Special Item Number (SIN) 561599L 

Lodging Negotiations and Management Services

1

B.5.3 SIN 561599L Lodging Negotiations and Management Services

The Service Contract Act applies to SIN 561599L.

B.5.3.1 DEFINITIONS:

E-Gov Travel Services (ETS2) - Civilian agencies’ end-to-end travel management service that 

automates and consolidates the Federal travel process in a secure Web-centric environment.

Defense Travel System (DTS) - A fully integrated, automated, end-to-end travel management 

system that enables DoD travelers to create authorizations (TDY travel orders), prepare 

reservations, receive approvals, generate travel vouchers, and receive a split reimbursement 

between their bank accounts and the Government Travel Charge Card (GTCC) vendor. DTS operates 

at over 9,500 total sites worldwide.

FedRooms® - FedRooms® provides Federal Travel Regulation (FTR)-compliant hotel rooms for federal 

government travelers while on official business. The FedRooms® contract is a designated (BIC) solution 

per the Office of Management and Budget. BIC solutions are rigorously vetted, well-managed 

Government-wide solutions that help Government-wide efforts in optimizing spend under 

management. Agencies should utilize FedRooms® when booking lodging for official duty travel to take 

advantage of the benefits and protections.

Fiscal Year: October 1 through September 30

Government Rate: The rates established as a result of this solicitation.

Please note that the Government Rate and the FedRooms rate are distinctly different and that the 

Government Rates are set by the individual hoteliers and are not always at or below per diem.

Global Distribution System (GDS) - A reservation platform started by code sharing airline partners to 

enable reservations for airlines. Later on hotels, cars and cruise companies came on board. There are 4 

major GDS companies. Sabre, Galileo, Amadeus and WorldSpan (Galileo and WorldSpan are owned by 

Travelport) offer a comprehensive travelshopping and reservation platform to travel agents worldwide. 

Agents use one of these systems to book airline, car, hotel and other travel arrangements for their 

customers. Online Travel Agents (OTA) also use one or more GDS to power some or all of the content 

on their site. Government booking tools (ETS2 and DTS) currently utilize GDS for airline, car, and hotel 

inventory.

Group rooms - Group rooms are sold in blocks of a minimum of ten rooms or more (e.g. government 

groups, group tours, domestic and international groups, association, convention and corporate groups).

GSA SmartPay®: A Government Travel Charge Card - travel card/account established by the GSA 

SmartPay® contractor at the request of the Agency/Organization. These include acceptance as forms 

of payment and reconciliation for travel services payments designated as Centrally Billed Accounts 

(CBAs), Individually Billed Accounts (IBAs), Virtual Card (cardless accounts), or any other GSA 

SmartPay® Program designated as acceptable form of payment mechanisms.

Hotel Attachment - Booking a hotel for a traveler when they book a flight or rail ticket with an overnight 

stay.
Special Item Number (SIN) 561599L 

Lodging Negotiations and Management Services

2

Industrial Funding Fee (IFF): The IFF reimburses the General Services Administration for the 

costs incurred in procuring and managing the Travel Services Solution.

Last Room Availability (LRA) - All rooms in the category for which a client rate has been negotiated and 

agreed upon, should be made available to the client at that agreed rate up to and including the last 

room in that category. Typically includes standard rooms and excludes suites and concierge floor 

rooms.

Long Term Lodging (30+ nights): Lodging accommodations for durations of 30 or more nights. Also, 

see the following link for the Long Term Lodging under GSA SIN 531110. 

https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/lodging/long-term-lodging

Meals: Meals consist of Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner and can be offered in conjunction with Lodging 

accommodations under SIN 561599L. The contractor shall be capable of providing for the ordering 

agencies Lodging accommodations (primary) - and to assist the Government provide meals/food 

(secondary). GSA contractor meals/food pricing (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner) will align with location 

(place of performance) PER DIEM costs.

Room block (also referred to as “group room block”) - A set of rooms reserved to accommodate a 

single group like attendees to a conference, meeting or event. The blocks are typically available at a 

set rate for a set period with only certain customers able to book them.

Strategic meetings management (SMM) - Is a disciplined approach to managing enterprise-wide 

meeting and event activities, processes, suppliers and data in order to achieve measurable business 

objectives that align with the organization's strategic goals/vision, and deliver value in the form of 

quantitative savings, risk mitigation and service quality.

Net Billing: Negotiated contract and task order rates are guaranteed at the point ofsale.

Per Diem Allowance: A daily payment for lodging, meals, and related incidental expenses used 

instead of reimbursement for actual expenses.

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): The relocation of an employee to a new official station or post 

of duty for permanent duty.

Specialized Conference Facilities (SCF): includes guestrooms, dedicated conference space, food and 

beverage services, conference technology services, telephone and internet services, business center 

services, security services and other related services.

Temporary Duty Travel (TDY): Travel to a place, away from an employee’s official duty station, 

where the employee is authorized to travel.

Transient Lodging (1-29 nights): Lodging accommodationsto include short term and extended stays

for durations of less than 30 nights.

Travel Management Center (TMC) or Commercial Travel Office (CTO): A company under contract

with an agency to arrange travel services for Federal employees on official travel, including tickets 

and transportation, and reservation of accommodations.
Special Item Number (SIN) 561599L 

Lodging Negotiations and Management Services

3

B 5.3.2 DESCRIPTION OF WORK

The Contractor shall provide lodging negotiations and management services to assist the Government in 

meeting its lodging needs for temporary duty travel, relocation and/or temporary/permanent change of 

station. This may include but is not limited to the following:

Analysis Assessment Auditing Benchmarking

Change management Consulting Data collection and analysis e-commerce

Marketing Market research Negotiations Studies

Lodging management Operational overviews Operational support Outsourcing

Per diem and allowance Performance metrics Policy development/review Reporting

Preferred supplier programs

Tax reclamation 

Financial interface

Surveys

Tenant management 

Lease management

Evaluations

Property management 

Development/assessment

Re-engineering

Requirements development Group room blocks

Typical tasks may include, but are not limited to:

- Locating sources

- Negotiating lodging contracts and programsto meet agency needs

- Analyzing agency lodging spend and making recommendations to maximize use of funds

- Managing TDY lodging contracts and programs up to 29 nights

- Managing long term lodging needs of 30+ nights

- Managing group room blocks of 10 or more travelers

- Collecting and analyzing hotel/lodging property data

- Providing automated toolsto support lodging contracts and programs

- Auditing of proprietary government managed rates in the Global Distribution 

Systems (GDS) and with other service providers

- Measuring performance of managed lodging contracts and programs

- Providing commercially available ancillary support services for lodging contracts and 

programs (e.g., disaster preparedness, shuttle services, meeting and event services and 

meeting and event space)

B 5.3.3 SCOPE & COMPLEXITY

The Contractorshall

Provide the full range of services necessary to satisfy ordering agencies’ lodging requirements. 

The Government is seeking services that industry normally affords to commercial customers.

Be capable of providing services for ordering agencies with multiple organizational levels and 

geographic locations nationwide and/or worldwide as specified in the Scope of the Contract clause.

Be capable of handling multiple task orderssimultaneously.
Special Item Number (SIN) 561599L 

Lodging Negotiations and Management Services

4

B.5.3.4 REQUIREMENTS

The Contractorshall:

Provide lodging services as ordered by agencies and specified herein.

Ensure that its company and staff maintain any generally required professional certification, 

accreditation, license, bond, and proficiency relative to their area of expertise. The Contractorshall 

retain documentation of such records. The Government will not pay for expenses to meet this 

requirement.

Perform services and ensure deliverables that are compliant with Government regulations to 

include, but not be limited to, the Federal Tr avel Regulation, the Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM), 

the, Joint Travel Regulations (JTR), other applicable travel regulations, and related agency policies 

that establish the Federal travel process.

Provide the same or better level ofservice as provided to its commercial/corporate 

customers.

B.5.3.5 TRAVEL MANAGEMENT SERVICE/SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

In support of ETS2/DTS, the Contractor shall ensure that products/services provided to participating 

agencies complement and support the E-Gov Travel Service (ETS2) and Defense Travel System (DTS) 

and their respective objectives in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

Provide ETS2/DTS the ability to book, reserve and modify room reservations through online systems to 

include the Government’s travel management systems through the Government’s preferred suppliers.

B.5.3.6 PROPERTY REQUIREMENTS

The Contractorshall ensure properties used meet the following requirements:

(a) For hotels/motels, have a two crown/star/diamond rating or higher as defined by the 

American Automobile Association (AAA), NTM Crown, Mobil Travel Guide or approved 

equivalent.

(b) Properties in the U.S. must be certified in compliance with the Hotel and Motel Fire and 

Safety Act. All properties must be referenced on the Federal Emergency Management

Administration (FEMA) Master list and in compliance with the Hotel and Motel Fire and 

Safety Act.

(c) All properties must be in compliance with all applicable federal,state and local health, 

safety, security and building code regulations, including those standards for physically 

disabled persons.

(d) Participating properties must be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act 

and the Virginia Graeme-Baker Act (pool suction entrapment avoidance).

(e) Participating properties must provide security 24 hours each day through video 

monitoring of the property or must have staff on property 24/7 trained in security 

protocols in case of emergency.
Special Item Number (SIN) 561599L 

Lodging Negotiations and Management Services

5

B.5.3.7 TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

The Contractorshall:

(a) Have the ability to accept reservations made by the individual traveler, group travelers, 

travel management centers, travel manager, administrative personnel or any other 

person that may be designated by the ordering agency, subject to availability.

(b) Ensure that negotiated rates are current, accurate and complete, and accessible to 

Government users in a cost-effective manner. This may include, but is not limited to, 

working and exchanging data with the ETS2 or DTS contractor(s) under contract with the 

Government and interfacing/integrating with the ETS2/DTS provider by providing 

contact information, telephone numbers, file formats/sample PNRs, open branch 

access/pseudo city codes; participating in subcontractor/teaming agreements; 

participating in training and/or meetings; non-disclosure agreements; synchronization 

and security requirements; testing requirements; etc.

(c) Ensure that negotiated rates are aligned with FTR/FAM/JTR requirements and are 

disseminated in a timely fashion and in accordance with the Contractor’s 

commercial means of providing negotiated rate information throughout its 

distribution channels. Provide the ability to book and reserve rooms/properties 

through on-line or other means.

(d) Ensure the negotiated rate is the rate sold to the user.

(e) Honor tax exemption for Federal travelers in accordance with the governing state and 

local municipality taxation practices. A number of States or Commonwealths have 

already agreed to extend a tax exemption to Federal travelers. A complete listing of State 

taxation policies can be found at https://smartpay.gsa.gov and click on to the SmartTax 

link at the bottom of the webpage under About GSA Smart Pay .

(f) In the event where taxes are assessed, the Contractorshall separately report room 

charges from taxes in reports required by GSA.

(g) Bill forservices performed or charges, as negotiated (e.g., room night, cancellation fees).

(h) Accept payment from multiple sources. The most frequent form of payment is anticipated 

to be the Government’s charge cards (e.g., a standard commercial MasterCard or Visa). 

Payment is normally made directly to the property by the individual traveler or through the 

agency. Charge card issuers under contract currently are: Citibank, and US Bank, but are 

subject to change. Additional information about the Government’s charge card can be 

found at the GSA SmartPay website (https://smartpay.gsa.gov) . In addition, an agency may 

present a purchase order for payment. Presentment of the charge card constitutes an 

order.

(i) Provide net billing which shall ensure that merchant discounts or rebates offered are 

deducted at the point of sale and guaranteeing such discount arrangements. The Contractor 

shall honor the negotiated rate when presented/provided with the Government charge card 

number or the charge card account number. In order to affect the recognition of negotiated 

rates at the point-of-sale, the current Government charge cards use the following 4-digit 

prefixes:
Special Item Number (SIN) 561599L 

Lodging Negotiations and Management Services

6

Travel

Prefix

(1st four digits)

4614 - Visa

4615 - Visa

4486 - Visa

5565 - Mastercard

5568 - Mastercard

6th digit

0 GSA SmartPay Tax Advantage 

CBA by MCC

1 IBA

2 – 4 IBA

5 Reserved

6 – 9 CBA

(j) Provide direct billing to an ordering agency as requested. The use of purchase orders also 

constitutes an order.

(k) The Government assumes no liability for payment of rooms booked by or on behalf of 

individual employees unless otherwise specified for direct billings between the Contractor 

and the ordering agency.

(l) Provide Government agencies with standard commercial and custom reports as 

requested. Contractors shall be able to submit reports on a monthly, quarterly and yearly 

basis, and have the ability to roll up data at an aggregate level. Ensure that all Personal 

Identifiable Information is deleted from all GSA reports.

(m) Provide the ability to book and reserve rooms and space for Government meetings and 

conferences.

B.5.3.8 GSA REPORT REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor shall provide GSA with data and reports detailing the information noted below. 

Please note, the Government operates on a fiscal year basis of October 1 through September 30 of 

each year.

The information shall be provided in an electronic commercial format readable in Microsoft Excel 

and emailed to 1) onthego@gsa.gov and 2) travel.programs@gsa.gov or at GSA’s option, through 

an automated reporting tool provided by the GSA to a third-party provider as designated by GSA. 

All GSA reporting is at no additional cost to the Government. The contractor shall ensure that all 

Personal Identifiable Information is deleted from all GSA reports.

Agency reports: The Contractorshall provide monthly data and reports that detail each agency’s 

lodging expenditures for the given report period. Data and reports are due to the GSA 

Contracting Officer within 15 calendar days of the report period end (e.g., for October report 

end, delivery of report shall be not later than November 15, or the next business day if the due 

date is on a weekend or Federal holiday). Domestic and international lodging shall be reported 

separately. For domestic and international lodging, reported data elementsshall include, but not 

be limited to, contract number, SIN, report period, property name, property address, city, state, 

zip code, totals by hotel rate code for: total number of transactions, total transaction amount 

(inclusive of taxes), total amount of taxes, total number of room nights, average length of stay.
Special Item Number (SIN) 561599L 

Lodging Negotiations and Management Services

7

Government wide reports: The Contractor shall provide monthly data and reports that 

consolidate and aggregate Federal Government lodging expenditures for a given report period. 

Data and reports are due to the GSA Contracting Officer within 15 calendar days of the report 

period end (e.g., for October report end, delivery of report shall be not later than November 15, 

or the next business day if the due date is on a weekend or Federal holiday). Domestic and 

international travel shall be reported separately. For domestic and international lodging, 

reported data elements shall include, but not be limited to, contract number, SIN, report 

period, property name, property address, city, state, zip code, totals by hotel rate code for:

total number of transactions, total transaction amount (inclusive of taxes), total amount of 

taxes, total number of room nights, average length of stay.

The contractorshallsubmit reports as identified herein:

A. Frequency. Reports are due quarterly in accordance with the following schedule:

Report Period Due Date

January 1 and March 31 April 30

April 1 and June 30 July 30

July 1 and September 30 October 30

October 1 and December 31 September 30

B. Submission Instructions

• The information shall be provided in an electronic commercial format readable in Microsoft Excel 

2010.

• The report shall be:

1. Uploaded into the Sales Reporting Portal (SRP) https://srp.fas.gsa.gov/ as an attachment

to the contractor’s quarterly IFF and sales reporting. AND

2. E-mailed to travel.programs@gsa.gov

The Email Subject Line must read: Quarterly Sales Report by Agency

The Email content must include:

o GSA Contract Number;

o Company’s Name; and

o The Special Item Number (SIN)

All GSA reporting is at no additional cost to the Government.

In addition, all Contractors will need to provide GSA with task order information for each ordering agency. The 

Contractor shall develop and maintain a current database of agencies/organizations serviced under this 

contract. The database shall include, the agency/organization task order number, est. dollar volume of the task 

order, the agency/organization name; the agency/organization point of contact; and the address; 

telephone/facsimile numbers and e-mail address (if available) for the point of contact. Within five (5) business

days of a request from GSA, the Contractor shall provide a current report of the agency/organization program

data.
Special Item Number (SIN) 561599L 

Lodging Negotiations and Management Services

8

The Contractor shall provide a copy of all Task Orders and any subsequent modifications to GSA. After 

receipt of an awarded task order, the Contractor shall provide one complete electronic copy of the task 

order and itstechnical and price proposal and allsubsequent modifications thereto, to the GSA Contracting 

Officer or his representative within 10 calendar days after execution. Copies should be emailed to 1) 

onthego@gsa.gov and 2) travel.programs@gsa.gov