New Travel Services Contracts at N.M. Tech

by George Zamora

SOCORRO, N.M., March 11, 2003 -- The New Mexico Tech Board of Regents recently approved multi-year contracts awarded to three travel agencies, which will provide departments and research divisions at the university with comprehensive travel services in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

Under the contract agreements, travel-related services such as procuring airline reservations and tickets, car rentals, and hotel accommodations will all be done through one of the three agencies selected through a competitive bid process.

The travel agencies selected are: Aquila Travel (located in Albuquerque); Paradise Travel (located in Socorro); and Rio Grande Travel (located in Albuquerque).

William Schattschneider, director of purchasing at New Mexico Tech, says consolidating the travel services available to the university will prove to be more cost-effective -- especially in relation to international travel--since, under contract stipulations, transaction fees have been established for both domestic and international travel on a fixed-rate basis.

"Another important factor in developing the new travel contracts relates to the establishment of performance measures," Schattschneider explains. "Performance measures have been established that define the contracted agencies' responsibilities for providing timely service to the university."

He adds that the performance measures will continue to be monitored and evaluated in exercising a two-year option written into the contracts.

"In addition, all the contracted agencies will now be able to provide New Mexico Tech employees with numerous means of
communicating travel needs, such as through phone, fax, e-mail, and an established website," Schattschneider says.

"The contracted agencies' website will be linked to the New Mexico Tech Purchasing Office's website as a means of assisting our employees with their travel requirements," he says.

A vendor fair to introduce New Mexico Tech employees to the contracted travel agencies and the travel services which are now available is being planned for sometime in April.