Travel Services
If you cannot find the information you need, please contact our Customer Service Desk on 0345 410 2222, or e-mail: info@buyingsolutions.gsi.gov.uk
- What are the benefits of using the travel frameworks?
In choosing to utilise the frameworks you can be confident the procurement was conducted under the current European Directives, and are also fully compliant with the latest public procurement rules. Under the revised directives, and the circumstances of the travel frameworks, it is likely you will need to conduct a further competition exercise. A set of template documents have been created to simplify this process for you. They are available from the Buying Solutions travel team together with step by step guidance notes.
- Are framework agreements legal?
The principle of framework agreements including the subsequent call-off process is fully accepted by the European Parliament and is enshrined in the Directive 2004/18/EC (the Consolidated Directive).
- Why do I need to sign a call-off contract?
Drawing up your call-off contract is extremely important as it is the legally binding document defining the roles and responsibilities of both yourselves and your chosen provider. It is the process that allows you to agree and define your service requirements, and confirms the obligations of both parties to the contract. In the event of challenge it provides a clear audit trail, and by setting clear service requirements will allow you to manage your relationship with the provider to the benefit of both parties.
- What is the minimum and maximum length of time I can stipulate for my call-off contract?
It is recommended that your call-off contract should be for a minimum period of 2 years to ensure you gain maximum cost effectiveness from the arrangement. The maximum term for your call-off is 5 years or 1 year after expiry of the framework, whichever is the earliest.
- How will Buying Solutions support me during the further competition exercise?
We'll work together and support you during the further competition process to ensure the right results are achieved for your requirements. The dedicated contracts staff within the Buying Solutions travel team can guide you through the process and assist in the evaluation (should you wish). We can offer guidance on technical matters and share the benefit of our travel procurement experience.
- What preparation work will my department need to conduct in readiness for the further competition exercise?
It is important for the travel booking agents to fully understand your travel profile. This enables them to allocate appropriate resource levels to ensure delivery of a first rate travel service. As a customer, you would need to share with them details of your travel spend by category i.e. air, ferry, rail, hotels, conferences and vehicle hire. This should also include the number of transactions in each category in a given year. A spend profile questionnaire is now available in the Getting Started section to help you with this process.
- How long will the further competition process take?
To ensure a smooth transition to the travel frameworks it is necessary to undertake detailed analyses of your historic travel spend. The starting point is the collection of spend data as highlighted above. When the data and your service delivery requirements have been established, the further competition process should take between four to six weeks to complete. The timeframe is subject to the complexity of your procurement requirements.
- On what basis can I go directly to one supplier (avoiding further competition) and justify that choice?
You can go direct to one supplier without the need for further competition if you can identify from the information provided which travel booking agent is best able to meet your requirements and offer best value for money. This will, of course, depend on the nature of your requirement and how specific it is. You may use further competition to establish which supplier is best able to meet your needs for a period of time and then single source from that supplier.
- Are there any restrictions on the number or size of departments/organisations able to use the travel frameworks?
The frameworks are open to the entire public sector. No restrictions have been placed on the number of organisations joining the frameworks, as has previously been the case with other collaborative contracts.
- Will I be able to specify the format and frequency of management information (MI) from each of the travel booking agents?
You can request MI from the travel booking agents in the format which best matches your requirements. By way of a typical example, some customers have opted for monthly high level summary reports, with more detailed information supplied on a quarterly basis.
- Will each of the travel booking agents be able to provide savings reports?
Yes of course, this requirement should be highlighted for discussion at your implementation meeting. This added value benefit will enable customer organisations to produce end of year saving reports on transactions made through the frameworks. Additionally you may wish to choose savings demonstrations as just one of the key performance indicators (KPIs) applied to you call off contract.
- I want to tailor the service delivery requirements to meet my organisation's particular needs. How much scope do I have to personalise the service delivery so it best meets our operational requirements?
The framework documentation was developed at a fairly high generic level, as it was impossible to capture all of the public sector's diverse requirements in one set of documents. The specification and service delivery levels can be modified for your organisation's specific needs, providing any changes do not compromise the original OJEU and evaluation criteria. For example, it is not permissible to use a hotel booking agent for your rail ticketing service. The Buying Solutions travel team can provide further clarification on this matter.
- Where does the contractual relationship reside?
Once the call-off contract is established the contractual relationship resides between your department and the travel booking agent, subsequently the contractual relationship in terms of day to day management, resides with you and your chosen travel booking agent.
- What is Buying Solutions role?
Buying Solutions as the contracting authority will maintain and develop the supplier relationship at a framework level. This includes monitoring the travel booking agents' performance and collating management information across the frameworks. Buying Solutions Travel Team will continue throughout the lifetime of the framework agreements to seek out opportunities to maximise savings opportunities for customers ensuring that any developments keep pace with changes in the market and industry innovations. We will also support customers in the resolution of contractual matters including intervention with travel booking agents if necessary.
- What considerations have been made in respect of invoicing?
This is one of the aspects for agreement at your implementation meeting with your travel booking agents; the specification has made provision for traditional and electronic transactions. Payment terms were agreed with each of the travel booking agents at framework level and the Buying Solutions travel team would be happy to share these details with you.
- Can I still use my Government Procurement Card (GPC) to pay for my travel bookings?
Best travel management practice strongly advocates the use of payment cards as being a key fundamental to the payment process. Buying Solutions recommends payment for all travel related transactions via GPC Visa. GPC Visa is a payment card with a proven track record as the most efficient method of paying for travel transactions. Its benefits include ease of use, enhanced management information and increases control. Please contact the Buying Solutions Payment Cards team for more information or visit the Payment Cards web site
- What customer benefits have been derived from the consolidation of travel spend?
Following benchmarking of the competitive process, the results produced savings of 5% against previous government collaborative contracts. Aggregation of demand has created a position of strength for the public sector in terms of market positioning and leverage across the industry. Moving forward we plan to use the collective buying power of our customers to secure greater discounts for room and route deals.
- What are the room and route deals mentioned above?
Where large concentrations of spend can be identified, Buying Solutions travel team are seeking to enhance the standard framework offerings. In the first instance this will include delivery of an extended air fares programme which builds on the success of the trial with British Airways on domestic city pairs. Customers can look forward to making significant savings on their air fare expenditure, through the partnering relationship created between Carlson Wagonlit Travel and Buying Solutions.
Access to the Government Travel Group (GTG) will be given to all of the air service providers. Ultimately this will provide heavily discounted fares and other service benefits. This arrangement is part of the phased approach to the way travel services are procured for the public sector in the future. Buying Solutions are currently out to tender directly with the air line industry.
Additionally Buying Solutions plan to negotiate directly with hotel chains in the first instance part of this work will be the reconciliation of department's hotel profiles and management information to establish and own deals on behalf of the public sector.
Plans are in place to also engage with the Rail Network providers with a view to achieving value for money savings and other services benefits through both direct negotiation and smarter buying practices.
- Has the Government's sustainable agenda been considered?
These deals will be launched on the 1st August 09 to dovetail with the expiry of the current partnership deal. The travel project has been chosen by Defra's Sustainable Procurement Task Force as a leading example of how the government's sustainable agenda can be incorporated into large pan government procurements. The strategy has been future proofed to ensure targets imposed by the Environmental Audit Office on sustainability and social inclusion can be met through the frameworks and subsequent call off contracts.
- What level of commission will Buying Solutions be charging the customers who use the travel frameworks?
The starting point in respect of commission payable will be 0.5% (net of VAT), on all transactions. This will be collected by the travel booking agents, and will be in addition to the rates shown on the schedule of prices provided. The level of commission payable by customers is subject to review within Buying Solutions. In the medium to long term Buying Solutions expect to see a reduction in commission levels for all customers.
- How will the commission be collected?
The commission is paid directly by the travel booking agent to Buying Solutions on a regular basis.
- Why do I need to pay commission to Buying Solutions and what are the benefits for my organisation?
Buying Solutions is not a vote funded organisation. It is an Executive Agency of the Office of Government Commerce in the Treasury and operates on a trading fund basis. The commission paid covers our operational costs and allows us to invest in deals established through the frameworks seeking out opportunities for further savings maximisation and continuous improvements.
- Will the travel booking agents be able to provide crisis management support?
This requirement was included in the main specification, requesting that all suppliers are able provide a list of staff and bookings made within one hour following a crisis situation, such a terrorism event or other major disaster. Inclusion of this offering supports customer departments in their duty of care obligations in ensuring the safety and well being of their employees whilst undertaking business travel as part of their duties.
- The industry is moving towards online booking services. Are there provisions within the travel frameworks to enable us to book our travel requirements online?
The pricing structure has been incentivised to encourage online booking, and to take full advantage of the inherent efficiency savings. By way of example, Expotel offer the following savings for all customer organisations:
- the level of commission to be returned to the booker has increased to 5%, if bookings are made over the telephone - a further opportunity for increased savings is available when bookings are conducted on line, when up to 8% commission will become applicable.
Buying Solutions have worked in partnership with MoD on the procurement of an electronic booking tool for their own use and part of that work will review the options available to other public sector organisations in making use of a modified version of the tool for more general application. In the meantime, for customer organisations who wish to book online there is a range of services available directly from each of the suppliers and you can discuss your own particular requirements with them.
- Why is it necessary to have a strong travel policy?
A travel policy is essential to address sustainability issues, whilst establishing guidelines and procedures for employees incurring necessary business travel and subsistence expenditure.
- The policy's main purpose is to:
- Ensure all travelling employees have a clear and consistent understanding of policy.
- Safeguard the well being, comfort, safety and security of employees.
- Communicate obligations to sustainability issues.
- Facilitate the provision of enhanced supplier service levels at the lowest possible cost.
- Facilitate the capturing of consolidated expenditure to enable discounted rates to be obtained.
The discounts negotiated with suppliers have been based on committed levels of spend, if volume starts to decline through maverick or off contract spend it would be difficult to sustain the current healthy discounts now being enjoyed. A strong policy will support departments in controlling their costs, and ensuring that the discounts are maintained for all.
- How will Buying Solutions continue to improve on the current offerings?
Buying Solutions, as the contracting authority, will maintain and develop the travel booking agent relationship at a framework level, and this will include matters such as:
- Regular benchmarking activities across the travel market to ensure the offers continue to represent best value for money.
- A focal point for guidance and centre of expertise and travel management practices including work on travel policy.
- Strategic management of the supply market by identifying spend areas suitable for separate room and route deal negotiations.
- Staff from our department/organisation travel overseas on business. Has a provision for overseas travel been made within the travel frameworks?
The specification includes requirement for a comprehensive and cost effective sourcing and booking service in both the UK and overseas, against all of the travel categories.
- Are UK Government Departments based overseas able to utilise the frameworks?
Yes, all public sector departments, whether based in the UK or overseas, are able to use the frameworks for UK and overseas services.
- Do all suppliers offer national coverage?
Yes, with the exception of Arnold Clark on Vehicle Hire who are currently restricted to coverage in Scotland, Northern England and parts of the Midlands. However, as the volume of business increases this travel booking agent will be looking to extend their coverage.
- Will the suppliers be able to provide 24 hour service?
Service delivery will be available for all customers, 08.00 to 18.00 Monday to Friday, with an out of hours service available at an additional cost per usage. Online booking is of course available 24 hours.
- What provision has been made in the frameworks for KPIs?
Specific Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for customers were deliberately not set as part of the procurement exercise. The reason behind this is to allow you maximum flexibility and the opportunity to set KPIs that are relevant and important to you. These can be discussed and agreed with your supplier during implementation. Given the high number of variables in the travel booking process, we recognise that you will have your own preferred way of working. There is no standard set of KPIs for the delivery of Travel Services; however, listed below are some recommendations you may wish to consider:
Rail/Air/Ferry/Hotel/Conferences
Vehicle Hire:
- Bookings to be confirmed within X hours
- X% of vehicles to be delivered X amount of time prior to start of hire period
- Vehicles provided to be roadworthy including operating instructions
- X% of vehicles to be collected within X time of hire period end
- All vehicles to be delivered with a full tank of fuel
- All vehicles to comply with BVRLA safety standards
- Complaints acknowledged within X time and resolved within X days
- Driver to be notified in advance if delivery likely to be late
- Invoices to be 100% correct
Did Buying Solutions use e-Auction to tender for these frameworks?
No, when using an e-Auction there is a need for precision when specifying your requirements etc. Whilst we looked closely at the feasibility of using such a tool for the tender and spoke at length with our e-Auction supplier, we felt it would not be appropriate at this time. However, you can opt to conduct your further competition using this method if you wish.