E-Travel, one of President Bush's E-Government Initiatives, reached a major milestone recently,...

E-Travel, one of President Bush's E-Government Initiatives, reached a major milestone recently, with the announcement that Northrop Grumman Mission Systems (NGMS) and Carlson Wagonlit Government Travel, Inc. (CWGT), have been selected to provide Web-based travel management for the federal government.

President Bush's vision, which the Office of Management and Budget has helped to implement, harnesses the Internet to reap new efficiencies for the government and, ultimately, save taxpayer's money. E-Travel contracts embrace best commercial practices, effective use of the Internet and empower the federal traveler--all at a substantially lower cost. They streamline and consolidate federal travel operations into a simplified, end-to-end travel management service. The 10-year, $450 million, E-Travel contract, awarded Wednesday, August 13, is expected to cut federal travel management costs up to 50 percent.

"E-Travel is an innovative E-Government initiative that will advance President Bush's vision to create a more results-oriented and efficient government," said GSA Administrator Stephen A. Perry. "This initiative addresses the challenge of reengineering the government's travel function. By doing so, it will allow all agencies to benefit from the full buying power of the federal government."

E-Travel will be commercially hosted to minimize federal technology costs and guarantee real-time information. From travel planning and authorization to reimbursement, the service will leverage best practices in important areas such as administration, finance and information technology to realize significant cost savings and improved employee productivity.

NGMS of Fairfax, VA, and CWGT of San Antonio demonstrated their ability to provide government civilian agencies with a comprehensive, cost effective and user-friendly, end-to-end travel services solution that supports federal travel regulations and policies. GSA will begin independent verification and validation testing of both vendors' solutions immediately. Soon thereafter, selected agencies will launch the service to demonstrate initial operational capability. E-Travel will be available for government-wide use beginning in December 2003. All civilian agencies are expected to complete migration to the new service by September 30, 2006, according to a proposed revision to the Federal Travel Regulation. The contract also accommodates existing travel agencies and the FedTrip', the existing federal online booking service.

"The government truly came together for the E-Travel initiative with active participation and collaboration by numerous federal agencies," said Tim Burke, GSA's E-Travel program manager. "Consolidating travel into one platform brings world-class travel management to federal travelers, putting them first."

The E-Travel service's consistent user interface and intuitive, Web-based environment will appeal to every government employee. Federal travelers will appreciate how simple travel planning and administration can be, from processing travel authorizations and creating reservations, all the way through claims submission and voucher reconciliation. For more information on E-Travel, please visit our Web site at egov.gsa.gov.

GSA is a centralized federal procurement and property management agency created by Congress to improve government efficiency and help federal agencies better serve the public, it acquires, on behalf of federal agencies, office space, equipment, telecommunications, information technology, supplies and services. GSA, comprised of 14,000 associates, provides services and solutions for the office operations of over 1 million federal workers located in more than 8,000 government-owned and leased buildings in 2,000 US communities.