European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 30, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 the stars and stripes wednesday March 30.1988 army to take look at what s right what s wrong with its travel services by Chuck Vinc Washington Bureau Washington the army has Laim Chad Amajor study 10 look at How it provides for official and unofficial Ravel services including clamming the possibility of using Ore global Contact for ail its travel needs the logistics management Institute a federally funded Restar Cli and development Agency wan awarded a $450,000 contract to conduct the study Laid Phyllis Braz a traffic management specialist under the army Deputy chief of staff for logistics. The study begun three week ago. Comes As the army is entangled in court cues in the first two re Gions where travel service contracts were procured under new competitive bidding rules. One Case involves the ill army which coven the Central United state and the Oiler is in Usa eur the amid has put a hold on travel services contracts outside sch army and Usa eur until he study i done and the two court cases Are resolved Broz said. The nine month study is not a direct result or the Legal complications in the sch army and Susareu contracts although they have Given the study added significance. Broz said. We made a commitment two years ago that when we did procure travel through competitive bidding we would Nave a study done afterwards thai would be an evaluation of How the procurement was handled and How the transition was going he said. The army has since widened the scope of the study to include looking at the possibility of one contract for All army travel services worldwide both official covering mostly reassignment and temporary duly travel and unofficial primarily Leisure and vacation travel for off duty personnel. We expect some results from Lei by the end of the fiscal year Broz said the military services were not required to contract for travel services until 1985, when the general accounting office ruled that travel service should be included under provisions of Federal acquisition regu lations Bun said. Until then Sato scheduled airline ticket of fice had a lock on travel services for More than 40 years she snid. Sato inc. Is a contract travel agent like any other but it had never been required to competitively bid on contracts until the Gao issued it ruling she said. Army officials fell in would be simplest to award contract by Region when it implemented that ruling in Early 1986, 5th army which covers Louisiana new Mexico Kansas Nebraska Missouri. Oklahoma a Kansas and Texas was picked to be the first Region to move ahead Broz said. The army awarded the contract for that Region to ask or. Foster travel inc. Sato filed a protest claiming the award was made under political pressure from service officials that cat is still pen Ding. The army in Europe also had been tasked in early1986 to procure a travel services contract Brox said. A few months later Usa eur announced plans to expand Sato operations and allowed a contract with Barbarossa travel inc. To lapse in March 1987. Barbarossa protested claiming that Sato was gain ing business without having won a competitive bid contract command officials said the move was on interim measure until a contract could be awarded later in the year thai ease also is pending Broz said the army is going Forward with a request fat bids on the Usa eur contract. The first request was made in May but it has gone through three Revi Sions since then a fourth and final revision should be out within Whiee weeks after which bids wit be taken and a contract awarded Broi said. The air Force shortly will begin testing How it win handle in travel services com men under the compel Tive bidding rules said 1st it. June Green an air Force spokeswoman. The service has hired a professional consultant to see what types of contracts would work Best she said. There will be five test locations Langley fab a. Wright Patterson fab Ohio of Tut fab neb. Scott fab in and Seymour Johnson fab no thai does t necessarily mean Well end up doing it base by base Green said. That s one of the thing the consultant will be looking at whether we want to do it by base by major command by Region or Tome other  the Navy did not provide details on How it is implementing the congressional orders 10 contract for trave  updates Charity drive London