E-Gov Travel is a government wide initiative that is mandated by the Federal Travel Regulations (FTR) for all federal travelers and is one of 24 E-Gov initiatives outlined in the President’s Management Agenda (PMA). The E-Gov Travel Service (ETS) vendors include Carlson Wagonlit Government Travel’s E2 Solutions, EDS’s FedTraveler and Northrop Grumman Mission System’s GovTrip. The vendor hosts and maintains the software and GSA administers the contract.
ETS travel systems replaced several in-house systems, COTS software, and manual processes throughout government. The ETS systems are E-Gov travel and FTR compliant that requires no client installation and can be accessed 24/7 from the Internet. These systems embed the reservation component in the authorization process. Because the ETS system integrates the on-line booking, each TDY trip must have an authorization. Automatic routing and review capabilities along with e-mail notification expedite the processing of travel documents. Travelers can electronically attach receipts and supporting documentation to their travel document for easy review of the approval official. Payments to the traveler can be accomplished within 3 – 5 business days using split disbursement as mandated by OMB. Each ETS vendor selected TMC partner(s) to integrate into the system to provide reservation fulfillment. Agencies may also choose a TMC from the GSA Travel Services Solution (TSS) Schedule or through their own contracting vehicle. Travel Authorization/Voucher (TAV) and TMC fees are paid to the vendors on a transactional basis and are included as an expense on each voucher.
GSA and the agencies continue to work with the ETS vendors to make the systems more user-friendly and improve system functionality.
by Julie Gilchrist
“The contents of this message are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the Government or my agency.”