Travel Management and Conference Registration Solutions

The City of Pasadena, Department of Finance, is seeking information from firms that provide online travel coordination and conference registration platforms. This RFI is issued for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation for bids or proposals.

The City is exploring online solutions that can:

• Streamline travel booking (air, hotel, ground transportation)
• Facilitate conference and event registrations
• Provide centralized administrative oversight with departmental flexibility
• Align with public sector procurement and payment requirements
• Assist in navigating complex itineraries.
• Compliance with city travel policy
• Securing conference/event registration and lodging rates
• Facilitation of travel payments to vendors (hotels, airlines, ground transportation, etc.)

Background

The City coordinates travel and conference participation across multiple departments. Current processes are decentralized and may involve:

• Individual bookings
• Multiple vendor platforms
• Limited centralized oversight

The City may solicit solutions that improve:

• Efficiency
• Cost control
• Compliance with City financial policies
• Administrative visibility

Project Details

• Reference ID: 2026-RFI-0209
• Department: Department of Finance, Purchasing Division
• Department Head: Karin Schnaider (Director)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-06-09T22:00:00.000Z

Evaluation Criteria

• General Instructions —

  The information obtained from this RFI process may contribute to, and be used for a publicly available resource list.  The City is interested in identifying whether respondents to this RFI are ultimately willing to have their information shared with targeted groups below as described in this RFI. THERE WILL BE NO CONTRACT AWARDED AS A RESULT OF THIS RFI PROCESS. This RFI is a public solicitation of information designed to assist the City in sharing information as described in the scope of work in this RFI.

  No payment shall be made to individuals, contractors, suppliers, or manufacturers that represent for information and solutions provided in response to this RFI.

• INFORMATION REQUESTED —

  The City of Pasadena seeks detailed information regarding available travel management and conference registration solutions that can support the City’s operational, administrative, and financial requirements. Respondents are requested to provide a comprehensive overview of their platform answering the questions in this RFI, including the types of services offered such as airfare booking, hotel accommodations, ground transportation coordination, and conference or event registration capabilities. Firms are encouraged to highlight any experience working with public sector or municipal clients, including examples of similar implementations.  Respondents are requested to provide detailed information addressing the following:

   

  A. Platform Overview

  B. Account Structure & Administration

  C. Booking & Integration Capabilities

  D. Billing & Payment Terms

  E. Fees & Cost Structure

  F. Comparable Platforms / Industry Examples

  G. Reporting & Compliance

  H. Implementation & Support

  I. Assistance to navigate complex itineraries.

  J. Compliance with city travel policy

  K. Securing conference/event registration and lodging rates

  L. Facilitation of travel payments to vendors (hotels, airlines, ground transportation, etc.)

• Early Preparation for Submission —

  We value your participation in this solicitation and want to ensure you have every opportunity to present your response in the manner instructed in this solicitation.  It is important that you submit a complete response prior to 3:00 pm on Tuesday, June 23, 2026 through this eProcurement portal.  We strongly advise against waiting to within the last three days of the submittal deadline to begin working on your response. Starting early on your response increases time to:

  • Thoroughly review all requirements and the entire solicitation document.
  • Gather, organize, and complete the necessary documents for submittal.
  • Address any unforeseen technical issues that may arise during the preparation or submittal of your response.

  Delaying your response may result in errors, or can cause you to miss the submission deadline.  Either of which can negatively impact your submittal or cause your submittal to not be accepted.

• General Instructions —

  The information obtained from this RFI process may contribute to, and be used for, the guidance of a formal solicitation. The City is interested in identifying whether Contractors responding to this RFI are ultimately willing to respond to a formal solicitation, and potentially accomplish the tasks described in this RFI. Contractors are welcome to schedule a meeting with Erika Alvarez, Department of Finance, Purchasing Division for coordination of a presentation. THERE WILL BE NO CONTRACT AWARDED AS A RESULT OF THIS RFI PROCESS. This RFI is a public solicitation of information designed to assist the City in determining an optimal solution and procurement strategy.

  No payment shall be made to individuals, contractors, suppliers, or manufacturers that represent for information and solutions provided in response to this RFI.

• Training Resources for Vendors: —

  Screen Shots:

  Instructions for the new eProcurement System: The following link will help you Get Started (https://opengov.my.site.com/support/s/article/c7a5affa-e073-4d5a-8d87-b6eadcf343a9) and will include vendor guides for using the system.  Below are additional screen shots for support.

  All Video Guides: OpenGov Procurement Vendor Training

  1. New Supplier Account
  2. Submit a Bid or Proposal
  3. Updating Your Company Designation on a Solicitation
     
  4. Vendor Selection of Category Codes
  5. How To Subscribe To Organizations And Find Active RFPs & Bids
  6. Login Process
  7. How to Edit or Withdraw your Proposal after it's been Submitted
  8. How to Submit a Question
  9. Viewing Bid Results 

  Video Trainings

   

• Resource List —

  If the information gathered through this RFI meets the requirements included in the Scope of Work, the information may be shared with no less than the following groups:

  TBD

• Non-Procurement Related Instructions —

  Responses or any information received as a result of this RFI are not transferrable to any other solicitations or public procurements released by the City of Pasadena.  Respondents added to any list resulting from this RFI are not considered "pre-qualified" for any other solicitation or public procurements released by the City of Pasadena.

• OpenGov Technical Support —

  Technical support for an eProcurement system plays a vital role in ensuring smooth operations.  You can call or email technical support using the information below.

  • Phone: (650) 336-7167
  • Email: support@support.opengov.com
  • Issue Log: https://opengov.my.site.com/support/s/contactsupport/incident
  • Live Chat: Click on the circle blue icon at the bottom right of the screen.
• Internet Access —
  1. The City cannot guarantee that equipment involved in Solicitation Submission will be available to provide information or receive transmittals. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have current information and that your Submission is received as instructed in this solicitation complete and prior to the deadline. The City is not responsible for the confidentiality of information transmitted over the Internet.
  2. It is the Respondent's responsibility to review your status in our eProcurement system and update your contact information and notification preferences accordingly.
  3. The City does not recommend waiting until the last two days to start preparing or submitting your response.
• Electronic Submission and Delivery Instructions —

  Parties interested in responding are required to submit electronically through the City of Pasadena's eProcurement Portal prior to 3:00 pm, Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Please upload all required documents as instructed in the section named Submittals/Checklist sufficiently early electronically through the city's eProcurement Portal before the time and day listed in this solicitation. Responses must be received in the system prior to the deadline.

  The Specification or Scope of Work included in this Notice shall be considered part of any contract made pursuant thereunder.

• Withdrawal of Proposal —

  Any Bidder or Proposer may withdraw their response via the City's eProcurement Portal prior to 3:00 pm on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.

• City Changes to the Solicitation Documents —

  The City reserves the right to change any part of these Instructions and Specifications any time prior to the bid opening. Any changes shall be in the form of addenda and will become a part of the bid documents and of the contract. Addenda shall be made available to each Bidder or Proposer. A Bidder's or Proposer's failure to address the requirements of the addenda may result in the response not being considered. If the City determines that a time extension is required for the bid, the addenda will give the new submission date.

  Addenda shall be acknowledged via the City'seProcurement Portal for the project named "Travel Management and Conference Registration Solutions." Project ID: 2026-RFI-0209. Bidders or Proposers can view a list of addenda released by the City by clicking on "Addenda & Notices." While drafting a response, there is a section for "Addenda Confirmation" where Bidders or Proposers must acknowledge each addenda released.

• Deadline for Questions —

  The deadline to submit questions related to this solicitation is Tuesday, June 9, 2026, prior to 3:00 pm.

  Questions regarding this solicitation should be submitted directly through the City's eProcurement Portal Q&A function. Do not contact any City employee or official regarding this solicitation. Any questions submitted after the date and time specified may not be considered.

• Follow these simple steps to submit your proposal electronically: —

  If you are already registered and need help logging in or retrieving your user information utilize the blue chat bubble visible on the lower right hand corner of the screen.

  Click on the hyperlink for the City's eProcurement Portal to create your vendor profile.

  Electronic Submission of Bids

  All Proposers are required to submit their bid pricing electronically via the city's eProcurement Portal. The electronic system will close submission exactly at the date and time set forth in this solicitation or as changed by addenda. In addition, your bid must be submitted via the eProcurement Portal.

  Proposers are responsible for submitting and having their bid accepted before the closing time set forth in this solicitation or as changed by addenda. NOTE: It is the Proposer's sole responsibility to ensure their bid and document(s) are uploaded, transmitted, and arrive in time electronically. The City will have no responsibility for bids that do not arrive in a timely manner, no matter what the reason.

  Upon closing of the Bid, Bid Results will be available on the City's eProcurement Portal.

  In the case of a discrepancy between the electronic bid schedule (pricing) and any uploaded Bid schedule document or pricing, the electronic bid schedule will be the accepted bid.

  Steps to Submit Your Electronic Proposal:

  To submit an offer to the City, vendor must begin by clicking on the green DRAFT PROPOSAL button.

  https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/pasadena/projects/254291

  1. Acknowledge all Addenda

  2. Accept City of Pasadena Terms and Conditions Message

  3. Answer all required vendor questions. 

  4. Upload all required forms. Proposer may save their work and return.

  5. Review your work and submit proposal when ready.

  6. You will receive a confirmation email from OpenGov upon receipt of your bid/proposal.

  7. Proposer may withdraw their bid at any time prior to 3:00 pm on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.

   

  Note: If an addenda is issued after a response has been submitted, Proposer or bidder must return to take steps below. Failure to do both steps will result in an invalidated offer.

  1- Acknowledge the new addenda; and

  2- Resubmit your bid through the City's eProcurement Portal.

   

  Do Not upload a Zip File: Unzip Your Files
  Note: If your files are [zipped or] in a zip folder, you may need to unzip the files before uploading.  The following instructions may be helpful to do so.
  1. Open File Explorer, and find the zipped folder.
  2. To unzip the entire folder, right-click to select Extract All, and then follow the instructions.
  3. To unzip a single file or folder, double-click the zipped folder to open it. Then, drag or copy the item from the zipped folder to a new location.
   
• Vendor Registration Instructions & Customer Service information: —

  Click here to register onto the City's eProcurement Portal hosted by OpenGov.

  If you are already registered and need help logging in or retrieving your user information simply click on the blue chat bubble on the lower right hand corner of your screen or contact OpenGov at procurement-support@opengov.com for help at any time.

  Customer Service

  For assistance with e-bidding or uploading documents: Contact OpenGov via the blue chat bubble on the lower right hand corner of your screen or email at procurement-support@opengov.com.

  Monday through Friday 5 am - 5 pm PST, except statutory holidays-- response time is typically less than ten minutes.

• Surety2000 Instructions (not used for RFI) —

  (section not used for RFI)

Submission Requirements

• Describe your travel and/or conference registration platform. (required)
• What types of services are included on your platform?
• Do you serve public sector or municipal clients? Please provide examples.
• Can the hotel be billed on net 30 terms?
• Can a primary/admin account be set up with a single administrator with various departments as sub accounts?
• Does your site or service require a pre setup credit account?
• Would your company be willing to respond to a formal competitive solicitation (Bid or RFP) released by the City of Pasadena for the goods or services described in this RFI? (required)
• Can your site or service use our existing southwest business ess account?
• Are there direct fees associated with the service or can it be at no cost to City?
• Attach any additional information you believe is relevant to this RFI
• Select the solutions your system can provide:
• Non-Procurement Selection (required)
• With whom will this list be shared? (required)
• License Requirements (required) —

  Please indicate the specific license requirements.  For example, "C-10 Electrical Contractor; and C-36 Plumbing Contractor."

• Include Pricing Proposal (required)