Transportation closer to Web travel plans

The Transportation Department has tapped PricewaterhouseCoopers, and its subcontractor Gelco Information Network, to operate and maintain a Web-based system that would process federal travelers' trip planning and expense documents.

The Web-based Travel and Expense system, which will include electronic voucher approvals for reimbursement, is based on an existing commercial system, but with a few more bells and whistles, said David Kleinberg, DOT's deputy chief financial officer. DOT asked for an application service provider to manage the system for DOT and other agencies as they join the service.

The service will offer receipt imaging, voucher examination and automated distribution of reimbursements. The system could eventually be integrated with an online travel-booking engine DOT plans to offer.

At least nine agencies participated in evaluating proposed systems to automate the travel voucher and reimbursement process.

The agency estimates about 70 percent of its transactions — about 210,000 trips — would be handled by the Web-based system. In 1999, DOT spent $273 million on 300,000 trips.