[Federal Register: March 20, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 54)]
[Notices]
[Page 13710-13711]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr20mr03-66]
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GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
[GSA Bulletin FTR 2003-B1]
eTravel Initiative
AGENCY: Office of Governmentwide Policy (MTT), GSA.
ACTION: Notice of bulletin.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with GSA Bulletin FTR 26 issued July 25, 2002
(67 FR 48654), the attached bulletin is issued to inform agencies of
FedTrip as the online booking service available governmentwide for
arranging temporary duty travel. Agencies will benefit from direct cost
savings and management efficiencies by adopting self-service travel
capabilities. Each Executive agency will be required to adopt an online
booking engine as part of their self-service travel process. Agencies
are requested to immediately develop a plan(s) (e.g., budget and
personnel alignment) to achieve a high level of online booking by
December 2003. Such plan(s) will prepare agencies for implementation of
the eTravel service, which is expected to become available by December
2003. Upon implementation of the eTravel service, agencies will be
required to measure the use of self-service travel planning and
reservations functions of the eTravel service for arranging temporary
duty travel.
EFFECTIVE DATE: This bulletin is effective March 20, 2003.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tim Burke, General Services
Administration, Office of Governmentwide Policy (MTT), Washington, DC
20405; e-mail, timothy.burke@gsa.gov; telephone (703) 872-8611.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: All Executive agencies will be required to
adopt an online booking service to make travel reservations for
temporary duty travel. FedTrip, provided by the U.S. Department of
Transportation, is an online booking service that is available for use
by Executive agencies and should be agencies' first choice for online
booking. Of an online booking service is not currently deployed in an
agency, officials responsible for managing the agency's travel program
should take steps to implement an online booking service including
coordination with their Travel Management Center (TMC) where
applicable. Executive agency travel managers should contact Arnie
Linares at (202) 366-0520 or e-mail arnie.linares@ost.dot.gov to make
the necessary arrangements to obtain FedTrip. Executive agency
employees should contact their agency's travel office for information
on how to make travel arrangements online. Please note that this
document implements a new numbering system for FTR bulletins.
Dated: March 14, 2003.
G. Martin Wagner,
Associate Administrator, Office of Governmentwide Policy.
Attachment
March 20, 2003.
[GSA Bulletin FTR 2003-B1]
To: Heads of Executive Agencies.
Subject: eTravel Online Booking Service Availability.
1. Purpose. This bulletin notifies executive agencies of the
availability of FedTrip as the online booking service available
governmentwide, which should be agencies' first choice for making
temporary duty travel arrangements, unless you have another online
booking service already deployed. Each executive agency will be
required to adopt an online booking service as part of its self-
service travel process. Agencies are requested to develop a plan(s)
(e.g., budget and personnel alignment) to achieve a high level of
online booking service use by December 31, 2003. Such plan(s) will
prepare agencies for implementation of the eTravel service, which is
part of the President's Management Agenda, and is expected to be
available by December 2003.
2. Background. The eTravel initiative was born out of the
governmentside task force known as Quick Silver that was established
to address performance gaps in existing Government systems as they
relate to E-Government, a key component of the President's
Management Agenda. The use of an online booking service is an
interim stage in the progress toward an integrated self-service
travel environment.
3. eTravel Online Booking Service Objective. The objective of an
eTravel online booking service is to provide agencies with a Web-
based, online booking service that implements a self-service travel
booking capability that will eventually become part of the
governmentwide eTravel initiative. An online booking service will
allow employees to arrange their own air, hotel, and car rental
reservations. Providing an online booking service is the initial
phase of reengineering the entire travel process to realize
significant cost savings to the government, to improve employees'
productivity, and to provide a unified, simplified official travel
process.
4. Government Interest. The interim use of an outline booking
service is in the best interest of the Federal government because:
a. It supports the President's Management Agenda for the
expanded use of electronic government;
b. It will improve internal effectiveness and efficiency;
c. It will provide employees with greater flexibility in
arranging official travel;
d. FedTrip works with all global distribution systems (GDS) that
are currently in use by the government's contracted travel
management centers (TMCs), and should be agencies' first choice for
online booking;
e. Best practices have shown that significant benefits are
optimized when 60% or greater use rates per agency of an online
booking service are achieve; and
f. I will produce significant savings and reduce fees paid by
the Government.
5. Agency Planning. Under the governmentwide eTravel initiative,
agencies will be required to use the governmentwide end-to-end, Web-
based travel management service for travel preparations,
authorizations and reservations, and payment of vouchers. Agencies
should adopt FedTrip as their first-choice interim online booking
service (unless another online booking service has already been
deployed) until the governmentwide, Web-based end-to-end travel
management service is available. Agencies are cautioned against
investment in new systems that will be agency-specific and non-
transferable to the eTravel service. Additionally, the following
measures should be taken to implement an online booking service;
a. Agencies should evaluate their current arrangements for
obtaining travel services in order to determine how best to
incorporate an online booking service.
b. Each agency is requested to submit a report by December 31,
2003 to the point of contact in paragraph 6 on actions it has taken
as of that date to achieve high-level usage of an online booking
service for travel. This report should also describe the agency's
plans to expand its usage of an online booking service for all of
the agency's travel within the subsequent 12 months.
c. Agencies are also requested to provide monthly reports on the
number and dollar volume of tickets issued, as well as fees paid for
online self-service bookings versus full service transaction.
Agencies will benefit from this data enabling them to better manage
cost/savings benefits and determining appropriate rate of transfer
from a high cost full-service transaction to a lower cost self-
service transaction. This information is customarily available from
agency TMCs and online booking engine providers. Reports should be
submitted within 10 working days after the end of each month to the
point of contact in paragraph 6. Agencies are strongly encouraged to
use these reports to manage internal savings and monitor their
adoption rate of self-service bookings.
d. Agencies should appoint and empower a manager to ensure that
desired use rates for an online booking system are achieved.
[[Page 13711]]
6. Point of Contact. Tim Burke, Director, Travel Management
Policy Division (MTT), Office of Governmentwide Policy, General
Services Administration, Washington, DC 20405; telephone 703-872-
8611; e-mail, timothy.burke@gsa.gov.
7. Expiration Date. This bulletin expires when the new eTravel
services is fully implemented within your agency.
[FR Doc. 03-6662 Filed 3-19-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-24-M