GSA reopens eTravel bid process

The General Services Administration is reopening the contract process for its electronic travel project in response to a bid protest by a technology company.

"We believe that this action addresses the concerns raised by the protester and constitutes appropriate relief," wrote GSA Senior Assistant Counsel Glynis Bell in a Sept. 25 letter to the General Accounting Office that paved the way for GSA's action.

The eTravel initiative, one of 24 Bush administration's e-government projects, aims to automate and consolidate travel processes for people traveling on official government business. Using Web-based systems, the travel process would be simplified, from planning through reimbursement and reconciliation. The systems will also give managers up-to-the-minute access to their travel budget obligations and allow travelers to split their reimbursements and send money directly to travel card vendors.

In August, GSA officials awarded a 10-year, $450 million contract to Northrop Grumman Corp. and CW Government Travel Inc. to provide travel management systems to agencies throughout the federal government.

But on Aug. 29, Electronic Data Systems (EDS) filed a bid protest with GAO challenging the fairness of the bid process. EDS provides travel management services to the U.S. Marshals Service, the International Trade Commission and the Veterans Affairs Department. According to EDS spokesman Kevin Clarke, one of the contract awardees had an unfair advantage over other bidders because it was given more opportunities to demonstrate aspects of its system. Clarke also pointed to the many cost and schedule overruns experienced with the Defense Travel System, another Northrop Grumman project, which is five years behind schedule and has cost the government $190 million so far.

Though GSA declined to comment on the bid protest when it was filed, in the Sept. 25 letter to GAO, Bell outlined measures the agency would take to remedy the situation, including allowing the eTravel contract finalists to compete again for the business. The letter also asked GAO to dismiss the bid protest, a move EDS objected to, Clarke said.

"We filed a letter at that time basically saying that we didn't feel the protest should be dismissed because the actions GSA listed did not sufficiently address the issues in our protest," Clarke said Thursday. GAO dismissed the protest on Sept. 29.

According to Clarke, EDS will compete again for the contract.