Questions and Answers 1.pdf

April 25, 2024

TO: All Interested Vendors

FROM: Joshua Hitch

RE: Response to Questions #1 for Solicitation RFP 91103JAH

This list of Questions and Responses #1, dated April 24, 2022, is being issued to clarify certain information contained in the above named solicitation. The statements and interpretations of contract requirements, which are stated in the following questions of potential offerors, are not binding to UMB, unless UMB expressly amends the solicitation.

1) Question: What do you anticipate your travel spend to be in the next 12 months? Percentage of study abroad? Percentage of athletics? Percentage of Faculty and Staff? Percentage of domestic vs international air? Percentage of Hotels? Percentage of ancillary services such as rail and ground transportation?

Answer:

FY23 travel spend was $2.4 million for UMB only, not including other state universities that may or may not use this contract. Total volume may be higher and usage is not guaranteed. This however provides a rough low end estimate of this contracts potential value.

Percentage of study abroad?

Percentage of athletics? UMB has no athletics. however, other State universities who may utilize this contract may use it for athletic travel.

Percentage of faculty and staff? About 85% employees (faculty and staff) and 15% non-employees (students, affiliates, non-employees)

Percentage of domestic vs international air? About 85% of travel comes from airfare with 70% being domestic and 30% international

Percentage of hotels? About 11% hotel Percentage of ancillary services such as rail and ground transportation? About 2% rail and 2% car rental

2) Question: Please clarify the difference between Business Continuity plan and Disaster plan.

Business Continuity focuses on the entire organization around ensuring operations continue in the event of an emergency. Disaster recovery plan focuses on recovering and restoring systems and data after a disaster has occurred. The response would be from the TMC perspective, do they have continuity plans in place to ensure operations and services would continue in the event of an emergency and do they have recovery plans to ensure their systems and data are recovered and restored to ensure services continue and data is not lost.

3) Question: Can you please provide any service concerns you have with your current program?

Please see the below responses.

1. The TMC’s visibility and oversight to our travelers through Concur. Our current TMC has had difficulties accessing our system and be able to help us troubleshoot the travel issues that arise.

2. When our traveler books through Concur or through the TMC, we have had trouble with that transaction being transmitted from the TMC’s system into our Concur system.

3. The TMC having difficulties syncing the traveler’s profile data from Concur into their system.

4. The travel agents providing our travelers with mixed information and being unable to assist our travelers

5. Problems with the TMC sending invalid data to our bank which causes central reconciliation issues in Concur – i.e. sending transactions with a name listed as N/A

6. It is preferable that the prospective TMC is a Concur partner and has been professionally trained with how our T&E system works.

4) Question: As a global company, can we confirm that the 10-year minimum experience requirement does not have to be solely US based?

Answer: Combined experience between domestic and international will be considered as acceptable.

5) Question: Are there any pain points with your current program?

Answer: Please see response to question 3.

6) Question: Do you want us to respond individually to each of the specific requirements listed in section

E. SPECIFICATIONS FOR TRAVEL MANAGEMENT SERVICES

Answer:

Yes. In addition to your technical proposal please respond at a minimum an acknowledgement that you either can or cannot meet each requirement.

7) Question: What is your extended hours requirement?

We expect the awarded TMC to be available 24/7.

8) Question: What are your top city pairs?

At time of this RFP our top city pairs are Baltimore – New Orleans, Baltimore – San Diego, Baltimore – Atlanta.

9) Question: Can you please provide the transient (faculty/staff) travel volume for the last fiscal year?

Answer: Please see the response to question 1.

10) Question: Please provide Group (Student Groups and/or Study Abroad) Travel Volume for the last fiscal year.

Broken out by airline (domestic and international), car rental, bus charter and hotel spend

We do not have the capability to pull this data. Please refer to the question 1 for a general overview of our spend.

11) Question: I have an inquiry regarding the requirement outlined in the statement, "The Contractor must be able to integrate with Concur at a minimum." Could you please clarify whether the selected contractor will be provided access to Concur, or if the winning bidder is expected to establish an account with Concur independently?

The Contractor would have access to the Concur travel areas in accordance with UMB user security guidelines. However, the Contractor should have an existing working relationship with Concur and other clients using Concur.

12) Question:? Could you please clarify if you require reporting capabilities or access to the GDS?

The Contractor must provide the University Travel Services Office access to all University PNR (passenger name records) records (itinerary, pricing, etc.) for reservations in a web based system with no cost to the University.

Reporting capabilities for booked UMB travelers. We do not need access to the GDS.

13) Question: Could you please clarify if the information required here relates to actual bookings and does not include quotes/non-ticketed items? Contractor must be able to send travel request and booking information to the Universities selected travel card vendor in a format that the travel card vendor can receive and process at no additional cost to the University.

Actual bookings that utilized the travel card, not quotes or non-ticketed items

14) Question: Question on the 'References' Appendix. How do differentiate between contract value and contract volume?

Value is the dollar value, and volume is quantity related.

15) Question: We have 2 options for pricing in Appendix E. Do we place the 2 options in the same Appendix E and add notes about the difference? Or 2 docs as Appendix E-1 and E-2?

Answer: No, please see Amendment #2 (Revised Pricing Sheet with estimated quantities and grand total).

16) Question: Will this be a mandated contract?

Answer: We intend to utilize this contract for all of our Travel management needs. Other universities nor UMB will be bound to utilize this contract however.

17) Question: How do you prefer that we highlight confidential information within our response?

Answer: Please refer to Section II.M of the RFP.

18) Question: As suppliers must submit a SOC Type II Report and HECVAT, we will need a mutual non-disclosure agreement on file. Is UMB willing to execute?

Answer:

Yes. However, only the selected vendor(s) will need to submit a SOC 2, Type II Report, and the NDA can be executed at that time.

19) Question: How is the scoring criteria weighted?

Answer: We are not able to disclose this information.

20) Question: Under Section III.D, are proposed edits to required insurance terms and conditions an automatic disqualification?

Answer: Yes. These are the minimum requirements for insurance.

21) Question: What has prompted you to review your travel program.

Answer:

Our current contract is expiring this year and per State regulations we must compete the new contract.

22) Question: If a numeric scoring system is utilized to rank suppliers, may UBM please share with suppliers the score card/criteria?

Answer:

We are unable to disclose this information.

23) Question: Deliver to the email address listed on page 1 of RFP or Section D on page 34 in a sealed envelope. Please clarify.

Answer: All bids should be submitted on eMMA per Section 1.D on page 1 of the RFP

24) Question: May we provide all requested resumes upon contract award, or must they be submitted with proposal?

Answer: Resumes will be request upon reward.

Eshleman, Ronald Need response