The tender to find the University’s next travel management company (TMC) went live in January as planned and 20 expressions of interest from potential suppliers have now been received.
The publication of the tender follows work by the Procurement team who collaborated with representatives from across the University to develop comprehensive requirements for what we need from a future travel supplier. These representatives came from the following areas:
- Health & Safety
- Accessibility
- Sustainability Implementation Group (SIG)
- Frequent Travellers
- Infrequent Travellers
- Cross-Faculty Representatives
- iSolutions
- Contract Management
- Finance
In order to maximise market engagement, drive competition and deliver a value-for-money service, the University used an ‘Open Tender’ procedure. This means that any suitably qualified TMC, including Clarity, can submit a proposal.
What’s in the new specification for a travel supplier?
The University has included more requirements in its travel specification this time than ever before and they include the following:
• A closer working relationship between the University and the supplier. It will include regular feedback sessions with various user groups, including both regular and infrequent travellers and the Accessibility Team.
• A stronger focus on our sustainability requirements to align with the University Strategy, providing bookers with an overview of associated CO2 of the journey and suggesting alternatives to reduce the emissions, with greater reporting requirements and scope for innovation.
• Enhanced accessibility requirements, ensuring that all travellers and bookers are supported with the new service, this applies to using the suppliers’ website and the support staff get when they are travelling.
Next steps
Following the tender submission deadline of 24 February, there will be a two-month evaluation period of the bids received. Representatives from across the faculties will evaluate the returns against the University’s requirements and test the proposed booking platforms to assess usability.