The Houses of Parliament travel office account has been won by Hillgate Travel in a competitive tender process involving all major UK travel management companies.
The three-year contract will see the TMC run the travel office for both the House of Commons and House of Lords, taking over from Carlson Wagonlit Travel.
Terms and the value of the contract were not disclosed.
But Houses of Parliament contract manager David Weir said: "Hillgate joins the two Houses at a challenging time for parliament and the public sector in general, and we look forward to working with them to ensure we continue to get the best value for money when MPs and Lords travel on their parliamentary business."
Hillgate chairman and CEO Jeremy Bull said: “Keeping travel costs down and introducing new technology were key drivers of the tender process and we are delighted to be able to deliver both to the house with immediate effects.”
All staff employed in an onsite facility have transferred and been retained on the account by Hillgate.
The company will be responsible for the personal travel requirements of the members of both houses and their associated staff.
The company’s proprietary online booking tool (Hillgate FreeWay) will be launched to members before the end of this year.
All invoices are to be submitted to members by PDF replacing the previous paper trails.
Another proprietary Hillgate tool – Hillgate Approver – is under discussion for use at the House from 2010 onwards.
Following the planned General Election next year, Hillgate will work on a communication programme to all new members in conjunction with house officials as part of their induction process.
by Phil Davies
