Agencies without eTravel vendors pressed for explanation

The General Services Administration is cracking the whip on agencies that missed the Dec. 31, 2004, deadline for selecting an eTravel vendor.

According to a Federal Register notice published Monday, GSA is requiring agencies that have delayed their eTravel service acquisition to formally request an extension by March 30 and explain why they have yet to choose a vendor.

"The request must include a complete justification outlining why you need an extension and the date when your agency will award a task order or will agree to be cross-serviced by a franchise organization," the notice stated.

Agencies subject to the Federal Travel Regulation were required to award a task order to one of the three eTravel vendors--EDS, CW Government Travel Inc. and Northrop Grumman Corp.--by the end of 2004. The Defense Department is exempt from this requirement because it has its own end-to-end system, the Defense Travel System.

Agencies that have not met the deadline include the Education Department, NASA and the Social Security Administration. In December, GSA's eTravel Service program manager, Timothy Burke, said that the three agencies would miss the deadline because of ongoing financial system upgrades.

The notice encouraged all agencies to attempt to complete their eTravel Service migration no later than June 30, 2006, in order to meet the mandated Sept. 30, 2006, deadline.