Bradford travel management company secures £750m central government contract

Bradford-based travel management company Redfern has just secured a government contract that could be worth up to £750m.

Redfern has been appointed by the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) to provide travel services to millions of UK public sector workers for the next three years following a highly competitive tender process.

Back in 2011, the company was awarded a place on the Central Government Travel Management Service contract, beating off competition from global corporations. During the course of the contract, Redfern saved the taxpayer a reported £15m in travel fees.

Redfern has now firmly established itself as an industry leader within the travel management sector by successfully bidding for the new Crown Travel and Venues Services contract.

Employees at more than 100 government bodies, including HMRC, DWP and the Home Office, will continue to use Redfern’s state of the art technology, tRIPS, which makes booking travel and accommodation much more cost effective.

Mark Bowers, chief executive of Redfern, said: “Redfern has continued to exceed performance levels and targets set by government during the past three years, including their target to move 95% of bookings online within the three year contract. We achieved this within the first year, saving the UK taxpayer millions and improving efficiencies across the public sector.

“The award of this contract and its predecessor highlight the government’s commitment government’s commitment to recognising the enormous skills and talent within the UKs SMEs. By looking beyond the usual global suppliers, the government is reaping the rewards of innovation and technological advancement – principles Redfern is founded on.”

Matt Denham, commercial delivery director at Crown Commercial Service, added: “This shift away from traditional frameworks to separate contracts is an excellent example of how the government is reshaping its commercial approach to delivering savings for taxpayers whilst making the way the government runs more efficient.”

Redfern’s central government win comes just a month after the company secured a similarcontract to supply the Scottish Government in a £100m deal.

The company’s tRIPS booking system, which enables users to book and manage their entire journey from taxi to train to plane and hotel, is also attracting attention from the UK’s largest corporates.

Private companies including giant retailers, insurance companies and financial institutions are all profiting from Redfern’s more efficient travel booking technology.

Over the next 12-18 months, Redfern will invest around £500k in new technology to ensure its customers across both the public and private sectors continue to benefit from the very best travel booking system on the market.