GSA to outline e-Travel needs

E-Travel Web site

The General Services Administration expects to release the statement of objectives Aug. 2 for the first phase of the planned single governmentwide travel system, officials said.

E-Travel is one of the 24 e-government initiatives overseen by the Office of Management and Budget as part of the E-Government Strategy. GSA is the lead for a group looking to match agencies' booking, payment and regulation needs against the best the travel industry can offer. The initiative is part of the group of efforts aimed at improving the federal government's internal efficiency and effectiveness.

The statement of objectives will outline federal needs for an online travel planning and booking module, which agency employees could access at any time around the world, said Tim Burke, the project manager. Other modules for the entire system will include one to handle authorization and another to handle the back-end payments and finances.

The team is already working with all federal agencies to make sure any current or future investments in travel systems at the agency level coincide with the schedule and system requirements developed for the initiative, Burke said.

The target release date for the request for proposals is Aug. 19, with responses due by Sept. 12. The contract should be awarded at the beginning of November, and the booking module should be running by December, Burke said.

The e-Travel team already has gauged industry interest — 14 companies demonstrated their capabilities in response to a June 20 request for information — so response to the statement is expected to be strong.

"Our community is interested in a solution, and our industry is interested in providing it," Burke said.