The integration of the Federal Travel Regulations into the ETS system was one of the most controversial, yet needed requirements.  Many travelers were either not familiar with the Federal Travel Regulations or chose not to abide by them.  With the introduction of the new systems, travelers were forced to adhere to these regulations.  This caused frustration amid travelers and caused many of them to not like the new system.

Through the travel process, the ETS system has built-in regulatory requirements for each component that requires the traveler to be in compliance with Federal Travel Regulations.  The FTR addresses everything from who must use the ETS system, how and when authorizations should be completed, and within what timeframe a voucher should be completed.

Generally, travelers must have a written or electronic authorization prior to incurring any travel expenses. The most common way of creating an authorization is through the ETS system.  The authorization includes reservations and estimated expenses.  Once completed, the authorization electronically routes to the Travel Agency if reservations have been selected and then within the agency for approval.

During the authorization process, when searching for flights, the ETS system will display the Government City Pair Fares first.  If the traveler does not select one of these fares, the system will “flag” the selection and require an approved justification for not selecting a city pair fare.  The approved justifications appear in a list for the traveler to select from.  If one of the justifications is not appropriate, the traveler should reconsider their flight selection.  The most common justification used by our travelers is “space on a contract flight is not available in time to meet mission requirements, or use of contract service would incur overnight lodging costs which would increase the cost of the trip”.  Some travelers have a carrier preference in which they accumulate air miles and other rewards.  This is not a valid justification for not using a government contract fare.  Furthermore, any additional costs associated with using an unauthorized carrier may be the traveler’s responsibility.  Another common “flag” on authorizations is when a hotel is selected that is not a Fedrooms property or exceeds the per diem rate for the location.  Fedroom properties must be given first priority by a government traveler or a justification is required.  Furthermore, any time a hotel room rate exceeds per diem, the traveler must explain why they were not able to obtain the per diem rate.

When a trip is completed, the FTR states that the traveler must submit their voucher within 5 working days.  The voucher should include a copy of the approved travel authorization and a detailed itemization of all travel expenses incurred.  The FTR specifies what expenses can be claimed on the voucher.  It also specifies what receipts are necessary.  Receipts for any reservations or expenses over $75.00 should be electronically attached to the voucher.  Once the voucher is completed and electronically signed by the traveler, the document routes to the approving official for approval.  The approving official is responsible for ensuring that the voucher was prepared in accordance with the pertinent regulations and agency procedures, the types of expenses claimed are allowable, the amounts claimed are accurate, and that the necessary receipts are attached.  Although, the traveler bears the responsibility to ensure that all travel expenses are prudent and necessary, the approving official must review the validity of the claim and ultimately assumes responsibility.  The FTR mandates that agencies reimburse their travelers within 30 calendar days after a proper travel claim has been submitted.

Once the payment is made to the traveler, it is the travel financial office’s job to implement internal audit controls to ensure that travel payments comply with the Federal Travel Regulations.  Features of the ETS system reduce the risk of improper payments; however, the financial office still has the duty to ensure that the process is compliant with the FTR as well as laws and regulations governing use of federal funds.  The most effective way that we ensure that our payments meet the requirements is through random audits.  During an audit the entire trip is examined.  The mode of transportation is reviewed to make sure that it was the most cost effective way of traveling.  The type of lodging accommodation is reviewed; whether or not it was a Fedroom property. The validity of miscellaneous expenses claimed is reviewed as well as, appropriate receipts verified.

The Federal Travel Regulations is an important part of the E-Travel System.  Travel is an essential part of conducting business within the government and the FTR ensures that taxpayer’s money is not wasted.

By:  Chanda Garrett

The contents of this message are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the Government or my agency.

Working for an FFRDC proves to show significant differences between GSA CPP rates and corporate rates.  As airlines continue to struggle to make profit in today’s world due to fuel hikes, competition, union employees, airport fees, mergers, etc., corporate contracts have been revamped to tiered programs which provide small discounts on published airfares with heavy restrictions.

These tiered programs are restrictive and cumbersome to manage hampering the many cost savings initiatives that are incorporated into travel programs. Some of these cost saving initiatives are impeded by drastic changes including additional baggage fees, blackout dates, preferred seating fees, on board amenities, and increased ticketing change fees.  In contrast, the CPP offers no advance purchase requirement, no blackout dates, all tickets are fully refundable or other penalties associated with the airfare.

While many cost saving initiatives are incorporated into travel programs, we also struggle with rising costs of purchasing travel under the Fly America Act.   In most cases with codesharing the foreign carrier offers a significantly lower airfare for the same trip.   The Fly America Act requires all ticket purchases to be issued on the American carrier ticket stock which means we purchase the higher airfare.  This appears, to employees and government sponsors, that our cost savings measures are lacking.

After all, we are also using taxpayer dollars to purchase travel.

by Stefanie Tretola

What is Code sharing?

A code share is an agreement between airlines that allows the sale of seats by a partner airline on another airline’s flight as if the flight were its own.  Code shares can provide a cost-effective way for a carrier to enter new markets by using the facilities and operations of a partner carrier.

This can be misleading for travelers who believe they have purchased a ticket on one airline only to discover they are actually flying another. Or worse, when that traveler believes they are staying on a single airline on a multi-leg trip only to discover that they are not only changing planes, but changing airlines, too, in their connecting city.

How do I know if I am booking a code share flight?

Under U.S. Department of Transportation rules, carriers must clearly disclose code share flights on schedules and passenger itineraries by marking them with an asterisk or other “easily identifiable mark” along with the name of the actual transporting carrier.

Code shares are identified in our E Travel System with an “Operated By” statement next to the carrier operating the flight selected.

Where should I check-in if I booked a code share flight?

Typically, you should check in with and board the airline that is operating the flight, not the carrier that sold you the ticket.

How do I change my itinerary or request a specific seat?

Most airlines will tell you that you need to contact the carrier that sold you the ticket rather than the carrier you are actually flying.

Which airline is responsible for reservation issues or lost baggage?

While the selling airline is most often responsible for reservation issues, lost or damaged baggage claims are generally submitted to the last airline that handled your luggage at your destination.

Are there price differences on code share flights?

There can be pricing discrepancies on the same code share flights sold by two different airlines. The reason for this is that each airline sets its own prices in a code share situation to preserve the spirit of competition.

Contract carriers with code share business agreements cannot obligate their code share partner’s inventories for YCA contract fares. In the E Travel System, travelers may see a fare listed as a GSA City Pair until it is priced, and then the fare becomes a standard commercial fare. Only those fares highlighted as a GSA City Pair when selected are the actual contract fares. Travelers should check the fare rules for all other flights to identify any flight restrictions.

Will the code share partner accept my Frequent Flier Miles?

Here is another complexity: A code share does not guarantee the partner airlines accept each other’s frequent flier miles. Travelers will need to confirm that their frequent flier miles have been recorded when they check in at the ticket counter.

by Carole Byrd

Disclaimer: The contents of this message are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the Government or my agency.  Use of this equipment is consistent with the agency’s policy governing limited personal use.

Once the Finance Office received the documents, a technician verified the per diem rates and quarter day calculations for first and last day as well as other expenses.  Voucher receipts were verified and any voucher with a discrepancy was sent back to the traveler for correction.   Once the voucher was deemed correct, the finance technician would classify expenses into Budget Object Codes (BOC) and information such as the employee’s name, SSN and Accounting were written on to a coding sheet.  The coding sheet was sent to a Data Transcriber to enter into the financial system.   This process was labor intensive, prone to error and in many cases reimbursement of a travel voucher could take several weeks.

In the mid 1990′s my agency implemented Travel Manager, an electronic COTS travel system that was hosted in-house.  With the implementation of this system we went from a paper based travel process to a fully automated one.  Travel Manager contained locations with applicable per diem and performed calculations.  The electronic routing allowed documents to be reviewed and approved electronically.  Once a document was approved it was interfaced to the financial system daily and travelers were reimbursed for expenses within a few days of submitting a voucher.  Although a Travel Management Center (TMC) was available, many travelers continued to call the airline and hotels directly to make reservations and recorded the cost in Travel Manager.

In 1998 the Smartpay program was introduced that made credit cards available to frequent travelers and by 2001 the Federal Travel Regulations (FTR) required travelers to use a TMC to book official travel.  The FTR also requires travelers to use the City Pair Program except in limited situations.  The fairs offered by the airlines are one way which allows for complex multiple destination trips. The City Pair program offers very competitive airfare that can be discounted up to 70% off of unrestricted coach fare and offers benefits such as no advance purchase, no minimum or maximum length stay, last seat availability, no blackout dates, no penalties/fees for rebooking and tickets are fully refundable.

In 2003, GSA awarded contracts for E-Gov Travel Services (ETS) to three vendors and amended the Federal Travel Regulations to require agencies to implement one of the systems by September 30, 2006.  My agency awarded a contract and began implementing ETS in the summer of 2004.  The ETS had many of the same features that the Travel Manager system had with the addition of integration with the TMC.  By using the ETS, travelers have a one-stop-shopping for travel where the process of creating the authorization also includes making on-line reservations for common carriers, hotels and rental cars.  Vouchers are easy to complete as all the traveler needs to do is to update the estimated expenses from the authorization, electronically attach receipts (which are used for post payment audits) and electronically sign to route for approval.

In 2005 Government agencies were required to implement split disbursement.  Split disbursement provides a high level of convenience to the traveler to designate charges they made to their government credit card be paid directly to the bank through the vouchering process.    Another program that began about the same time is Fedrooms.  This program initiated by GSA is managed by Carlson Wagonlit who negotiates rates and terms with hotels in cities that have a large number of visits from Federal travelers.  Hotels that participate are FEMA and ADA compliant, have a least a two star rating from Mobil Travel Guide or AAA rating, they must accept government travel cards and other forms of payment, the rate must be at or below the government per diem rate, have a 4:00pm or later cancelation policy on the day of arrival, last room availability and other amenities. Federal Travelers are to give Fedroom Properties first consideration when booking a room.

The evolution of Federal Travel has been significant over the last 20 years.  20 years ago electronic travel and on-line booking was an idea reserved for Buck Rogers and the Jetsons.  In addition to automation, the government has moved towards consolidation and elimination of stove-pipe systems.   In the future I see agencies continuing to consolidate and automate travel processing as well as to outsource travel services to a Shared Service Provider.  Federal travel may decrease with the popularity of video conferencing and on-line training but federal travelers will still need to be on-site for a variety of mission essential trips that can relate to anything from the economy, civil rights and defense to disabilities, education, and Veterans Affairs.   Travel is an important part of many agencies mission and in servicing the public.  Needless to say, I’m looking forward to being involved in the next twenty years of Government Travel evolution.

by Diana Bonnell

Disclaimer: The contents of this message are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the Government or my agency.  Use of this equipment is consistent with the agency’s policy governing limited personal use.

My agency receives many requests from our customers for various reports.  Nearly every day, we receive a new request for information.  In addition to the requests that we receive from our customers, we also receive data calls from the Department and General Services Administration (GSA).  Depending on what information is being requested, we must make the determination as to how to gather the information and whether we should get the information from the E-Gov Travel System, the travel management center (TMC), or the agency’s accounting system. Even though the ETS and the TMC provides various reports, we have found that it may be necessary to pull the information from the accounting system.  The ETS vendor and the TMC have always been very accommodating when we request data.  If they are unclear about what information is being requested, they always ask for clarification.

Before the onset of the ETS, reports had to be created manually or maybe the data was not captured anywhere, and therefore it could not be reported.  The ETS has improved the reporting of travel expenditures for Federal Government travelers.  Now, it’s much easier to know how often the City Pair Program (CPP) is used, who is requesting premium class travel and why, and if there are any unused airline tickets.  The ETS forces the traveler or document preparer to justify certain requests and expenses.  Therefore, management not only knows that the traveler made the request, but also knows why.

Some of the reports that we regularly request from our ETS are: the Traveler Information Report, the Routing List Report, the Delegate Authority Report, and the Trip Status Report.  Some of the reports that we regularly request from our TMC are: the First Class Travel Report, the Fee Allocator Detail Report, the Monthly Travel Summary, and the Trip Detail Report.

Reporting is just another benefit of converting to an ETS.

by Pam Morton

The contents of this message are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the Government or my agency.

The federal government has not been able to accurately identify its annual travel spend which exceeds $15.4B a year.  An Accenture study found $7B a year in unknown types of travel expenditures, and a difference of over 50% in the travel expenses recorded on the federally mandated SmartPay travel card from expenses recorded in the President’s Budget Object Class 21 (Travel and Transportation of Persons) as submitted by federal agencies.  In the past, the Government has been unable to capture spend, determine the value of the spend, and to determine the level of compliance with federal travel programs.  The inability to know how much has actually been spent on travel means that it cannot effectively be managed.  The Government’s approximately $15.4B a year in travel spending is subject to unknown inefficiencies and costs.  The Government’s inability to wade through a morass of incomplete data from various sources has seriously hampered its ability to effectively negotiate with stakeholders in the City Pairs program among other things.

The intent of the TRX MIS contract was to provide comprehensive data on Government travel for most if not all GDS, and other travel data collection systems.  Market research was performed and the requirements for the MIS system originally were drafted from both DOD (DTMO) and the civilian agencies.  GSA evaluated the proposals and awarded the contract to TRX for the MIS initiative.

This contract provides for the first time the ability to capture and aggregate comprehensive travel data for the federal government.  This will include travel made through the Travel Management Centers (TMCs), through the ETS solutions, through the SmartPay charge card, and directly with suppliers.  A multi-year, phased in approach is being used to mitigate risks associated with technical development, integration, and minimize costs to the government.

Once the government has aggregated its travel data through a central repository for such data as the contractor provides, reports can be generated that will provide management information regarding government travel.  TRX has provided their services to numerous commercial companies which have resulted in the development of a suite of ready-to-use travel management reports.  The government will now be able to use these same reports which have given companies in the commercial marketplace the ability to better manage their travel.

Additionally, custom reports specifically tailored for the government environment are being developed for use by the federal agencies and their stakeholders.  This will include the travel reporting Information profile (TRIP) report which is a statutory requirement.  It is important to note that relocation data and the cost of administering travel is not available from the solution since it is not accumulated electronically in the available data sources at this time.

Initially it was thought that the main objections in delaying implementation would come from the airlines and vendors providing the GDS data links to the government vendor.  As it turned out, and much to everyone’s surprise, most of the delays resulted from other vendors who did not provide timely, accurate, and complete data feeds.

Initial data feeds were also somewhat delayed as additional security requirements were implemented to incorporate personally identifiable information (PII) transmission.  These requirements ensure the secure transmission of the data through an encrypted portal called Dataman.  There were some unexpected challenges regarding security on the Government side as an Authority to Operate (ATO) certificate was required to secure these records.

The rights to all of the data remains with the government, and the deployment of a third party aggregator provides the necessary consolidation of aggregated data, standardized processes, and streamlined reporting requirements.  It also provides a steady data stream necessary to accomplish strategic sourcing of services.  This process will also unencumber each of the TMC’s from trying to meet regulatory requirements processes reports such as TRIP reports and Premium Class Travel Reports.

GSA addressed the only other objection to providing this data by providing free software to transmit already available back-office data to GSA.  Although this software was originally intended primarily to ease the transmission of data from smaller TCS it is now widely used for most of the TMC data feeds as a more secure method of data transfer.  GSA also provided no-cost technical support for the system.  DataMan extracts data from back-office systems and transmits it directly to the TRX MIS system – 256k encrypted.   It is secure and automated, easily configurable, and the smaller TMC subcontractors/vendors that provided data with it to date are happy with it.  It sends the data automatically every month and requires no human intervention once set up.  At this point in time data is collected monthly and will not include some of the IBA data.  As the ATO is granted – one years worth of data will be collected to include PII as requested by the Government Agency.  TRX rolled out the pilot of the system for government wide use on 12/15/08.

Included in the MIS is the ability to perform analysis of strategic sourcing opportunities.  The capability was exercised this past year as an analysis was performed upon the request of the airline carriers.  The carriers wanted to enforce a ticketing time limit to purchase seven days prior to departure of within twenty-four hours, if within the seven day period.  This would, the carriers claimed, allow the airlines the ability to resell their seats in a timely manner to the general public and to ensure revenue opportunities were available at every juncture.

It was important to have a solution to analyze the substantial amount of  data available and provide a significant response to the request.  For the first time the government was able to view data patterns not readily seen, for instance:  Twelve percent (12%) of all airline tickets are issued for the same day of travel.  Airlines have also added several fees (fuel surcharge, baggage and interactive fees for such things as telephonic reservations and ticketing at the airline counter, etc.) to the  price of the ticket.

Under the TRX contract GSA was able to review the entire download of FY 2007 ARC airline travel data in order to preview the caliber of information that might be expected under the TRX MIS contract.  Upon review, the analysis showed 72% of government travel spend either used a TCA or CA fare on City Pair contract tickets.  76% of the segments were also City Pair routes.  An additional 16% used DG (discounted government fares), so 88% of tickets purchased were actually Government fares.  Commercial fares were used 12% of the time either as lower than contract fares, or because they were in markets not serviced by City Pair fares.  Data from ARC was broken by origin and destination, by passenger count and fare basis by passenger count.  This analysis indicated a high rate of compliance with the City pairs contract policy and showed the government to be a strong proponent of the program.  The analysis supported the government’s contention that we were a valuable customer to the airlines, as in the instances noted, the Government actually helped to fill seats for the carriers at the last minute and at an acceptable yield to the airlines.

TRX data will eventually also provide the Government with additional critical data for effectively managing other areas of their contracts.  This data is sorely needed, since prior to this time, there was  no way to efficiently manage the effectiveness of the programs nor that business activities were actually being conducted in the best interests of their customer, the U.S. Government.

New  analytical capabilities are expected to realize significant improvements for strategic sourcing, utilization of federal travel programs, compliance with federal travel policy, and travel spend data.  New benefits will include:

• Improved travel supplier agreements that provide best cost and quality choices.
• Improved use of existing programs that maximize cost savings and flexibility.
• Increased compliance with travel policy and new policy creation, improving adherence to the Federal Travel Regulation (FTR).
• Near real-time travel usage and pattern information analyses allowing for adjustments and changes in travel management that provide the required response to the needs of the federal traveler.

In conclusion, despite some unanticipated obstacles, the MIS has been launched and is now available for GSA and Government-wide use for the benefit of our government travelers, and the success of our government programs.  The data aggregation and information analyses it yields will be invaluable as GSA continues to improve strategic sourcing under the City Pairs programs, and to monitor and adjust policy to ensure compliance with the FTR and associated regulations.

by Julie Speers