Solicitation_Number_SGH10017R0005_-_Domestic_Air_Travel_Mangament_Services.doc

US Embassy Accra, Ghana

P. O. Box 194

June 22, 2017

Dear Prospective Quoter:

SUBJECT: Solicitation Number SGH10017R0005 Enclosed is a Request for Proposals (RFP) for Domestic Air Travel Management Services. If you would like to submit a proposal, 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 that follows this letter.

The U.S. Government intends to award a contract/purchase order to the responsible company submitting an acceptable proposal at the lowest price. We intend to award a contract/purchase order based on initial proposal, without holding discussions, although we may hold discussions with companies in the competitive range if there is a need to do so.

Quotations are due by August 03, 2017 at 16:30 GMT.

All contractors must have DUNS number and be registered in the SAM (System for Award Management) Database https://www.sam.gov prior to contract award pursuant to FAR provision 52.204-7. Therefore prospective offerors are encouraged to register prior to the submittal of quotations/proposals.

The guidelines for registration in SAM are also available at: https://www.statebuy.state.gov/pd/Pages/AdditionalVendorReg.aspx Direct any questions regarding this request for quotations to Contracting Officer: Benjamin Bandoh, by telephone at 0302 741481 during business hours or by email to AccraGSOBids@state.gov.

Sincerely, Benjamin G. Bandoh

Contracting Officer

Enclosure:

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section 1 - The Schedule

· SF 1449 cover sheet

· Continuation To SF-1449, RFQ Number SGH10017R0005, Prices, Block 23

· Continuation To SF-1449, RFQ Number SGH10017R0005, Schedule Of Supplies/Services.

· List of Attachments to Description/Specifications/Statement of Work, Government Furnished Property 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

SOLICITATION/CONTRACT/ORDER FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS

OFFEROR TO COMPLETE BLOCKS 12, 17, 23, 24, & 30

1. REQUISITION NUMBER

2. CONTRACT NO.

3. AWARD/EFFECTIVE

DATE:

4. ORDER NUMBER

5. SOLICITATION NUMBER

SGH10017R0005

6. SOLICITATION ISSUE DATE

June 1, 2017

7. FOR SOLICITATION

INFORMATION CALL

a. NAME

Benjamin Bandoh

b. TELEPHONE NUMBER(No collect calls)

233-302-741-481

8. OFFER DUE DATE/ LOCAL TIME

August 03, 2017

9. ISSUED BY

CODE

10. THIS ACQUISITION IS

Contracting Officer

U.S. Embassy Accra Ghana

P.O. Box 194, Cantonments

Acc

UNRESTRICTED

SET ASIDE: % FOR

EMERGING SMALL BUSINESS SMALL BUSINESS

Accra, Ghana

HUBZONE SMALL BUSINESS SMALL BUSINESS

8(A) SERVICE-DISABLED VETERAN OWNED

Tel. +233 (0) 302 741481

NAICS:

SIZE STD:

UNDER DPAS (15 CFR 700)

DESTINATION UNLESS BLOCK IS MARKED

SEE SCHEDULE

14. METHOD OF SOLICITATION

FORMCHECKBOX

RFQ

IFB RFP

15. DELIVER TO:

Code

16. Administered by:

US Embassy, 4Th Circular Road, Cantonments – Accra, Ghana

GSO Procurement & Contracting Unit

US Embassy Accra, Ghana

17.a. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR CODE FACILITY CODE

TELEPHONE NO:

18a. PAYMENT WILL BE MADE BY

Financial Management Officer

American Embassy Accra

P. O. Box 194

Cantonments, Accra, Ghana

SEE ADDENDUM

19.

ITEM NO.

20.

SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES

21.

QUANTITY

22.

UNIT

23.

UNIT PRICE

24.

AMOUNT

Contractor shall provide domestic travel services (TS) to the U.S. Embassy Accra, as described in this solicitation

(Use Reverse and/or Attach Additional Sheets as Necessary)

25. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA

26. TOTAL AWARD AMOUNT (For Govt. Use Only)

FORMCHECKBOX

27a.SOLICITATION INCORPORATES BY REFERENCE FAR 52.212-1, 52.212-4. FAR 52.212-3 AND 52.212-5 ARE ATTACHED. ADDENDA FORMCHECKBOX

ARE ARE NOT ATTACHE

FORMCHECKBOX

27b.CONTRACT/PURCHASE ORDER INCORPORATES BY REFERENCE FAR 52.212-4. FAR 52.212-5 IS ATTACHED. ADDENDA ARE NOT ATTACHED. ARE

30b. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (TYPE OR PRINT)

30c. DATE SIGNED

31b. NAME OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or Print)

31c. DATE SIGNED

SECTION 1 - THE SCHEDULE

CONTINUATION TO SF-1449

RFQ NUMBER SGH10016R0005

PRICES, BLOCK 23

1.0 Description:

The Contractor shall provide travel management services to the U.S. Embassy, Accra, Ghana, as described in this solicitation. The contract type is a requirements type contract for all travel management services required by the agencies set forth in Section 1, paragraph 27.0. The contract will be for a one-year base 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 17.0 for further information on handling of transaction fees. See also paragraph 15.0 for a further description of Government Travel Charge Card, Centrally Billed Account (CBA), and Government Travel Request (GTR) sales.

2.2 Reserved

I.

Base Period

The contract will be for a one-year base period from the date of the contract award and a notice to proceed with four (4) option years.

2.3

PRICING

II. VALUE ADDED TAX

2.4 VALUE ADDED TAX. Value Added Tax (VAT) is not applicable to this contract and shall not be included in the CLIN rates or Invoices because the U.S. Embassy has a tax exemption certificate from the Ghanaian government.

2.5 The firm fixed-prices are stated in __________________ (Offeror to identify currency). Local offerors shall offer in Ghanaian Cedis (GH¢).

BASE PLUS FOUR (4) OPTION YEAR:

Transaction

Description

Period 1 Option

Period 2 Option

Period 3 Option

Period 4

Domestic Transaction Fee

Base Year Total Price

First Option Year Total Price

Second Option Year Total Price

Third Option Year Total Price

Forth Option Year Total Price

Grand Total, Base plus Four (4) Option Years

TABLE OF CONTENTS

* 1.0 - Scope of Work

* 2.0 - Definitions and Acronyms

* 3.0 - Contractor Requirements for Providing Official Travel Services

* 4.0 - Contractor Priority

* 5.0 - Furnishing of Equipment/Property

* 6.0 - Space for Performance of Required Services

* 7.0 - Minimum Personnel Requirements

* 8.0 - Contractor’s Quality Control Plan

* 9.0 - Transition Requirement and Continuity of Services

* 10.0 - Deliverables

* 11.0 - Notice to Proceed, Period of Performance and Options

* 12.0 - Place of Performance

* 13.0 - Hours of Service

* 14.0 - Basis of Compensation to the Contractor

* 15.0 - Billing and Payment Procedures

* 16.0 - Refund Procedures

* 17.0 - Transaction Fee Procedures

* 18.0 - Security

* 19.0 - Government Approval and Acceptance of Contractor Employees

* 20.0 - Key Personnel

* 21.0 - Personal Injury, Property Loss or Damage (Liability)

* 22.0 - Insurance

* 23.0 - Bonding of Employees

* 24.0 - Permits

* 25.0 - Post Award Conference

* 26.0 – Task Order Issuance

* 27.0 – Requiring Activity

CONTINUATION TO SF-1449

RFQ NUMBER SGH10016R0005

SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/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 Accra, Ghana is located. The corporate travel services that the Contractor shall provide include:

* Travel reservations, issuance and delivery of tickets for air; and where possible, advance seat assignments and advance boarding passes;

* Detailed travelers' itineraries;

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

* Automated reconciliation of travel charges incurred through the Government's CBA accounts and Government Travel Charge Card accounts;

* 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, if requested, provide on an open-market basis, complete personal travel services and support for Government employees and their dependents requesting personal (unofficial) travel arrangements. However, no individual is required to use the services under this contract for personal travel. The transaction fees listed in the Pricing portion of this contract apply only to official travel. The Contractor may charge the same fee or a lesser or greater fee for personal travel. However, the Contractor is responsible posting in a clearly visible public place the transaction fees to be charged for personal travel.

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.

1.5.

Upon the request of employees or other persons with disabilities traveling on official business, the Contractor must arrange necessary and reasonable accommodations, including but not limited to airline seating, in-terminal transfers, ground transportation and barrier-free or otherwise accessible lodging.

1.6.

The Contractor shall make necessary arrangements to collect funding from the designated POC at the Embassy for tickets that have been booked by agencies/ offices that make cash payments for the tickets.

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: http://www.arccorp.com.

Business Day - Monday through Friday, except holidays listed in Section 2, DOSAR 652.237-72, “Observance of Legal Holidays And Administrative Leave”.

CBA - Centrally Billed Account. Account established by a charge card Contractor at the request of an agency as defined in this document. Consolidated airline ticket charges accrued through use of centrally billed accounts shall be billed monthly. Expenses billed against centrally billed accounts are paid to the Government travel charge card program Contractor.

Commission - Amount paid to the Contractor by another entity not a party to this contract, such as an airline, for each airline ticket the Contractor books for that airline.

COR - Contracting Officer's Representative. See Section 2, DOSAR 652.242-70, Contracting Officer's Representative (COR)

CRS - Central Reservation System. A major airline computer reservations system, such as Apollo, Sabre or Worldspan.

Embassy – Refers to U.S. Embassy Accra, Ghana.

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.

eTS – also known as E-Gov Travel Service, ETS is a government-wide, automated web-based worldwide travel management service launched in April 2002. Additional information may be accessed through GSA’s website, http://www.gsa.gov/portal/category/27096.

Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) - See 41 CFR Chapters 300-304. Chapter 301 governs travel and transportation allowances for Federal civilian employees. Available from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402-9325: (1) as a bound volume of the Code of Federal Regulations (41 CFR, Chapter 201 to end); and (2) in a loose-leaf edition. Also available on the internet at: http://www.policyworks.gov.

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 14 FAM 583.

Government - U.S. Government, including all participating U.S. Government agencies.

Government Excess Baggage Authorization/Ticket (GEBAT) - Issued by the carrier to the traveler when presented with a GTR that authorizes the carriage of excess baggage. The GEBAT is used by the carrier(s) to support subsequent billing of charges. Excess baggage is reimbursable up to the weight authorized. NOTE: GEBAT’s are gradually disappearing. If the traveler is not using a GTR, the traveler will pay for excess baggage with a credit card or cash.

Government Travel Charge Card - General Services Administration (GSA) Contractor-issued charge card to be used by travelers of an agency to pay for passenger transportation services, subsistence expenses and other allowable travel and transportation expenses incurred in connection with official travel. Although the employee is liable for payment of all charges incurred, including those for ATM withdrawals, the employee shall be reimbursed by his/her agency for all authorized and allowable travel and transportation expenses.

GSA - U.S. Government General Services Administration.

GTR - Government Travel Request issued on a 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. The GTR shall be used as a supporting document with the bill for the transportation charges.

Lowest Available Fare - Except for the constraints of the airline 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.

Media - A broad spectrum of methods used to provide a permanent record of communications (examples include paper, EDI, electronic, floppy disk, optically stored media, computer disks, microfiche, microfilm, computer to computer communications via mode, Networks (value added), facsimile or any other acceptable method of available communication).

OAG - Official Airline Guide. Official Airline Guide (both Flight and Travel Guides). The OAG is available on the internet at http://dos.oag.com/reg.htm.

Official Travel - Travel that is paid for and/or for which the traveler is reimbursed by the Government.

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

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.

Service Fee - Pricing, if any, for a value-added service.

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.

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 17.0 addresses when a transaction fee may be charged for a transaction.

Travel Authorization - Document authorizing official Government travel.

Travel Management Center (TMC) - A commercial travel firm under contract to US Embassy Accra, Ghana that provides reservations, ticketing and related travel management services for Federal travelers.

Travel Services - Transportation reservations, issuance and delivery of tickets for all modes of transportation; reservations for lodging and vehicle rental services; 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.

Taxes - When reservations are made for official business, the Contractor shall ensure that rate does not include taxes for which diplomatic personnel are exempt.

3.2 Transportation

3.2.1 The Contractor shall comply with mandatory Government programs for air travel. Except for the constraints of the “City Pairs” contract program noted below, and the Fly America Act, the Contractor shall book the lowest available fare that satisfies the agency’s mission requirements. If reservations made by the Contractor are not at the lowest available rate allowed by policy, the Contractor shall refund the agency the difference.

3.2.2.

City Pairs Program

3.2.2.1. GSA has awarded contracts to certain airlines for reduced air fares between numerous city/airport pairs. The contract air service (e.g., 'YCA', '_CA') is mandatory for official Government travel (which includes all travel funded by the Government), unless the Government approves the use of non-contract fares under the exceptions specified in the FTR. In cases of separate contract awards between specific airports in cities, the traveler may use the airport that best meets their needs without further justification. These contract fares may be obtained only with a GTR, a Government Travel Charge Card or a CBA.

3.2.2.2. Promotional or other types of discount fares can be used on contract city/airport pair routes if they are offered by the contract carrier and are lower in cost than contract fares. Contract fares shall not be used for any personal travel, including those instances where portions of personal travel are substituted for a leg of an officially authorized trip.

3.2.2.3. There are a limited number of non-contract fares (YDG or similar), restricted to official Government travelers, which are obtainable only with a GTR, Government Travel Charge Card, or CBA. Such fares can only be used when contract fares are not available or when offered by the contract carrier in that city/airport pair route at a lower cost than the contract fare.

3.2.2.4. When non-contract carriers offer restricted or unrestricted coach fares to the general public which are lower than the Government contract fares, the Contractor may only use such lower fares on the application of exceptions contained in the current GSA Airline City-Pair Program. GSA contracts annually for air passenger transportation services between designated city/airport pairs. Since the contract is awarded annually the contractor must check the most current contract found on the Internet at http://www.gsa.gov, then click on “Travel on Government Business”.

3.2.2.5. It should be noted, however, that any restricted fare which provides for a monetary penalty for itinerary changes or flight cancellations shall not be used without the written consent of the using agency.

3.2.2.6. Full coach fares may be used if no reduced fares are available.

3.2.3 The Fly America Act generally precludes use of non-US flag carriers, except as provided in the FTR and the Foreign Affairs Manual, Volume 6.

3.2.4.

The Contractor shall provide the Government with the reservation and ticketing services which industry practice normally accords corporate or private travelers, to include new and improved reservation and ticketing technologies. These shall include a 24-hour, toll-free number available to travelers to perform emergency itinerary changes and emergency services outside regular business hours. The Contractor shall be responsible for ensuring that any subcontractor providing such emergency service complies with all conditions of the contract.

3.2.5.

There are only limited instances in which the Government will pay for premium class travel and the travel order will need to state that business class travel is authorized. This must be accompanied by another document, DS-4087, signed by an authorizing official, providing the justification for premium class travel. This does not apply to situations in which frequent flyer benefits will be used to obtain the premium class tickets.

3.2.6.

Back-to-back faring, or hidden city ticketing are prohibited under this contract.

3.2.7.

The Contractor shall provide the traveler with last seat availability, advance seat assignment, and advance boarding passes on all airlines for which the Contractor can offer these services.

3.2.8.

The Contractor shall make adjustments for any change(s) in flight, train, bus or steamship schedules. Tickets and billings shall be modified or reissued to reflect these changes.

3.2.9.

The Contractor shall make a timely effort to notify travelers of airport closings, canceled or delayed flights, trains, buses or voyages.

3.3.

Reserved

3.3.1.

Reserved 3.3.2.

Reserved 3.3.3.

Reserved 3.4.

Reserved

3.4.1 Reserved

3.4.2.

Reserved

3.5.

Reserved

3.5.1.

Health Requirements. The Contractor shall provide travelers with advice on necessary health requirements, including types of inoculations and vaccinations whether required or suggested for foreign travel.

3.5.2.

Reserved

3.5.3.

Reserved

3.5.4.

Reserved

3.5.5. Reserved

3.5.6.

Information Pamphlets

3.5.6.1. 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.

3.5.6.2. 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).

3.5.7.

Reserved

3.6.

Traveler's Itineraries - The Contractor shall provide to each traveler a complete, printed or sent via email itinerary document including, but not limited to the following:

* carrier(s);

* flight 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;

* local and toll-free 800 numbers, (the latter only if available in the country in which these services are provided) for both the servicing office and the after-hours emergency services location. If toll-free 800 numbers are not available, then the collect calls shall be accepted and this notification shall be included on the itinerary.

* a statement and a copy of the passenger receipt coupon of all charges associated with the transportation ticket, including the ticket number, price, fees charged and a description of those fees.

* electronic or printed ticket.

* if use of a non-contract carrier is authorized, the Contractor shall annotate one or more of the following reasons to show contract city-pair coverage and agency justification for non-use. The Contractor may use alpha or numeric codes for representation;

* Space or scheduled flights are not available in time to accomplish the purpose of travel, or use of contract service would require the traveler to incur unnecessary overnight lodging costs which would increase the total cost of the trip; or

* The Contractor's flight schedule is inconsistent with explicit policies of individual Federal departments and agencies, where applicable, to schedule travel during normal working hours; or

* A non-contract carrier offers a lower fare available to the general public, the use of which will result in a lower total trip cost to the Government, to include the combined costs of transportation, lodging, meals, and related expenses. Note: This exception does not apply if the contract carrier(s) offers a comparable fare and has seats available at that fare, or if the lower fare offered by a non-contract carrier is restricted to Government and Military travelers on official business and may only be purchased with a GTR or Government contractor issued general charge card, such as, YDG, MDG, ODG, VDG and similar fares.

3.7.

Ticket Delivery

3.7.1.

All tickets shall be delivered upon proof of payment 3.7.2.

Travelers shall be provided an itinerary and confirmation number in advance of travel. The contractor shall deliver the tickets only to employees designated by the U.S. Government.

3.8.

Reserved 3.8.1.

Reserved

3.8.2.

Reserved

3.8.3.

Reserved

3.9.

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 10.0:

3.9.1.

QUARTERLY PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS REPORT - A concise quarterly narrative (no more than one page) 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;

3.9.2.

QUARTERLY SALES ACTIVITY REPORT - A quarterly 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 agency using the contract, whether the travel was purchased using a GTR, Government Travel Charge Card or CBA.

3.9.3.

Reconciliation Report of TransportATION Billings

3.9.3.1.

The Contractor shall provide automated reconciliation of transportation billings charged through user agencies' CBA accounts. The Contractor shall use an automated accounting system with direct interface among the reservation, ticketing and accounting elements so that all passenger reports and summary data are automatically generated from point-of-sale information.

3.9.3.2.

Agencies participating in the Government's charge card program have agency CBA accounts established with the charge card company. The charge card company will provide the Contractor with magnetic tapes or floppy disks of a month's CBA billings for each participating agency, at the agency’s request. In order to perform automated reconciliation of accounts, the Contractor must have a tape drive and sufficient computer capacity. The Contractor shall run these tapes/disks against its own tape of transactions to provide each agency with reconciled charges, no later than five (5) working days from receipt of the charge card vendor’s billing tapes.

3.9.4 MONTHLY TRANSACTION Fee Report

3.9.4.1 A monthly report based on the transaction fee schedule of the contract. This report shall list all transaction fees to be paid by user agency. The fees shall be broken down, not only by agency, but also by type of transaction, following the line items in the pricing portion of this contract. For example, if a courier is used, the transaction fee associated with courier delivery shall be listed separately from the standard transaction fee.

3.10.

Communications System and Emergency Services

3.10.1.

The Contractor shall provide service, five days a week, Sunday through Thursday, compatible with the Consulate’s standard workday. Section 1, continuation of block 20, paragraph 13.0, below sets forth the normal working hours for Contractor personnel providing services under this contract. The Contractor shall provide dedicated telephone service for the account(s) at no cost to the Government, to include:

· toll-free service for Government use, to the servicing location, during regular working hours;

· a 24-hour toll-free number available to travelers which will allow immediate access to a reservation agent to perform emergency itinerary changes outside regular business hours;

· and the acceptance of collect calls when toll-free access is unavailable.

3.10.2.

The Contractor shall be responsible for ensuring that any subcontractor providing 24-hour emergency service complies with all conditions of the contract.

3.10.3.

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 manning the office 24 hours a day as required by the Government responding to the emergency/evacuation and providing necessary delivery of tickets.

3.10.4.

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 give the traveler at least two options:

· to hold or

· to leave a message for a call back.

Return calls shall be made within one (1) hour. The Contractor shall respond to facsimile or e-mail requests by close of business on the following business day, unless travel is scheduled on a weekend, holiday, or business day subsequent to the day of the request.

3.10.5.

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 200 per year. Services would be of a "Visitors Bureau" type that, as a minimum, could include the following:

* Travel Changes and Confirmations

3.10.6.

The Contractor shall be capable of accepting most major credit cards including Citibank Visa for payment of travel services.

3.10.7.

If the Contractor's reservation center is remote from the US Consulate, the Contractor shall provide toll-free numbers for use by agencies’ employees to make reservations during the Consulate’s regular hours of operations. Remote is defined as areas where agencies would have to make long-distance calls to reach the Contractor.

3.10.8.

Emergencies - The Contractor shall continue to provide services during emergencies or contingencies. In connection with evacuations or large scale air 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.

3.11.

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. The Contractor shall also have the capability to capture data for reports when the CRS is not operating and for airlines that do not subscribe to a CRS.

3.12.

Telefax Capability - The Contractor is required to have international FAX capability at each site from which services are provided under this contract.

3.13.

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 through a CRS.

3.14 eTravel Service (eTS) - https://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/105399 the electronic travel (eTravel) project is grounded in the President’s E-Government initiative and the Administration’s commitment to employ the latest technology to create a more efficient, citizen-centered Federal Government. The eTravel project was launched in response to The President’s Management Agenda. eTravel is a change management initiative that is supported and enabled by technology. Its mission is to improve the internal efficiency and effectiveness of the Federal Government by simplifying applicable policies and regulations and by implementing common administrative processes for Government travel services that eliminate duplicative and redundant processes and systems. eTravel is a collaborative, inter-agency initiative whose purpose is to realize operational efficiencies, cost-savings, and increased service to the Federal traveler through a common, automated, and integrated approach to managing Federal Government travel functions.

The eTravel initiative provides a web-based, end-to-end travel management service for use by all civilian Executive Branch departments and agencies of the Federal Government. There are currently three vendors awarded contracts to support the eTravel: Northrop Grumman Mission Systems; CW Government Travel; and EDS. Use of the eTravel Service (eTS) by Executive Branch agencies is established by policy and regulation. The eTravel Program Management Office ensure compliance with the policies, regulations, and use of the common Government-wide eTS.

Information on the eTS can be found by clicking the eTS web page.

3.15 eTS REQUIREMENTS - In support of eTS as specified in agency task orders, the Contractor shall:

* Ensure that products/services provided to participating agencies complement and support the eTravel Service (eTS) and its objectives in an efficient and cost-effective manner. The objective of the eTS is to:

* Consolidate travel processes at the Government-wide level;

* Consolidate travel processes through the common Government-wide eTravel Service

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

* 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;

* 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;

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

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

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

* 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;

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

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

* Work and exchange data with the eTS contractor under contract with the Government 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; 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 is provided at Attachment 1.

· The Contractor must state its understanding that its services, products and processes offered must complement the eTravel Service (eTS) for all civilian agencies using the eTS. 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.

3.16 ETS Definitions

Transaction A - Air Ticket

Reservations: Transaction A fee applies for all arrangements and reservations related to one itinerary for which an air ticket is issued. The fee includes making and changing arrangements (air) 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 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, changes to existing arrangements, air reservations for which tickets are not generated shall not be considered Type A transactions.

3.17 ETS Delays. In the event there are delays with the implementation of ETS, the contractor shall only be required to provide the agent assisted or on-site travel management services as set forth in this contract until ETS is implemented, and the OBE is configured to support the Post population 4.0.

Contractor Priority - The Government's 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.

5.0 Furnishing of Equipment/Property

5.1.

The Government will provide the property listed in Section 1, Attachment 3. The Contractor has the option to reject any or all Government furnished property or items. However, if the Government furnished property is rejected, Contractor shall provide all necessary property, equipment or items, adequate in quantity and suitable for the intended purpose, to perform all work and provide all services at no additional cost to the Government. The Contractor shall use all Government furnished property or items only in connection with performance under this contract. The Contractor is responsible for the proper care, maintenance and use of Government property in its possession or control from time of receipt until properly relieved of responsibility in accordance with the terms of the contract. Negligent use of Government furnished property that results in damage or destruction is cause for repair or replacement at the Contractor's expense. The Contractor shall use automated reservation equipment, with the capacity to display all available fares, generate automated travel itineraries, issue advance boarding passes, and print tickets automatically.

5.1.1.

The Contractor shall maintain written records of work performed, and report the need for major repair or replacement work for Government property in its control. The Contractor shall assure that the Government property will be used only for those purposes authorized in the contract and that any required approvals for use will be obtained prior to use.

5.1.2.

The Contractor shall physically inventory all Government property in its possession. Physical inventories consist of sighting, tagging or marking, describing, recording, reporting and reconciling the property with written records. The Contractor shall conduct these physical inventories annually, as directed by the COR, and at termination or completion of the contract. Unless approved in advance by the Contracting Officer, personnel who maintain the property records or who have custody of the property shall not be the individuals who perform these inventories.

6.0 Space for Performance of Required Services.

6.1.

The Contractor shall operate out of US Government property. The Contractor shall perform all the required services in a timely manner, through effective communications and delivery systems.

7.0 Minimum Personnel Requirements

All Contractor personnel providing services under this contract shall be fluent in English as well as the local languages.

7.1. Reserved

7.2.

Project Manager(s) – The Contractor shall provide a Project Manager who is experienced in operating automated reservation and ticketing equipment to arrange transportation via all modes. The Project Manager shall have supervisory experience with travel accounts, and be experienced in operating the automated reservation and ticketing systems proposed for this account.

7.3.

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.

7.4.

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

7.5 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.

8.0 Contractor’s Quality Control Plan

8.1.

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.

8.2.

Specifics. The Contractor’s Quality Control plan shall outline procedures to ensure that the lowest applicable fares are obtained and that the Contractor complies with contract city-pair fares. To ensure compliance, the Contractor shall, as necessary:

* make adjustments for any change(s) in flight, train, bus or steamship 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).

8.3.

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.

9.0 Transition Requirement and Continuity of Services

9.1.

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

9.2.

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.

9.3.

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.

9.4.

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.

9.5.

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

9.5.1.

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.

9.5.2.

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.

9.5.3.

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.

9.5.4.

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.

9.5.5.

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.

9.5.6.

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 effect a smooth…