Travel Services for the State of Maryland

The Maryland Department of Budget and Management is requesting proposals for statewide travel management services covering airfare, rail, lodging, and rental vehicles, with proposals due September 17, 2026 at 2:00 PM, updated from the original August 12 deadline by Amendment #1. A mandatory 5% Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) participation goal and 1% Veteran-Owned Small Business Enterprise (VSBE) goal apply; failure to submit the required Attachment D-1A form results in automatic proposal rejection. This is a Tier 1 Living Wage contract.

The scope consolidates travel services currently managed through phone reservations with the incumbent vendor into a single portal-based platform serving approximately 175 travel coordinators across 150 state agencies, with optional participation by nonprofits and local governments at the same rates. The state anticipates $19–20 million in annual spend (75% hotels, 20% airlines, 5% rail and rental cars). The contractor must possess current Airline Reporting Corporation (ARC), International Air Travel Agent Network (IATAN), and Amtrak approvals as minimum qualifications. All travel must route through the vendor's compliant portal with embedded state policies requiring at least two approval levels. The vendor will receive a single per-trip service fee with no additional consolidator ticketing fees; the state currently maintains no negotiated carrier agreements and does not use an online booking tool.

The contract term is five years with indefinite quantity and fixed unit pricing. Place of performance is statewide. The contractor must maintain Service Level Agreements covering call-answer speed, email response times, portal uptime, reservation accuracy, and emergency response. Insurance requirements include $1 million per occurrence / $3 million aggregate commercial general liability, $1 million crime coverage, $1 million workers' compensation, and state-compliant automobile insurance. A pre-proposal conference occurred July 20, 2026; an MBE-focused follow-up session was held August 6, 2026. Questions were due July 23, 2026. Amendment #2 and Amendment #3 modified evaluation criteria, scope, timelines, and administrative terms; prospective bidders must acknowledge and incorporate all amendments. Transition-out support is limited to 60 days upon contract conclusion.