USPS is still tweaking its travel credit card policy and monitoring….
Let’s recap:
In late 2013, the Chairman of the House Committee (hmmm..I wonder who can this be) requested a review from USPS OIG on a whistleblower complaint surrounding travel card misuse. A few months later the conservative paper Washington Times published a story based on information from a FOIA request on abuse of travel cards.
The USPS Office of Inspector General later issued a report on “Monitoring of Government Travel Card Transactions”
In addition, USPS initiated several changes to its travel credit cards policy.
Officers and Postal Career Executive Services (PCES) employees with government-issued individually billed travel cards no longer can use their cards for cash advances.
The new directive went into effect May 2 for PCES employees, and will become effective May 15 for all Executive and Administrative Schedule (EAS) employees.
and from USPS New Link:
New policy: Travel card credit limits lowered for infrequent travelers
If you have a government-issued individually billed travel card and you haven’t used it in two years or more, the Postal Service will lower the card’s credit limit to $1, effective July 14.
If you plan to use the card for travel, you may request a credit increase by:
- Following the existing procedures for requesting authorization to travel.
- Sending an email to the local travel card coordinator, along with the documentation approving the travel.
The travel card coordinator will increase the credit limit to the approved amount.
Travel cards will be monitored every 12 months for inactivity. In May, the Postal Service also changed travel card guidelines for cash advances.
USPS is taking its changes to the travel credit card a step further.
According to a notice posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website:
The USPS is interested in pursuing an end-to end travel solution as described below. If your firm has a similar solution or can offer a viable alternative please submit your proposal to Lisa Siegel by 5:00 p.m. MST on September 26th.
USPS End-toEnd Solution Requirements:
– include pre-trip approval
– include mechanism where credit card limits can be automatically raised/decreased based on individual traveler’s travel reservations; the solution must be able to decrease a traveler’s credit limit if they are not travelling and increase it as necessary if they are travelling
– solution must interface with the USPS’ current vouchering system (which is Postal-owned) or replace it
– solution must include an on-line booking option as well as a 24/7 call center that can cover the Continental US plus Alaska/Hawaii/US territories
– solution must include both commercial and government fares/rates
– solution must have access to all airfares including those from low-cost carriers (i.e. Southwest, Frontier)
– solution must have access to AMTRAK on-line fares
– solution must be PCI compliant
– solution must include a reporting tool that includes sustainability data
– solution must include on-line Help and/or training module
– solution will be subject to USPS IT Security review including a site review
– solution should be Active Directory aware
Other Requirements:
– suppliers’ data/call centers, including back-ups, must be domiciled in the US
– supplier must have familiarity with the Fly America Act, GSA’s FedRooms Program, and DTMO’s US Government Car Rental Program
– supplier must have familiarity with Executive Order 13514
– USPS travelers include officers/executives so supplier must have specialized experience working with VIPs
– suppliers must have experience working with both centrally-billed and invidually-billed credit cards
– suppliers must have experience working with travel planner and individual traveller profiles
As information:
– Current estimate of air travel based on FY13 data is $14M in spend; 33,000 domestic and 800 international air tickets issued which represents 32,580 domestic and 785 international tickets
– Current estimate of hotel spend based on FY13 data is $28M in spend
– Current estimate of rental car spend based on FY13 data is $1.4M
This Notice does not obligate the USPS to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The USPS reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this Notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed. Information provided will be used to assess alternatives available for the potential requirement and may lead to the development of a solicitation. Respondents are advised that the USPS is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted
It is a free welfare for mgmt., why not use it?
Translation: “Since in the last few years, there have been repeated news stories of postal mgmt. misusing and abusing these cards, we have just changed them so that the continued misuse and abuse is now legal.”