2020 U.S.-Booked Air Volume: $10.3 million
Primary U.S. Expense Supplier: Concur
Primary U.S. Payment Supplier: American Express
Primary Global Risk Management Supplier: ISOS
Consolidated Global TMC: BCD
As of March 2020, the BAE Systems travel program immediately
switched gears to prioritize traveler health and safety above strict compliance
to policy. The company restricted all non-essential travel and implemented a
formal pre-trip approval process into the booking workflow, which it had not
required before the pandemic. BAE introduced an automated pre-trip approval
process in October 2020.
The restrictions
reduced U.S.-booked air volume for BAE Systems to just over $10 million, down
from $45 million the prior year. Program administrators provided increased
transparency and detail to senior leaders with a new reporting package that now
includes weekly travel request volume, percent approved and total active
itinerary volume for domestic and international trips. Fifty-six percent of BAE
U.S.-booked trips were domestic in 2020.
Top travel program goals for 2021 include continuing to
monitor supplier risk and automating monthly travel scorecards and dashboards
for stakeholders. Moving forward into travel recovery, BAE Systems has moved to
a cost-plus agreement with its travel management company BCD, which handled 100
percent of all global travel for the company in 2020. BAE projects it will
spend $15 million on U.S.-booked business travel by the end of 2021, recovering
one third of the company’s 2019 volume. It will continue to leverage virtual
meeting platforms for many internal meetings but predicts that client- and
partner-facing meetings will return to in-person formats as borders and
corporate policies open up.