DOE management: opportunities for saving millions in contractor travel costs: report to the Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development

Original publisher: Washington, D.C. (P.O. Box 37050, Washington, D.C. 20013) : The Office, [1999]. OCLC Number: (OCoLC)41357048 Subject: Contractors -- Travel -- United States -- Costs. Excerpt: ... B-282146 75 percent of the tickets purchased by travelers were nonrefundable and Sandia estimated that about 65 percent of its tickets were purchased on a nonrefundable basis. However, the percentage for Los Alamos was significantly lower. Los Alamos estimated that its nonrefundable ticket usage at less than 5 percent. The contractors ' travel management staff said that contractor employees are responsible for selecting the flights and tickets that they want to use and that the contractor encourages, but does not require, the use of nonrefundable tickets. They added that employees often do not like to use nonrefundable tickets because their travel plans frequently change or are canceled. Controlling other allowable travel costs that contractor employees incur Reduce Other Allowable Costs could further reduce travel expenses. Consistent with its contract with, each contractor has its own allowable rates or criteria for costs that DOE its employees incur for hotels, meals, rental cars, and other incidental expenses. However, in certain instances, costs allowed by some contractors are more generous than those allowed by others, as illustrated below: The contractors at Oak Ridge and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory • use federal per diem rates as a general standard for allowable hotel costs. However, Lawrence Livermore and Los Alamos do not and, instead, allow hotel rates that are deemed reasonable. These allowable rates can be significantly higher than the federal lodging rates. We found instances where Lawrence Livermore allowed hotel costs in Washington, D.C., that were $ 284 per night; in Orlando, Florida, that were $ 218 per night; in Monterey, California, that were $ 303 per night; and in Las Vegas, Nevada, that were $ 176 per night. In each instance, the f...