The majority of my experience and history while working in travel has been with Temporary Duty Travel (TDY). In this posting, I will provide an overview of the TDY authorization process from a systems perspective. Three systems are utilized to facilitate the Temporary Duty Travel (TDY) Authorization Process. The systems are the EGOV Travel system, a middleware which provides communication between the EGOV Travel system and the Global Distribution System, and the accounting system. The EGOV Travel system is used to create a travel authorization, select reservations, perform necessary pre-audits, and route the authorization through an appropriate organization approval chain. The travel authorization contains specific details regarding trip including the trip purpose, trip dates, per diem location, flight details, per diem rates, etc. The middleware software is used to interface the EGOV Travel system with the Global Distribution System, which allows the displaying and booking of reservations in EGOV Travel system i.e. air tickets (tickets are booked at the time the traveler signs the authorization and tickets are issued two to three business days prior to travel), lodging accommodations, rental car accommodations, and/or rail accommodations. The Travel Management Center (TMC) facilitates the process between the EGOV Travel system, middleware, and the Global Distribution System. The accounting system is responsible for recording and reporting the financial obligation associated with the travel authorization. An interface between the EGOV Travel system and the accounting system allows for timely and efficient posting of travel obligations to the accounting system. A fourth system, a reporting software, allows users to generate reports out of the accounting system to view all financial transactions.
by Grant Brown
“The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect any position of the Government or my agency.”