RFQ S-JO100-12-R-0002.docx

RFQ No. S-JO100-12-R-0002

SF-1449

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section 1 - The Schedule

· SF 1449 cover sheet

· Continuation To SF-1449, RFQ Number S-JO100-12-R-0002, Prices, Block 23

· Continuation To SF-1449, RFQ Number S-JO100-12-R-0002, Schedule Of Supplies/Services, Block 20 Description/Specifications/Work Statement

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

· Attachments

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

SECTION 1 - THE SCHEDULE

CONTINUATION TO SF-1449, RFQ NUMBER S-JO100-12-R-0002

PRICES, BLOCK 23

1.0 Description

The Contractor shall provide travel management services to the U.S. Embassy in Amman, Jordan, 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 period from the date to start services, set forth in the Notice to Proceed, with two 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

2.3. Pricing in JD (Jordanian Dinars)

Period 1 Option Period 2

Within City Limits Services – Domestic/International Transaction Fee

On-site Services - Domestic/International Transaction Fee

On-line Booking Fee – Domestic/International

Overnight Delivery Fee

Courier Delivery Fee

Table of Contents Continuation to SF-1449, Block 20

· 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 S-JO100-12-R-0002

SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES, BLOCK 20

DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/WORK STATEMENT

1.0 Scope of Work

1.1. The Contractor shall provide travel services for official domestic and international travel of Government employees and their dependents. Domestic and international travel includes travel within and outside of Jordan including travel within the U.S and other countries. The corporate travel services that the Contractor shall provide include:

· Travel reservations, issuance and delivery of tickets for air, rail, bus and steamship carriers; and where possible, advance seat assignments and advance boarding passes;

· Reservations for lodging accommodations;

· Commercial automobile rental services;

· Assistance in obtaining passports, visas, and advice regarding health requirements;

· 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;

· Information pamphlets for Government travelers who use the contract.

1.1.1 Compliance with USG Required Forms, Rules, Regulations & Procedures:

Contractor is to comply with USG Travel Rules and Regulations, all required forms, and any changes in procedures. Contractor will remain informed of any such changes and updates as necessary, by the Contracting Officer’s Representative.

1.1.2 Leisure Travel:

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 is to charge the same fee for personal travel. However, the Contractor is responsible to broadcast in a clear visible public place the transaction fees to be charged for personal travel.

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 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.

1.4. 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.

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 - Sunday through Thursday, 0800 - 1630 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 – Amman, Jordan.

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.

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.

Hotel and Motel Fire Safety Act of 1990 - Public Law 101-391, September 25, 1990. An Act to amend the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to allow for the development and issuance of guidelines concerning the use and installation of automatic sprinkler systems and smoke detectors in places of public accommodation affecting commerce, and for other purposes. A copy of the Act can be obtained by writing: Hotel/Motel Fire Safety, Office of Fire Prevention and Arson Control, Fire Administration, 16825 S. Seton Ave., Emmitsburg, MD 21727, USA. As defined in the Act, this only applies to the United States and its territories as described on the website at http://www.usfa.fema.gov/hotel.

Hotel and Motel Fire Safety Act National Master List - Places of public accommodation in the United States and its territories that meet the fire prevention and control guidelines under the Hotel and Motel Fire Safety Act. Current information is also available on the internet at http://www.usfa.fema.gov/hotel

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 Embassy Amman 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.

Traveler’s Checks - GSA Government travel charge card program Contractor-issued traveler’s checks.

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 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.

Contractor must provide the USG with a means to be able to procure airline tickets and make reservations on airlines that only accept online credit card payments on the spot, such as Fly Dubai, Easy Jet, and other airlines (locally or internationally) that do not subscribe the reservation system used by the Contractor. In the event where this is applicable and necessary by the USG, the contractor is to arrange for the procurement of this airline ticket, and bill the USG via the same means as all other types of invoices.

3.2.5. The Contractor may only issue premium class tickets for which the Government will have to pay an additional amount when the accompanying travel orders or other official documentation provide authority for that 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.

3.2.10 TMC shall provide assistance in arranging lodging, transportation, meet & greet assistance at airports, and arrange for transportation via other modes, provide written confirmation when possible and feasible, assistance in arranging alternate methods of transportation for travel that takes place outside Jordan, in those countries where this is possible and applicable at no additional cost to the USG.

3.3. Lodging

3.3.1. The Contractor shall provide lodging reservation services as needed. These services shall include initiating and confirming reservations and confirming the rate at which the reservation is made.

3.3.2. Where the Government has agreements with hotels/motels for discount Government rates, the Contractor shall endeavor to obtain such rates for Government travelers. (Frequently these rates are capacity-controlled.) If necessary to obtain Government rates, the Contractor shall call such hotels directly, rather than by toll-free numbers. The Contractor shall also make available to the Government any lower-priced, guaranteed corporate or other discount rates it has negotiated at these or other hotels.

3.3.3. Final selection of accommodations rests with the traveler. If reservations made by the Contractor are not made at the lowest available Government rate, the Contractor shall refund the Government the difference. Since final selection of accommodations rests with the traveler, the reservations made by the Contractor shall be made at the lowest available rate that complies with the traveler’s request, or the Contractor shall refund the Government the difference. Lodging reservations for Federal Government employees on official business shall comply with the Hotel and Motel Fire Safety Act of 1990 (see Definitions). Selected lodging shall comply with the Hotel and Motel Fire Safety Act of 1990, if available, unless an exception is granted by the COR. As stated in the definition in paragraph 2.0, the Hotel and Motel Fire Safety Act of 1990 only applies to the United States and its territories.

3.4. Rental Vehicles

3.4.1 The Contractor shall reserve commercial vehicles for Federal travelers, if requested. The Military Traffic Management Command, Department of Defense, has negotiated Government discount rates on an unlimited mileage, flat daily or weekly basis with major rental automobile companies. Participating locations of these companies have agreed to make these rates available to civilian as well as military employees. These companies and their established discount rates are the first source for Federal travelers, as required by the FTR. Considering daily or extended rates, the Contractor shall reserve vehicles from these sources or, if no vehicles are available at Government rates, from other firms at the lowest total cost available to the traveler, which includes full loss/collision damage waiver (LDW/CDW), to the traveler.

3.4.2. Under the FTR, it is incumbent upon the traveler to be prudent in selecting the method of ground transportation that best meets the traveler’s needs. Therefore, since the final selection of car rental companies and car sizes rests with the traveler, the reservations made by the Contractor must be made at the lowest available rate which conforms to the traveler’s request, or the Contractor must refund the agency the difference. If reservations made by the Contractor are not the lowest available Government rate, the Contractor shall refund the agency the difference.

3.5. Related Services

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. Local Conditions. The Contractor shall provide information and advice on conditions at the various foreign destinations, including climatic conditions, type of clothing which is appropriate or essential, national and religious holidays, location of American embassies and consulates, etc.

3.5.3. Foreign Currency Information. The Contractor shall provide technical advice on such matters as foreign currency exchange rate and transactions, securing auto insurance in conjunction with foreign automobile rentals, excess baggage requirements and fees.

3.5.4. Visas. The Contractor shall assist travelers in obtaining visas for foreign travel. The Contractor is required to provide at no cost to the Government, daily visa deliveries/pickups not to exceed five separate delivery/pick-up points per day. This includes pickup and delivery of passports and visas between the Embassy and other foreign embassies or processing points located within the servicing city or area, on a daily or as needed basis.

3.5.5 The Contractor Shall provide USG travelers (LES and Americans) with the option of procuring travel insurance for official travel that protects the USG traveler against lost luggage as well.

3.5.6 TMC is the main point of contact for a traveler to go to when the need to track lost luggage claims arises. Once the vendor verifies that the lost luggage has arrived Jordan, vendor must relay this information to Embassy MVO section who will arrange for delivery and pickup.

3.5.7. Information Pamphlets

3.5.7.1. 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.

3.5.7.2. 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).

3.5.7.3. Contractor must have its own website that the USG can post on its intranet. This website is to be updated and maintained by the Contractor’s IT personnel, and provides USG customers with information that includes but is not limited to the following: updates on baggage fees, contact information for airlines locally and internationally, contact information at airport worldwide, all required forms and paperwork, contact information for travel agents, services offered (inside and outside Jordan), etc..

3.5.7.4. In compliance with the “Go Green” initiative, vendor is to provide information brochures that describes the services offered, electronically. This must be updated frequently to provide accurate and up to date information to the customer.

3.5.8. Special Fares/Packages

The Contractor shall advertise special fares/packages and tours in the Embassy weekly newsletter. The Contractor shall make arrangements for this advertisement with the COR.

3.5.9 Provide assistance to VIP Visitors whose airline tickets are not issued from Jordan:

The Contractor must also readily provide assistance to TDY’ers or other VIP guests in transit Jordan and who require assistance with changing or modifying their travel route, even if the ticket was not issued by them in the first place. The contractor should make the necessary calls to make the change happen, again to comply with being the main liaison between the USG traveler and the airline.

3.6. Traveler's Itineraries

The Contractor shall provide to each traveler a complete, printed itinerary document including, but not limited to the following:

· carrier(s);

· flight, train, bus and voyage 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;

· name, phone number, location, room rate(s), confirmation number of hotels/motels booked by the contractor at each destination and guaranteed arrival check-in time, cancellation requirements; and where applicable, tax exempt information. If requested by the Government, the Contractor shall include a clear statement regarding compliance with the Hotel and Motel Fire Safety Act of 1990. If requested, the statement shall read as follows: "The lodging selected satisfies (or does not satisfy) the requirements of the Hotel and Motel Fire Safety Act of 1990." The Government would only make this request if travel will be within an area covered by this Act.

· vehicle rental company, to include name and (toll free, if applicable) telephone number of supplier, pickup and return dates, location of pickup, confirmed rate and confirmation number and, where applicable, special pickup instructions and hours of operation, notably for off-airport suppliers.

· local toll-free phone numbers for both the servicing office, and the after-hours emergency services location. The emergency services location number shall be answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

· 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.

· Indicate type of ticket, electronic or paper.

· 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. Reserved

3.7.2. Travelers shall be provided an itinerary and confirmation number in advance of travel. Prepaid tickets shall not be used as a routine method of providing tickets.

3.8. Traveler's Checks

3.8.1. The Contractor shall disburse traveler's checks (which will be provided by the Government and/or its designee) to authorized travelers on official travel orders. The Contractor shall account for all traveler’s checks provided by the Government, and shall indemnify the Government against any and all losses relating thereto. In addition, the Contractor shall follow the Government's daily closeout procedures in accounting and reconciling traveler's check activity.

3.8.2. The Contractor shall name the Government as loss payee on a Comprehensive Indemnification Policy (commonly known as a "3-D" policy) for $250,000 against all risks associated with the disbursement of traveler's checks.

3.8.3. The Government shall provide a U.L. approved, Class V storage container in the site designated herein as the site from which the travel management services will be provided by the Contractor. This container shall be used for the overnight-storage of traveler's checks.

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 computerized 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 information in electronic format of a month's CBA billings for each participating agency, at the agency’s request. In order to perform computerized reconciliation of accounts, the Contractor must have sufficient computer capacity and the ability to read and process the information. The Contractor shall run this data against its own record 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 information.

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.

3.9.5 GO GREEN

Contractor must minimize unnecessary paperwork, and try to make electronic all required data to comply with the “Go Green” initiative.

3.10. Communications System and Emergency Services

3.10.1. The Contractor shall provide service from Sunday through Thursday, compatible with the Embassy’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:

· a local 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;

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 VIP 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 VIP visits potentially requiring traveler’s assistance services is 200. Services would be of a "Visitors Bureau" type that, as a minimum, could include the following:

· Travel Reservations, Changes and Confirmations

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

3.10.7. If the Contractor's reservation center is remote from the Embassy, the Contractor shall provide toll-free numbers for use by agencies’ employees to make reservations during the Embassy’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.

In addition to the many VIP visits received by the Embassy, the Embassy also purchases travel services for a large number of permanent and temporary duty personnel.

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.

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.

6.0 Space for Performance of Required Services

6.1. On-site Services -For the provision of On-site Travel Management Center (TMC) Services, the Contractor shall operate out of the Government’s facility, on Government property, located at the address set forth below in the paragraph, “Place of Performance”. Any renovation to the space shall be conducted by the Government. All plans for space renovation must be approved by the COR and all arrangements for renovation work must be made by or through the COR. Until such time as office space and telecommunications arrangements are completed within the Government location, the Contractor shall arrange for delivery of travel documents to the Government location. If working in Government- provided space, the Contractor's employees shall abide by the Government's smoking policies.

6.2. The Government will pay the utilities used in the government-supplied office space.

6.3. The Contractor shall ensure that its employees and agents working on the U.S. Government premises shall observe all health and safety codes including participation in safety drills when directed either orally or by established signals, fire alarms, bomb threat alarms, etc. The Contractor’s employees shall know the Embassy’s fire regulations and shall report fires immediately upon detection by using the nearest fire alarm or by telephoning the Marine guard. The Contractor’s employees shall participate in a security briefing about security measures required at the Embassy and the safe guarding of private information about any Embassy travelers.

7.0 Minimum Personnel Requirements

All Contractor personnel providing services under this contract shall be fluent in English as well as the local language and meet the following requirements. See also paragraph 20.0 below, “Key Personnel”, for requirements regarding Key Personnel.

7.1. Contractor's Project Manager – The Contractor shall provide a Project Manager who shall be responsible for the administration, supervision, and coordination of its Government operations. The Project Manager shall have experience in the management of travel services and shall have adequate authority to make decisions for the timely resolution of problems. The Project Manager shall coordinate closely with the COR.

7.2. Site Manager(s) - At each site, the Contractor shall provide a Site Manager who is experienced in operating automated reservation and ticketing equipment to arrange transportation via all modes, lodging, and vehicle rentals. The Site 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 two 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.

7.4.1 Backup Personnel – The Contractor shall provide back-up personnel in the event that primary personnel take vacations or are absent from the office.

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.