SHORT’S TRAVEL
Travel Agency Services
Contract No. 961-M1
Short’s Travel Contract No. 961-M1 Travel Agency Services
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Reservations
Short’s Travel is willing and able to make domestic and international travel arrangements for customers, comply
with legal and industry requirements when booking airline, bus, or ground transportation, as well as booking hotels
and cars, and make group reservations when needed.
Air Travel -
1. Short’s will guarantee that State of Texas travelers are receiving the lowest rates within their given
parameters through our GDS connection and mid-office quality control system. Through the use of
Travelport GDS technology, Short’s offers our clients access to an additional seventy-seven airlines, providing
low fare options with each search. Short’s agents also utilize BookingBuilder technology, which integrates all
non-GDS airline content, like Southwest Airlines internet fares, into the booking path.
2. Short’s agents are trained to search for the lowest available fare within two hours of the requested
timeframe. If fares are still higher than usual, agents will also seek other airports for travelers to fly in or out
of to drive down costs. Agents will also continue to recommend same day changes when applicable.
3. After each reservation is made FareChecker, part of COMPLEAT, searches for lower fares that may become
available. FareChecker identifies price drops on identical itineraries and then sends the reservations to our
agents for rebooking and ticketing, finding our clients savings opportunities even after the reservation
process is completed.
4. Short’s guarantees the lowest applicable fare will be offered at the point of sale for travelers at the time of
ticketing by both the travel agent and via the online booking tool. If a traveler can document to Short’s a
lower fare at time of ticketing on an identical flight, Short’s will book the lower airfare (or the traveler may
show evidence that the fare was purchased within same time period), and refund the original ticket.
5. We will work on behalf of the customer’s request to arrange specific seating assignments. All Short’s
reservations are monitored through SeatChecker, part of the GDSX COMPLEAT program. SeatChecker
continually monitors live seat maps and attempts to secure preferred seating or improve existing seat
assignments when available. Seat requests can be made for aisles, window, right or left side, front or back of
the plane.
6. We will ticket in compliance with the Fly America Act, in which federal travelers are required to use United
States air carrier service for all air travel and cargo transportation services funded by the US Government. In
order to ensure that our clients are fully compliant with we have developed automation to prompt both the
agents and travelers, if using the online booking tool, that the Fly America Act is required for the trip and
then provide compliant options at the time of booking, based upon the funding source of their travel.
We can configure the State of Texas’ portal to first have the traveler select ‘the reason for travel’ and if the
government per diems and/or Fly America Act apply, a drop down will appear indicating the per-diems and
the Fly America search parameters will be utilized. If the trip is not government related, the per-diem list
will not appear.
For multi-leg segments and complex international flights, our International Rate Desk Specialists will note
and include on the invoice that the selected flight passes Fly American specifications to ensure compliance is
met. If the Fly America Act is required but cannot be met due to lack of availability of a US carrier, this will
also be documented on the traveler’s itinerary and included in our compliance reporting. For example, it will
read: “This trip is in accordance with the Fly America act. Travel on Non-US carriers for this trip is due to
lack of availability of US carriers on legs where US carriers are not used.” In addition, we will also provide
pertinent information on your travel portal as well a link to the appropriate waiver form if needed.
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Car Rentals -
1. Short’s will utilize the state contract rental car companies or contract rates.
2. If the state contract rental car companies or contract rates are not available or not the best value, Short’s
has preferred supplier status with National Car Rental, Enterprise and Avis for competitive rates, class of
service upgrades, unlimited mileage, frequent flyer points, free rental days and complimentary enrollment of
premier service programs.
Hotel Reservations 1. Short’s will utilize the state contract lodging establishments and rates.
2. If the state contract lodging establishments and rates are not available or not the best value, Short’s will
seek out better available rates for the customer using our negotiated hotel rates that are loaded in the GDS.
If the accommodations are booked via a phone reservation, the agent will make known to the customer the
cancellation policies, as well as any fees associated with early check-out, late arrival, etc.
Other Reservations –
Short’s will book rail, bus, and ground transportation or any other travel service as requested by the Customer using
automated methods to seek out the best value for the Customer and advise the Customer of all rules and provisions
of utilizing such rates and services.
Group Travel –
Short’s will assist the group needs of the State of Texas travelers for events year-round. Given the amount of air, car
and hotel volume that is booked through Short’s, we are able to negotiate savings and special benefits for our
clients. The special benefits make booking with Short’s efficient and cost effective for our clients. The following
benefits are in place for our university and athletic clients:
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Free tickets for groups of 40+
Name changes on unused tickets
Waiver of group deposits (American, United, Southwest and Delta Airlines)
Dedicated phone numbers to Airline Group Desks
Waiver for penalty fees
Discounts for groups less than 10 (Delta)
To enhance the service we deliver to our clients, Short’s developed separate specialized group processes to support
the unique needs of group and team travel. Short’s agents are experts in handling multi-segment recruiting travel,
and the complexities of large group movements. Agents work closely with coaches and/ or staff to determine the
optimal time to travel based on practices, scheduled competition and NCAA guidelines. Agents also have the ability
to contact the airline’s dedicated phone numbers assigned specifically to Short’s to find multiple options and
compare fares. Short’s agents will return several options to the travel arranger allowing them to pick the itinerary
that best fits their needs. Upon confirmation, agents confirm group space with the carrier and ensure requested seat
assignments are confirmed.
Short’s Hotel Sourcing Department, will assist with all group hotel bookings, room blocks and changes up until the
time of travel. Most hotels require a signed contract with the cancellation policy and rooming list requirements.
Rooming lists are typically due 1-2 weeks prior to arrival, but are able to advise the hotel that they will not get a
complete, accurate name list until the week before arrival. Late additions are based on the availability and sold-out
status of the hotel. In our experience, we have found that it is typically easier to cancel a room(s) rather than trying
to add one at a later date.
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Penalties, Restrictions and Requirements -
Short’s will clearly communicate and document penalties, restrictions, advance purchase requirements, late arrival
guarantees and cancellations for all travel reservations to Customers at the time such reservations are made and
with issuance of the ticket and reservation documentation. Any penalties or other fees that may be assessed as a
result of any error or omission on the part of Short’s shall be borne entirely by Short’s at no cost to the Customer
or the CPA. Short’s shall comply with any booking procedures necessary to obtain discounts and/or reservations,
including direct long distance telecommunications, if necessary, at no additional cost to the Customer or the CPA.
Passenger Name Records –
Short’s will provide documentation in all Passenger Name Records (PNRs) reflecting the type of reservations
booked. This documentation shall consist of the codes established by the CPA to identify Customer refusals of the
lowest available fare and the exception conditions for non-utilization of CPA contracts set forth in 34 TAC
§20.303. Short’s shall provide this documentation to the Customer on the traveler invoice/itinerary for each ticket
issued and, if requested, to the CPA.
Accounting Information 1. Customer Profiles
Short’s houses all traveler profiles in our online travel portal, TravelMATE, which are automatically synced
with the GDS and online booking tool. The profiles manage all critical information including reward program
numbers, seating preferences, preferred airports, and special assistance needs. The traveler or travel
arranger can update all profile information at any time in TravelMATE. The information is applied when
utilizing the booking tool and when making a reservation with the agent team. Profile changes can be made
by the traveler using the online profile form on the travel portal. Once the traveler saves changes, their
profile will update immediately. Information will be applied to all online and offline reservations. Short’s is
PCI compliant. All profiles include travel policies set forth by the CPA and/or Customer. Profiles also contain
encrypted payment information. All information is secured and confidential.
2. Procedural Requirements Short’s will promptly accommodate an increase in usage of the Contract by participating Customers. We will
provide sufficient staffing levels and technology enhancements to handle and accommodate individual
Customer requirements and procedures to ensure all booked travel is authorized. Customers shall provide all
information and details to Short’s, as per the Customer’s profile needs.
Short’s was officially awarded PCI Compliance certification on April 25, 2014. All profiles include travel
policies set forth by the CPA and/or Customer. Profiles also contain encrypted payment information. All
information is secured and confidential.
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Customer Service
Short’s guarantees high-quality service through our preferred service configuration. We do not operate large call
centers but prefer to service our clients with dedicated teams of agents with direct access to their individual phone
numbers and email. We also certify and train our agent teams on the specific clients they service, including their
policies, frequently traveled destinations, travel patterns and company culture.
Outside of Short’s core business hours, calls will be managed by our 24/7 service provider, Emergency Travel
Services (ETS). ETS has access to all Short’s client’s reservations, traveler profiles and travel policies, and their staff
will be fully trained on the State of Texas’ program. We will also work with ETS to identify a core group of certified
agents to assist State of Texas travelers and configure your dedicated 800 number to route to these individuals after
our core hours.
1. Phone Reports
Short’s will provide the requested phone reports, as needed, in accordance with the identified service
criteria:
Phones will be answered by a human voice within 20 seconds or no more than four
rings
>95%
The average length of time on hold for incoming calls
<15 seconds
Number of calls requiring a call-back (because an agent was not available when call
was initiated)
<15%
Call backs returned within 30 minutes
>95%
Other Performance Criteria
Short’s will dedicate the necessary resources to achieve the identified service criteria:
2.
All inquiries that require a call back receive a return response within 30 minutes during
Business Hours
All email or fax inquiries receive a return response noting receipt of request within 2
Business Hours
All email or fax inquiries receive a complete itinerary within 8 Business Hours
All online help-desk calls or email requests pertaining to online booking assistance will be
returned within 2 Business Hours
Measuring Customer Service Standards:
Short’s has two methods to measure and report on client satisfaction:
1. Included on all travelers’ virtual itineraries is a link to a short, web-based survey that provides us with immediate
feedback. Your Strategic Account Manager reviews the results on a daily basis and proactively contacts travelers
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that were not satisfied with their trip experience.
2. Short’s will distribute a more in-depth web-based survey twice a year to your travelers and travel arrangers. The
results of this survey will be shared with the State of Texas including identification of areas of opportunity for
additional training and/or service improvement. An action plan based on these findings will also be included
within the results.
Natural Disaster Recovery:
In the event of a disaster at one or all of Short’s offices, a disaster recovery/business continuity plan is in place to
ensure service to our clients is maintained. Short’s operates offices in Waterloo, Iowa and Overland Park, Kansas, as
well as a number of home-based agents. All offices and home-based agents are linked virtually via an Avaya VOIP
phone system. In case of an unexpected disaster at one and/or both offices, calls will be directed to our team of
home-based agents. In addition, agents now have laptops to work from home in case of snow storms, etc.
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Travel Documentation
Invoice/Itinerary copies –
Short’s will provide Customers with invoices and itineraries in a standard format, including, at a minimum, the
following:
1. Customer name and number;
2. Traveler name;
3. Airline Carrier(s);
4. Flight number(s);
5. Fare Basis Code(s);
6. Base fare, taxes, and other charges itemized separately;
7. Form of payment;
8. Departure and arrival times for each trip segment;
9. Origin and destination for each trip segment;
10. Ground transportation arrangements made by Short’s;
11. Any confirmation numbers supplied by travel providers;
12. Name, phone number(s) and location(s) of lodging establishment(s) and ground transportation provider(s)
booked by Short’s;
13. Code identifying the justification when the State's airline, rental car, or lodging establishment contracts are
not used as provided in 34 TAC §20.303;
14. Custom fields based on individual Customer requirements;
15. The difference between a pending reservation and an issued electronic ticket; and
16. The normal business and after-hours contact information and appropriate hours of operation for Short’s to
resolve issues either before, during or after travel.
17. Itineraries shall also include any additional information necessary for Customer to be informed while enroute.
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Delivery of Documents –
1. Short’s itineraries are transmitted electronically within minutes after completion and ticketing of the
reservation. The itinerary can be quickly resent to the customer at any time beyond the booking, per their
request.
2. Short’s will deliver any travel documents when needed if electronic ticketing is not available, using FedEx to
allow us to track the package.
3. Short’s will accommodate the customer’s request to Provide rush delivery of travel documents, when the
Customer agrees to pay for the additional direct cost of the rush delivery.
4. Short’s will be held liable for paper tickets when lost prior to being received by the customer.
5. Short’s will provide proof of delivery when requested.
Prepaid Tickets –
Short’s will utilize prepaid tickets (tickets prepaid and awaiting pick up at the airline ticket counter) for official
business travel when a short turnaround time is required and electronic, delivery, registered or express mail
methods are not feasible.
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Online Booking Tool
Short’s Travel will continue to offer State of Texas travelers both of our highly efficient and successful online booking
tools, Concur Travel and Short’s Travel Online (STO). For our pricing STO will be used for “Online Booking”.
CONCUR TRAVEL
Short’s holds a long-standing relationship with Concur as a partner
since 2007, delivering the broadest travel content through an
intuitive and easy-to-use, web-based interface. Concur is capable of
displaying and booking all commercially available airlines, car
rentals, hotel, rail, and ground transportation providers. No other
online booking solution has the global reach and access to the
broadest array of content than Concur.
Concur has products to support available through the cloud or via
Mobile devices to assist with flight cancellations, alternate lodging,
weather delays/dangerous travel requiring re-accommodation,
alternate rental car availability, and all other “during trip”
unforeseen challenges and opportunities. Concur also utilizes state
of the art risk information to share with your travelers concerning
any part of the world where their travels might take them.
Additionally, many of our innovative products can be integrated
into Concur offering our clients an enhanced online solution to
meet the changing needs of today’s travelers.
Short’s also provides direct connect booking options through
Concur. We have built direct API’s to many of the carriers and rail companies that do not load their fares in
the GDS. It is not screen scraping but a direct seamless connection into those databases for real-time
inventory for your travelers. This is integrated into the fare matrix in Concur Travel providing a seamless
experience to your end user.
Concur’s powerful multi-sourcing engine provides the following benefits allowing State of Texas travelers to
access the best content available:
• The only self-booking engine that connects directly to SWABIZ within the tool and uses BookingBuilder
technology to completely integrate the Web-only fares on Southwest’s Web site. This allows business
travelers to book Web-only Wanna Get Away fares within the corporate policy and booking tool.
• JetBlue, the fastest growing carrier in North America, operates as a low cost carrier and is a limited
participant in the GDS; yet, they are fully published with schedules, rates and availabilities with Concur’s
exclusive Open Skies integration via a seamless direct connect.
• Air Canada only lists their lowest fares in Galileo, but Sabre and Worldspan users can get these fares
through Concur’s multi-GDS functionality. Concur also offers a direct connect allowing access to all
published fares and their newly introduced Flight Pass system, which is a prepaid pricing program similar
to the AAirpass functionality currently available in Concur.
• Concur has several hundred European, Latin American and Asian LCCs available via Web integration
through TRAVELfusion. Along with GDS returned options, these TRAVELfusion options are incorporated in
the aggregated fare matrix display and UI within Concur.
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Short’s Travel Online (STO)
STM Technologies developed a proprietary online
booking tool, Short’s Travel Online (STO), as an
innovative online booking solution to meet the needs
of our clients through a unique online experience.
Since its release, STO has been sold to other Travel
Management Companies allowing them to offer their
clients an enhancing the online experience for travelers
who are looking for timesaving and cost-reduction
opportunities. STO included many decision analysis
tools that are not available anywhere else. These tools
are designed to help travelers make better buying
decisions when booking travel by providing timely
information. STO offers numerous benefits including:
Short’s Travel Management is fully PCI Compliant. We
have a secure credit card environment that transmits
and stores all cardholder data. Data is only pushed to a third party application that is PCI Compliant and
approved by the State of Texas (i.e. Travelport, GDS). Date of birth and passport information is only accessible
by users granted a higher level of access including but not limited to account administrator, department
administrator or a travel arranger.
User-Friendly Interface
STO is easy to use with a leisure-friendly interface that will help drive online adoption to a bestin-class level quickly. By booking online, Short’s clients save over 80% in booking fees alone! This
tool is designed to require little training and most travelers can begin booking the first time they
use the site. Our first STO client was able to increase their online adoption from 3% to over 70%
within the first six months of program.
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Flight Search
Search filters to the top of the page, making more room for
the actual search results so you can scan and compare more
flights on one page
Preferred airlines are highlighted with green ribbons, so you
can quickly identify which company preferred airlines
Company contracted rates are highlighted with blue ribbons,
so you know when your company has a better rate that you
can’t find anywhere else
And, our exclusive, innovative search features tabbed flight
searches and sorting by price with or without bag fees
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Hotel Search
Interactive search map always viewable next to
the hotel list
Search for hotels available in different areas of
the city by double clicking on the map
AAA star ratings, so you can see and filter by
hotel rating
Preferred hotels are sorted to the top and are
highlighted with green ribbons, so you can
quickly identify preferred hotels
Company contracted rates are highlighted with
blue ribbons, to identify negotiated rates
Car Search
We highlight the BEST RATE across all car types and
car vendors in green
Search and book one-way car rentals (pick-up at
one location, drop-off at another)
Search and book car rentals at the airport or at offairport city locations
Preferred hotels are sorted to the top and are
highlighted with green ribbons, so you can
quickly identify preferred hotels
Company contracted rates are highlighted with blue
ribbons, to identify negotiated rates
One Page Check-out
Faster to review your traveler & payment information and
purchase your reservation with our one-page check-out
Update your profile directly from the check-out page
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Online Reconciliation Tool
TravelMATE
Short’s TravelMATE, our online travel portal, provides travel managers,
travelers and travel arrangers with a myriad of tools to assist with
managing travel, increasing efficiencies and improving the overall booking
process. Key features include profile management, real-time reporting,
unused ticket management, expense report look-up, and over 40
dashboards customized by individual users.
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Unused Ticket Management
TravelMATE will display a live unused ticket dashboard showing managers,
travelers and travel arrangers the value of their unused tickets and when the
tickets will expire. Currently Short’s clients are averaging 7% savings through
our unused ticket management process.
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TwoPlus
Quickly see who is traveling to the same destination, on the same flight. TwoPlus
makes it simple to identify and drill-down to reservations to see who is traveling
together, making it easy to re-accommodate executives to comply with your
policy and risk management guidelines, as well as reduce the number of
unnecessary car rentals.
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Where are my Travelers Dashboard
Travel Managers will have the ability to click on a specific location on our Where
Are My Travelers dashboard and quickly identify not only where their travelers
are but how to reach them in the case of an emergency.
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Quick Reports
Travel and Department Managers will have the ability to pull snapshot reports
directly from TravelMATE with a few clicks, getting them the information they
need quickly.
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Other Required Services
1. For international travelers, Short’s profile and invoicing systems will connect to our preferred partner, CIBT, to
obtain visa/passport requirements. After the traveler’s trip is booked, Short’s invoicing system will query the CIBT
web service to determine if a visa document is required for the trip. On the traveler invoice, the traveler will be
alerted to the required documentation and directed to the CIBT online ordering service for automated document
request and processing. All of this is provided at a 25% discount, and the process is fully automated throughout
the processing period via the CIBT website.
2. All of our State of Texas travel agents will be of full assistance to travelers whose baggage has been lost or stolen.
Our agents will work directly with the airlines to first determine where the bags may be, and then how to get
them returned to the passenger.
3. Short’s will continue to provide the State of Texas with dedicated agents based on our current volume. Should
the State of Texas need additional agents, based on an increase of travel volume, Short’s will provide additional
support.
4. Short’s will utilize the same ARC number it has for State of Texas the past three years.
5. Short’s will process credits and/or refunds to the State of Texas for travel services not utilized within 24 hours of
the cancellation or change from Customer.
6. Similarly to when our own office is undergoing a potential natural disaster, a recovery/business plan is in place to
provide operations in the event of emergencies for our clients. Again, we would take advantage of our two
operational offices, as well as our numerous home-based agents. All offices and home-based agents are linked
virtually via an Avaya VOIP phone system. In case of an unexpected disaster that you may undergo, we would be
able to provide you with many capable agents in numerous locations to lend a hand with disaster recovery. We
would of course be willing to work around the clock to assist in any way needed, including but not limited to,
providing necessary delivery of tickets.
7. Meetings and Conferences –
Short’s Travel agrees to provide cost estimates for meetings and conference services when the need arises. Our
strategic sourcing department offers all vendor negotiation services as well as proprietary registration tool.
8. International Travel Services –
Outside North America, Short’s is an affiliate of one of the top global travel management companies in the
marketplace, HRG. Being an affiliate of HRG allows Short’s to provide our clients with best in market technology,
content and consistent service from local and regional locations, removing all language and culture barriers. Our
affiliate program with HRG allows all data to be consolidated into a single global data repository that allows our
clients to effectively manage their travel program on a local, regional and global level. HRG has a worldwide
network that extends to nearly 120 countries, including but not limited to Qatar, Italy, Costa Rica and Israel.
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Processing in Conjunction with Travel Management Companies
A designated Site Optimization Manager will be responsible for maintaining, updating and customizing the Concur
site as well as conduct on-going training to introduce new features, provide ‘refresher courses’ on existing
functionality and conduct end-to-end training for new users. Your Site Optimization Manager will also provide the
following services:
1. Ensure site in continually updated with the ‘latest functionality’
2. Conduct optimization reviews to refine site and implement new innovation strategies
3. Update site as needed including posting Textron and Short’s news
4. Managing Dynamic Messaging Strategies
5. Assistance with profile updates and password resets
6. Assistance with general administration of the site including adding policies, etc.
7. Trouble shooting and 2nd level navigational support for end-users
8. Responsible for programming market-based preferences for air, hotel and car rental
9. Responsible for managing optimization strategies for preferred air, hotels and car rentals
10. Conduct on-going training
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Reporting Requirements
Shorts will provide state of Texas with our data on demand, real-time, web-based management reporting tool that
includes 30+ dashboard reports and over 700 standard reports. Reports can be scheduled to be automatically
pushed to individual user’s email as required and are sent as HTML, Excel, PDF, and can be sent in hard copy. In
addition, you will receive a monthly, quarterly and annual reporting package that includes historical spend, policy
compliance, advance purchase performance, online adoption, lost savings and areas of opportunity to further
reduce travel costs. No software or hardware is required by state of Texas to access and utilize this tool. All reports
can be filtered and provide drill-down capabilities based on your departments and hierarchy. The tool also includes a
quick report writer for custom report requests.
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