Clarity Travel Management has secured a contract to provide travel services worth up to £201 million to the government’s Crown Commercial Service.
The Manchester-based TMC, which was formerly Co-operative Travel Management, will book travel for civil servants as the government looks to save £50 million by making the travel management process “more efficient and sustainable”.
CCS, which includes the former Government Procurement Service , has split its travel procurement into four separate contracts for the first time to give central government departments access to cheaper travel rates, including special offers and promotional rates.
Clarity was the only new supplier to win one of these Westminster contracts. The other successful bidders were Redfern Travel, HRG and Calder Conferences.
Matt Denham, commercial delivery director at CCS, said: “This shift away from traditional frameworks to separate contracts is an excellent example of how the government is reshaping its commercial approach to deliver savings for taxpayers while making the way government runs more efficient.”
Clarity ditched the Co-operative name earlier this year after the business was purchased from Co-op’s travel agency joint venture with Thomas Cook last year.
Pat McDonagh, Clarity’s CEO, said: “The strict criteria for travel within central government departments will provide a challenge that we are more than ready to meet.
“The win is a nod towards not just our market-leading systems, but also the infrastructure of our business which is perfectly geared to manage the extensive security elements involved.”
Clarity said it was already putting processes in place to fulfil the contract with plans to start delivering services to the government by the middle of October.
The focus will be on increased adoption of online booking tools, more frequent reporting and greater use of video and telephone conferencing.