[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 143 (Thursday, July 25, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Page 48654]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-18880]


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GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

[GSA Bulletin FTR 26]


Federal Travel Regulation; eTravel Initiative

AGENCY: Office of Governmentwide Policy (MTT), GSA.

ACTION: Notice of a bulletin.

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SUMMARY: The attached bulletin informs Federal agencies of the creation 
of the eTravel Initiative and of the intent to require agency use of 
the governmentwide, web-based, end-to-end travel management system.

EFFECTIVE DATE: This bulletin is effective June 18, 2002.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tim Burke, General Services 
Administration, Office of Governmentwide Policy (MTT), Washington, DC 
20405; e-mail, [email protected]; telephone (703) 872-8611.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The eTravel Initiative was born out of a 
Bush Administration governmentwide task force that was established to 
address performance gaps in existing Government systems as they relate 
to E-Government. The eTravel Initiative will establish a single portal 
by December 2003 that Federal employees making official business trips 
will use to obtain travel authorizations, make reservations and pay for 
airline tickets and other expenses. The system will work much like 
commercial web-based systems that the public uses to book business 
travel.

    Dated: June 18, 2002.
G. Martin Wagner,
Associate Administrator, Office of Governmentwide Policy.
Attachment

Attachment

June 18, 2002
[GSA Bulletin FTR 26]
TO: Heads of Federal Agencies
SUBJECT: eTravel Initiative

    1. Purpose. This bulletin notifies Federal agencies of the 
creation of the eTravel Initiative, a governmentwide, web-based, 
end-to-end travel management system. It is the intent of the General 
Services Administration to require agency use of the system.
    2. Background. The eTravel initiative was born out of the 
governmentwide task force known as Quicksilver, that was established 
to address performance gaps in existing Government systems as they 
relate to E-Government, a key component of the President's 
Management Agenda.
    3. eTravel Objective. To automate and consolidate the Federal 
Government's travel process through a self-service, web-based 
environment, offering end-to-end travel services from planning, 
authorization and reservation, through claims and voucher 
reconciliation. eTravel will eliminate the need for hardcopy travel 
documentation that is currently used at many agencies. It will re-
engineer the entire travel process to realize significant cost 
savings, to improve employee productivity and to provide a unified, 
simplified official travel process. The eTravel system will be 
available by the end of 2003.
    4. Government Interest. eTravel is in the best interest of the 
Government because it will produce:
    a. A governmentwide, web-based, end-to-end travel management 
service;
    b. A cost model that reduces capital investment and lowers the 
travel transaction cost for the Government; and
    c. A policy environment based on the use of best travel 
management practices.
    5. Agency Planning. Agencies will be required to use the new 
eTravel system. Therefore, any present effort to re-engineer agency 
travel processes should be geared for maximum flexibility, so that 
any new systems or processes will be adaptable to the new eTravel 
system. Agencies are cautioned against investment in new systems 
that will be agency-specific and non-transferable to the eTravel 
system.
    6. Point of Contact. Tim Burke, Director, Travel Management 
Policy Division (MTT), Office of Governmentwide Policy, General 
Services Administration, Washington, DC 20405; telephone 703-872-
8611; e-mail, [email protected].
    7. Expiration Date. This bulletin expires when the FTR (41 CFR 
300-304) is revised to incorporate the specific modules of the 
Government eTravel management system.

[FR Doc. 02-18880 Filed 7-24-02; 8:45 am]
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