Travel Wizards at Home
ay no attention to the man behind the curtain," commanded the Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz to Dorothy and her friends at the end of their long journey down the Yellow Brick Road. The irony, of course, was that the man behind the curtain was the real power behind the apparition--a common plot device that often holds true outside of the fairy-tale realm, as well.
Take, for example, government travel managers. These behind-the-scenes wizards are the liaison between travelers, travel agencies and the travel industry as a whole. Here's a brief look at some of the issues affecting agency travel managers and the travel industry as 1997 draws to a close.
Moving People, Setting Policies
Because taxpayers scrutinize government spending and like to know where their tax dollars end up, government travel-management offices often bear the brunt of negative attention, report a number of travel managers and others who perform travel-related functions for their agencies. "A common perception is that travel is the most expendable part of government business and therefore the easiest to criticize," affirms Les Oden, a staff accountant who handles travel management for the Interior Department.
Such criticism is rarely justified, reports Howard Globerman, Transportation Department staff accountant and travel policy manager. "What the general public doesn't always know is that government travel is actually very cost-effective, and a relatively small expense in comparison to a lot of other programs," he says. "On average, our domestic airfares are 70 percent lower than what the general public pays." In fact, concurs Linnwood A. Goad, director of the General Services Administration transportation-management division, government cutbacks often result in more travel, because "even as the government downsizes, we still need to travel to keep operations running smoothly."
For travel managers, "each day brings new challenges-and often new problems," says Oden. "The next call we get could be about per diems, comments about the contracted travel management company's service or the never-ending debate about the city-pair program. We spend a lot of time explaining and re-explaining the rules. We need to remind travelers that travel is not always fun, and the rules are there for a reason. After all, we're spending taxpayer money."
Goad finds that dealing with an organization as large as GSA carries complications. He oversees 66 different contracts with travel firms ranging from "mega-agencies" like SatoTravel to small, family-owned, independent agencies. "Every agency does things a little differently, and every GSA office is different, too," Goad explains. "It's my job to see to it that both sides are getting correct information and operating efficiently."
How do advancements in travel technology affect government travel? Many travel managers report that automated processes and high-tech tools, while gaining in popularity, don't yet have a strong foothold in government. "For example, teleconferencing is great in certain circumstances," concedes Goad, "but by and large, if you want something done, you still have to meet face-to-face. There's no other way to do this but to travel."
Travel Gets Defensive
Perhaps the biggest travel news right now is the Defense Department's new travel system-"a radical reengineering of the way DoD travels," according to the Defense Travel System's (DTS) World Wide Web site. DTS is "a complete reinvention of today's military travel processes and could serve as the prototype for governmentwide travel management," says Colonel Albert E. Arnold III, DTS project manager.
Travel management companies are submitting their proposals to participate in this innovative new program, which promises to reduce paperwork, cut costs, standardize rules and transform the military travel experience. "The envisioned DTS is one that is seamless and paperless to the maximum extent possible," explains Arnold. "There will be a government piece that encompasses functions such as initiating travel requests, authorizing travel, disbursement of funds and travel administration. And key to the DTS is the linkage of travel authority and financial authority to the program supervisors and line managers who approve travel. Under this new process, the cost of travel administration will be significantly reduced with a corresponding increase in efficiency and effectiveness."
As for the role of the travel manager in DoD's reengineered travel system, "We expect travel managers and transportation officers to continue as the focal point for, and expert on, traffic management and transportation policy," Arnold says. "Bottom line, under DTS, the travel process will be easier, travelers will be reimbursed for travel faster and there will be overall savings for DoD. A win-win situation."
Nancy Gast Romps is senior editor/writer at SatoTravel, a $1.2-billion travel management firm based in Arlington, Va.
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