The travel service fees are ceiling prices, and agencies will be able to negotiate below them based on sales volume and other factors, says Susan May, GSA's director of travel management. For example, if agencies reduce the labor costs of the travel agent by making arrangements via fax or e-mail, they may be able to negotiate lower fees. Contract provisions also allow the use of the Internet or agency intranets for booking travel, May says. It's a great example of the good that can happen when government contracts are unbundled. The fee covers everything involved in booking a trip, including changes, unless a replacement air ticket must be issued.
Fees depend on the geographic area and travel agency.
50 for domestic travel, and federal offices have 11 travel management firms to choose from. The 46 new contracts were slated to be rolled out from December 1999 through fall 2000, depending on when current contracts end. Katy Saldarini Lodging Contracts Issued In December, the General Services Administration and the Army were slated to award lodging contracts with eight hotels in Boston. He expects that as hotels and motels gain federal business under the contract, they will make more rooms available. A GSA hot-line number will be available soon.