PROGRAM FOR IMPROVED TRAVEL PROCESS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.

SEC. 356. PROGRAM FOR IMPROVED TRAVEL PROCESS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE. (a) In General.— (1) The Secretary of Defense shall conduct a program to evaluate options to improve the Department of Defense travel process. To carry out the program, the Secretary shall compare the results of the tests conducted under subsection (b) to determine which travel process tested under such subsection is the better option to effectively manage travel of Department personnel. (2) The program shall be conducted at not less than three and not more than six military installations, except that an installation may be the subject of only one test conducted under the program. (3) The Secretary shall act through the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) in the performance of the Secretary’s responsibilities under this section. (b) Conduct of Tests.— (1) The Secretary shall conduct a test at an installation referred to in subsection (a)(2) under which the Secretary— (A) implements the changes proposed to be made with respect to the Department of Defense travel process by the task force on travel management that was established by the Secretary in July 1994; (B) manages and uniformly applies that travel process (including the implemented changes) throughout the Department; and (C) provides opportunities for private-sector sources to provide travel reservation services and credit card services to facilitate that travel process. (2) The Secretary shall conduct a test at an installation referred to in subsection (a)(2) under which the Secretary— (A) enters into one or more contracts with a private-sector source pursuant to which the private-sector source manages the Department of Defense travel process (except for functions referred to in subparagraph (B)), provides for responsive, reasonably priced services as part of the travel process, and uniformly applies the travel process throughout the Department; and (B) provides for the performance by employees of the Department of only those travel functions, such as travel authorization, that the Secretary considers to be necessary to be performed by such employees. (3) Each test required by this subsection shall begin not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act and end two years after the date on which it began. Each such test shall also be conducted in accordance with the guidelines for travel management issued for the Department by the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller). (c) Evaluation Criteria.— The Secretary shall establish criteria to evaluate the travel processes tested under subsection (b). The criteria shall, at a minimum, include the extent to which a travel process provides for the following: (1) The coordination, at the time of a travel reservation, of travel policy and cost estimates with the mission which necessitates the travel. 110 STAT. 271 (2) The use of fully integrated travel solutions envisioned by the travel reengineering report of the Department of Defense dated January 1995. (3) The coordination of credit card data and travel reservation data with cost estimate data. (4) The elimination of the need for multiple travel approvals through the coordination of such data with proposed travel plans. (5) A responsive and flexible management information system that enables the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) to monitor travel expenses throughout the year, accurately plan travel budgets for future years, and assess, in the case of travel of an employee on temporary duty, the relationship between the cost of the travel and the value of the travel to the accomplishment of the mission which necessitates the travel. (d) Plan for Program.— Before conducting the program, the Secretary shall develop a plan for the program that addresses the following: (1) The purposes of the program, including the achievement of an objective of reducing by at least 50 percent the total cost incurred by the Department annually to manage the Department of Defense travel process. (2) The methodology and anticipated cost of the program, including the cost of an arrangement pursuant to which a private-sector source would receive an agreed-upon payment plus an additional negotiated amount that does not exceed 50 percent of the total amount saved in excess of the objective specified in paragraph (1). (3) A specific citation to any provision or law, rule, or regulation that, if not waived, would prohibit the conduct of the program or any part of the program. (4) The evaluation criteria established pursuant to subsection (c). (5) A provision for implementing throughout the Department the travel process determined to be the better option to effectively manage travel of Department personnel on the basis of a final assessment of the results of the program, (e) Report.—