Objectives

The primary objective of this tender is to select a Travel Management Company (TMC) to provide comprehensive travel management services for Meisea, supporting South African Tourism’s broader mandate to promote sustainable tourism and facilitate efficient travel arrangements. The goal is to ensure fair, transparent, cost-effective, and high-quality travel services that meet the specific needs of South African Tourism and its stakeholders over a contract period of 36 months.

Scope

The scope encompasses the provision of end-to-end travel management services, including:

• Reservation and booking management for flights (international, regional, domestic), hotels, car rentals, transfers, visas, and other related services.
• Handling of complex itineraries, refunds, cancellations, and special requests.
• Management of travel documentation, courier services, and visa assistance.
• Implementation of technology solutions for booking, data management, and reporting.
• Account management, reporting, and compliance with South African Tourism policies.
• Provision of both traditional and online booking services, with specified transaction fee models.
• Support for ad-hoc reporting, reconciliation, and management information systems.

Technical Requirements

The technical specifications include:

• Demonstrated experience in corporate travel management, with at least 3 relevant references from the past 5 years.
• Provision of a suitable booking system, such as a Global Distribution System (GDS), and access to web-based fare and hotel inventories.
• Ability to manage data, traveler profiles, savings tracking, unused tickets, and transaction-level reporting.
• Implementation of secure, reliable technology platforms for booking and reporting.
• Compliance with all applicable tax laws and verification of tax compliance via the Central Supplier Database (CSD).
• Ability to provide detailed cost breakdowns, including management fees, transaction fees, and ancillary costs.
• Provision of a draft Service Level Agreement (SLA) outlining service standards, performance metrics, and issue resolution processes.
• Adherence to confidentiality, data security, and anti-corruption policies.

Skills Requirements

The successful bidder must demonstrate:

• Strong experience in corporate travel management, including handling complex itineraries and special requests.
• Technical proficiency with booking systems, data management, and reporting tools.
• Capability to deliver high-quality customer service, including query resolution, complaint handling, and proactive account management.
• Effective management of supplier relationships and adherence to contractual obligations.
• Knowledge of relevant legal, tax, and compliance frameworks, including SARS tax verification and anti-bribery standards.
• Ability to provide detailed, transparent pricing and cost management, including management of negotiated rates and billing processes.
• Strong organizational and reporting skills to support performance monitoring and continuous improvement.
• Commitment to ethical conduct, confidentiality, and anti-corruption practices.