RSCE Becomes the largest Travel Processing Office in the United Nations Secretariat

Entebbe, UGANDA (September 17, 2019) The Regional Service Centre Entebbe (RSCE) was named the Largest Travel Processing Office (TPO) of the UN Secretariat entities. In April 2019 during the travel category strategy profile and spend analysis, under the Category Management Project - a cross functional initiative of the new Office of Supply Chain Management, it was reported that the RSCE processed over 18,640 trips in 2018 which is over 1,000 more than any other TPO. This position was also confirmed at the May 2019 UN Global Travel Symposium (UNGTS) in New York. The Chief RSCE, Mr. Paulin Djomo attended the UNGTS where he shared the RSCE travel service delivery success story that he attributed mainly to consolidation of the function, training of staff, pro-active approach to travel management and introduction of the Client Service Delivery Model for a better and effective management of clients.

The Chief RSCE on his assumption of leadership of the RSCE in December 2017, realized that one of the greatest challenges the center faced was travel service delivery for its client missions, particularly that travel and related services were being delivered in 6 Service lines. To address the challenge, Mr. Djomo and his travel management team explored options for the consolidation initiative.Mr. Djomo believed that consolidating travel request processing into a central Travel Service Line would optimize staff skills and foster efficiency and effectiveness.

According to Ms. Josephine Mwaka Mwambazi - the Travel Service Line Manager, the major changes that came with the consolidation included: standardization of service delivery to all RSCE clients and travelers on behalf of UN, establishment of a Travel Contract Management Team, and Full time Travel Shipment Approvers (TSA) Team to perform Travel Requests Certification role for Entitlement and Individual Uniform Personnel (IUP) travel types, Global Distribution System (GDS) training for availing air fares by all Travel Processing Officers (TPOs), elimination of personal focal points concept to offer same service experience to clients, introduction of fare audit on a permanent basis for each itinerary and assure clients lowest fares, introduction of internal focal point for better IUP Deployment & Repatriation travel coordination and standardization of client mission engagement at travel operational level.

To further enhance service delivery, in March 2019, The RSCE pioneered Regional Travel Management Service Contracts (TMSCs) in line with its travel operations in East, West, Central and North Africa Regions

The establishment of regional TMSCs was premised on the following scoped benefits including but not limited to;

• Regional market knowledge and gap analysis

• Local market practiced fares – ticketing strategies

• New operating Model of availing fares from the GDS and queue to contracted travel agents in the region by the RSCE TPOs.

“Consolidation of resources in travel at the RSCE increased performance and client satisfaction which is something the Centre is always aiming for.” Said Mr. Djomo