CMU Travel Program Service Updates
The following message was distributed On December 21, 2023 to members of the university community who plan and/or books travel through Collegiate Travel Partners (CTP).
In July 2021, Procurement Services launched the CMU Travel Program and named CTP as the university’s single preferred travel supplier, providing benefits that lower costs, support safety, and streamline the booking process.
Over the last two years, Procurement Services has proudly provided elevated support and service for our campus partners as they adopted CTP and became accustomed to CTP’s services, including the Concur online booking tool.
Additionally, Procurement Services has provided trainings, implemented internal program requirements, and engaged directly with travel arrangers, finance leads, and managers in the units to ensure smooth adoption across the university.
Effective Monday, January 1, 2024, Procurement Services will shift out of the launch phase (Phase I) of the Travel Program and into the operational phase (Phase II).
In Phase II, units will take the lead on continuing to drive adoption and usage of CTP for university travel, and have greater autonomy in the booking process.
A few launch-specific services will be phased out (e.g. unit travel enhancements, approval workflow updates, elevated unit engagement/service, drive for adoption) as the travel program is operationalized.
Procurement Services will provide the following operational support services in Phase II:
- Manage travel-related tickets in ServiceNow
- Generate monthly Tableau reporting
- Set up profiles for students (PhD)
- Direct contract negotiations with air, hotel, and car suppliers
- Monitor Service Level Agreements (SLA)
- Monitor travel program adoption
- Conduct quarterly unit engagement check-ins
- System maintenance/enhancements (as needed)
- Reporting maintenance/enhancements (as needed)
If you have any questions or concerns about these service changes, please contact Procurement Services at procurement-inbox@andrew.cmu.edu.
As a reminder, CTP/Concur user accounts are created automatically from a daily feed from Workday, and CTP provides a comprehensive ‘one-stop shop’ with a variety of traveler and university benefits, such as:
- Best price guarantee with an automated process to scan for best prices and issue refunds if applicable
- Personal credits cards or a university travel card can be used to book business travel
- 24/7/365 access to designated CTP agents and Concur, the online booking tool and app
- Integrated emergency risk management system (traveler safety feature)
- Unused ticket management
- Group travel services
- University guest (non-employee) travel services
For additional information, visit the CMU Travel Information page. As always, if you have any suggestions for additional functionality or enhancements to the Travel Program, Procurement Services welcomes your continued feedback at procurement-inbox@andrew.cmu.edu.
Thank you for your partnership and your support of the CMU Travel Program!