Scope of Work

1. Scope of the Services

The purpose of published Request for Proposal is to find a suitable travel agency for delivering travel management services for CRS Pakistan. The registered company is expected to provide professional services, considering numerous factors when making offers and taking related actions. The travel agency shall be well established and the services shall be performed in the most cost-effective manner considering CRS’s interest as well as its staff welfare.

The suitable company is expected to employ well experienced staff who possess all adequate skills and competencies to support the official missions of CRS in Pakistan. The continuity of the high level and quality services shall be assured at all times with a well-designed back-up system. The competent travel agent is pro-active, diligent and is always on stand-by mode. It can also advise CRS on best practices and can draw attention to further cost saving opportunities. These factors and expected services are detailed in this Terms of Reference.

3.1 Travel Agency Core Functions

The travel agency would be responsible for:

• Share minimum three possible route options & reservation for international flights.
• Share minimum three flight options & reservation for domestic flights.
• Obtaining air flight tickets for CRS staff members and/or family members of its staff to any destination worldwide.
• Timely share airlines travel guidelines & other travel restrictions
• Designate staff for dealing with CRS.

3.2 Description of official Travel

The official travels include, but are not limited to the following:

• Official missions of CRS staff
• Appointment and repatriation of staff
• Home leaves and Family leaves and other travel defined as "CRS entitlement travel"

The agency shall not favor when making reservations unless otherwise specifically agreed in writing by CRS.

Responsibilities of Travel Agency

1. 2.     Responsibilities of Travel Agency

4.1 Core Requirements

a)     The Travel Agency is an Civil Aviation Authority & Ministry of Tourism approved in Pakistan

b)     Travel Agency is registered with IATA

c)     Make reservations, issue and deliver air flight tickets for from/to Islamabad, Karachi - Pakistan

d)     Prepare appropriate itineraries and formal quotes within a reasonable timeframe based on the lowest fare and the most direct and convenient routing including (low cost, special fares, restricted fares, discount fares, and bulk fares for use whenever appropriate). In the event that required travel arrangement cannot be confirmed, notify CRS of the problem and present alternative routings/quotes for consideration;

e)     Provide at least three options for Asia, European and intercontinental destinations. These offers should be free of charge;

f)      Pre-book the suggested seats mentioned in the formal quote for a specified duration. This will allow CRS passengers to review the offer, and ensure the seat is still available upon confirmation of preferred route.

g)     Accurately advise CRS representative for ticketing deadlines and other relevant information every time reservations are made in order to avoid cancellations of bookings;

h)     Promptly issue and forward all tickets in electronic format with detailed itineraries including carrier(s), flight numbers, departure and arrival times for each segment of the trip;

i)      Inform CRS representative, upon booking confirmation, of flight/ticket restrictions, involuntary stop-over, hidden stops, and other inconveniences of the itinerary and provide required documentation for travels;

j)      Handle complaints in a timely manner on behalf of CRS on flight problems, cancellations, delays etc;

k)     Reconfirm and revalidate airline tickets, re-issue tickets which are returned as a result of changed routing or fare structures and printed itineraries.

l)      Process duly authorized Air flight travel changes or cancellations as required;

m)   Process immediately and report on refunds for unused tickets for fares, and credit them to CRS;

n)     Provide regular travel services on each working day from 09:00 hrs to 18:00 hrs.

• o)     Provide Visa assistance and arrangement of travel Insurance.

p)     Local & International hotel reservation.

4.2 Other Complementary Services Required

The travel agent shall:

a)     Promptly notify CRS Passengers of airport closures, strikes, delayed or cancelled flights, or any other changes that might affect the passengers;

b)     All air flight tickets shall be issued in electronic format. When an electronic format is not available, any paper version shall be delivered to CRS Islamabad office free of charge;

c)     The travel agency provides 24 hours a day emergency service - including reservation and ticketing services - outside of office hours and on weekends with duly communicated contact mobile number(s);

d)     The travel agency will keep a file on all CRS travelers containing their full names, passport numbers, frequent flyer number, preferred seating etc to facilitate bookings;

e)     Travel agency will facilitate to CRS staff for creating Frequent Flyer number

f)      The travel agency shall submit statistical reports at the request of CRS

g)     The travel agency shall submit an individual or consolidated report at the request of CRS;

h)     The travel agency will ensure the confidentiality of information and documents concerning CRS;

i)      The travel agency shall undertake the recovery procedure on behalf of CRS for circumstances outside of CRS’s control (cancellations, strikes etc) and refund the unused / cancelled tickets as soon as possible to CRS.

j)      Visa Information and guidance.

k)     Ability to provide services such as booking flights, accommodations, transportation, travel insurance, and tour planning

l)      Managing costs, such as by securing discounted rates, offering travel packages, or using corporate accounts to minimize expenses.

4.3 Responsibilities of CRS

CRS to provide:

a)     Clear, comprehensive request for flight quotation in order to allow agency to provide best fares

b)     CRS focal point will be appointed to liaise with the travel agency

c)     CRS in accordance with the standard terms of payment, undertakes to pay the travel agency any authorized charge within thirty days of receipt of original invoices. It is understood that CRS will decline their responsibilities in the event of a trip undertaken without authorization and / or that does not comply with the regulations of CRS.

4.4 Other special conditions

a)     CRS reserves the right to interview and to refuse to work with the selected, assigned travel consultant.

b)     All written communication between CRS and the travel agency shall be in English.

c)     The travel agency shall provide the above mentioned services both for official missions and for private requests of staff members. The private request will have to be invoiced to the staff members. If the cost of a ticket is to be shared by the office and the staff member, the agent is required to issue two separate invoices. CRS will not be liable for the cost of the private portion requested by the staff member.

d)     CRS hold GST amount mention on invoice in case of travel pertain to USAID projects and will share Tax exemptions within 90 days or return GST amount after deduction as per tax laws.

4.5 Reporting Requirements

The agency and CRS shall meet every 6 months to review the working relationship and offered services.

1. 3.     Key Performance Indicators

CRS will monitor the performance of the selected travel agency through the following criteria:

a)     All the requested reservations are received within 12 hours from the receipt of an email by CRS representative.

b)     Seats are pre-booked

c)     All the tickets are issued electronically (when possible)

d)     Phone calls are attended.

e)     Urgent cases (next day travels, emergency missions or urgent ticket changes) are prioritized

f)      Emergency service is available and accessible when necessary

g)     Feedback from the CRS focal point and travel agency focal point

1. 4.     Billing and Invoice

The travel agency shall send an official invoice in Pak Rupees to CRS for the purchase of each ticket. The invoice will include the name of the passenger, dates of travel and destination along with attachments of tickets, and email communications.

The travel agency will be required to send original invoices to CRS dealing office within 10 business days after services have been rendered.

The travel agency shall be requested, if necessary, to provide monthly statements of paid and unpaid invoices for reconciliation and monitoring purposes.

The travel agency must ensure that the tickets issued and the bill are in accordance with the request from the CRS travel focal points.

1. 5.     We Offer

CRS will offer the successful travel agency two (2) years’ service contract. The services must commence no later than 1^st December 2024.