hours or more; or

c. Require a connecting time of 4 hours or more at an overseas interchange point.

(ix) For travel solely outside the US, the traveler must always use a U.S. flag carrier for such travel, unless, when compared to using a foreign air carrier, such use would:

a. Increase the number of aircraft changes you must make en route by 2 or more; or

b. Extend your travel time by 6 hours or more; or

c. Require a connecting time of 4 hours or more at an overseas interchange point

B.5.2.10 OPEN SKIES AGREEMENT REQUIREMENTS:

Under the United States-European Union Open Skies Agreement, community airlines have the right to transport passengers on scheduled and charter flights funded by the U.S. Government, when the transportation is between a point in the United States and any point in a Member State or between any two points outside the United States except when:

1. There is a city-pair contract fare in effect for air passenger transportation services, or

2. Transportation is obtained or funded by the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of a military department.

A listing of the Member States as found in the U.S.-EU Open Skies Agreement may be accessed via the Department of State's Web site - https://www.state.gov/e/eb/rls/othr/ata/114866.htm

B.5.2.11 LODGING REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor must provide FedRooms® and DoD Preferred® properties and FedRooms® rates and DoD Preferred® rates for the traveler and book a FedRooms® property and DoD Preferred® property where available, using the XVU (FedRooms) and XVL (DoD Preferred) Global Distribution System (GDS) proprietary rate codes. A list of FedRooms® and DoD Preferred® properties can be sent to the Contractor monthly upon request.

Where FedRooms® and DoD Preferred® properties and or rates are not available the Contractor shall endeavor to ensure access to reservations for quality lodging within allowable reimbursement limits.

Travelers should always stay in a ̏fire safe" facility. This is a facility that meets the fire safety requirements of the Hotel and Motel Fire Safety Act of 1990, as amended (see 5 U.S.C. 5707a). If a FedRooms® and DoD Preferred® property is not available in the location the traveler needs, the traveler’s designated travel management system must provide the traveler with a list of alternative facilities that meet the fire safe https://www.state.gov/e/eb/rls/othr/ata/114866.htm

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Training for travel agents on how to book a FedRooms® property can be found at www.fedrooms.com, under the “Travel Counselors” tab.

B.5.2.12 FIRE SAFETY ACT COMPLIANCE

Federal travelers are required to stay in facilities that meet the fire safety requirements of the Hotel and Motel Fire Safety Act of 1990, as amended (see 5 U.S.C. 5707a). Fire Safety Act approved facilities can be found - https://www.congress.gov/bill/101st-congress/house-bill/94

B.5.2.13 DATA TRANSFER/REPORTS

a. Data capture: Contractor must capture the data elements, for domestic and international travel (transportation, lodging and car rental, reason codes for non-use of City Pair contracts), as defined in the Schedule 599 Travel Services Solutions posted FedBizOps attachment Data Elements. This list is not all inclusive and other data elements may be required by GSA or the ordering agency.

b. Data transfer: The contractor shall provide a transfer of data with all the data elements in

Attachment 3 (and any additional data elements requested). The data shall be provided in an electronic commercial format readable in Microsoft Excel (or other standard industry format specified by GSA). Data transfer will be done over SFTP connection unless another method is agreed upon between the contractor and the GSA. The contractor will allow the use of third party data transfer software that is approved by the GSA. If such a tool is used, this tool will ensure that data is transferred using an approved method (such as SFTP). [Note: GSA plans to describe an approved data encryption method for this data transfer in a future revision of this contract]. This data transfer shall (1) meet a quality rate of 100% and (2) meet an on-time delivery expectation for ten out of twelve months in each Fiscal Year. If these goals are missed, the Contractor shall be required to provide a remediation plan within 10 days to the GSA CO, and shall be subject to monitoring to the performance of that plan. If not remediated timely, the contractor may be subject to additional task order consideration to offset the cost and performance impact to the government. The data quality rate equals 1 minus (submissions with defects/total submissions) where a submission with defect is defined as a file that is missing required data elements or includes data that is not accurate and requires correction and resubmission by the contractor. The on-time delivery expectation is on time delivery of all files for at least 10 out of 12 months in a fiscal year, where an on-time delivery is defined as a transmission to the GSA or a designated third-party data aggregator on or before the 15th of the month following the month that data covers (unless a later delivery date is agreed to in advance by GSA). For example, data for the month of July 2012 is due on or before the 15th August 2012, any data for this time period provided after the 15th August 2012 it would be considered a late submission of data.

c. Reports:

Report should be identified with: Name of Contractor, IATA number, report period and type of http://www.fedrooms.com/

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Domestic and international travel shall be reported separately. Air travel data must reflect origin and final one-way destination (connections (legs, segments) are not reported). These data are not limited to only the awarded Airline City Pair routes. Contractors must report domestic U.S. city pairs by separate airport codes in alphabetical order, first by city, then by state. [For example, Columbus, GA is before Columbus, OH. Atlanta, GA/Denver, CO and Denver, CO/Atlanta, GA are to be reported only as ATL/DEN, regardless the direction of the travel. Contractors must report international city pairs by city code, alphabetized by US city, then US state, then by international country and city. Travel must be reported using these requirements and sequences, regardless of direction. For example, travel between Washington and London is to be reported as WAS/LON (but not LON/WAS, IAD/LHR, or BWI/LON), regardless the direction of travel or city airport used.

The following reports shall be provided to the GSA Contracting Officer:

Annual Total Travel Report:

The data shall be provided in an electronic commercial format readable in Microsoft Excel and emailed to 1) onthego@gsa.gov and 2) travel.programs@gsa.gov The subject of the email must state “Annual Total Travel Report”, the reporting period and the contractor name and contract number.