Hotelschool The Hague (HTH), one of the leading hospitality schools in the Netherlands, announced a public tender for the central purchasing of business trips on November 15, 2024.
The tender, which has a value of 800.000 euros excluding VAT, focuses on finding a single contractor for a framework agreement with a maximum term of four years. With this, HTH wants to manage both domestic and international travel arrangements, including hotel stays, efficiently and sustainably. The tender is in line with Directive 2014/24/EU, which focuses on transparency and equal opportunities for contractors.
sustainability as a key point
The assignment involves more than just booking trips. HTH requires tenderers to submit a plan of approach that provides insight into the sustainability of their services. For example, the future contractor is expected to make the CO2 emissions of each trip visible during the booking process. This criterion, which carries a weight of 20 points in the assessment, emphasises the priority that HTH gives to environmentally conscious choices.
A user-friendly online booking system is also of great importance. This system should provide an overview of all travel options, including travel times, costs and environmental impact. Here too, 20 points are awarded, which makes it clear that the focus is on both convenience and sustainability.
Cost control is another essential part of the assignment. HTH's policy sets strict requirements for the costs that can be declared by employees. Expenses such as minibar expenses are explicitly outside the employer's responsibility.
This aspect also receives a weighting of 20 points, equal to the other quality criteria. The price of the service carries the most weight with 40 points. Tenderers are encouraged to make a competitive offer, without making concessions on quality and support.
Hotelschool The Hague, founded in 1929 by and for the hospitality industry, has grown into a world-renowned educational institution in the field of hospitality management. The school started as a centre where industry professionals could exchange knowledge, skills and insights. Now, almost a century later, the school has built a solid international reputation, but remains true to its original mission: strengthening the hospitality industry.
The framework agreement has a fixed term of 48 months, with the option to extend for two additional periods of one year each. This means that the tender offers stability for the selected contractor, while HTH retains the option to review the collaboration after the fixed period. Tenders must be submitted digitally no later than 13 January 2025 via TenderNed, where the tender documents are also available.
international scope
Although the tender is nationally oriented, it reflects the international ambitions of HTH. After all, the business trips cover both domestic and foreign destinations. The services must therefore seamlessly match the mobility needs of an international educational institution, with a location in The Hague as a starting point.
The tender falls under the General Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) and is open to both national and international bidders. The execution must take place within the framework of the regulations and the travel policy of HTH. Electronic submission is required, but electronic payment or order placement is excluded.
Joyce Vermeer, the contact person for the tender, emphasizes that the selection procedure will be fair and transparent. “We want to find the best partner who can support our objectives, from efficiency to sustainability,” says Vermeer.
adjusted
The original planning of the tender has been adjusted. HTH has indicated that the answers to questions about the tender will take place no later than 29 November 2024. This causes a slight shift in the timeline, but offers bidders the opportunity to make careful proposals.
With this tender, HTH is taking an important step towards modernizing and making its travel policy more sustainable. The outcome of this procedure will not only contribute to the operational efficiency of the organization, but also to the broader efforts to have a positive impact on the environment.
