HHS awards Northrop Grumman e-Travel order

The Health and Human Services Department has awarded a nearly $1 million task order to Northrop Grumman Mission Systems to implement its Web-based e-Travel management services across the department. But the value will likely be in the tens of millions over the duration of the contract, a HHS spokesman said.The contract is valued at $945,000 plus per transaction fees. Transactions could involve short- and long-distance air travel and taxi fares, among many travel options. The travel services are grouped in a voucher for each trip for each traveling employee. The vendor then applies fees to each voucher transaction based on the services requested. HHS transacted 235,000 travel vouchers last year, HHS spokesman Bill Hall said. HHS awarded the task order June 16. It runs through Nov. 11, 2006 and is renewable for seven years under two two-year options and one three-year option.The General Services Administration, which manages the e-Travel e-government initiative, approved in May the Northrop unit in Reston, Va.; EDS Corp., of Plano, Texas; and CW Government Travel Inc. of San Antonio to offer e-travel services for the government. Treasury selected Northrop Grumman earlier this month for its e-travel services in a 10-year, $60 million contract. Northrop Grumman's e-Travel application, GovTrip, will support planning, authorization and reservations, claims and voucher reconciliation.The implementation of e-Travel at HHS will take place over the next two years. It is designed to be an integrated, easy-to-use, end-to-end travel service with anytime, anywhere access for every HHS employee. HHS said it expects to save more than $35 million over the next 10 years“The e-Travel initiative will help the department realize efficiencies, cost savings and increased service associated with a common, automated and integrated approach to managing travel,” said HHS secretary Tommy Thompson. (Posted 9:10 A.M. Updated 10 A.M.)