International Travel Management & Fieldwork Support Services

01 Invitation

Project Earth invites proposals from suitably qualified travel agencies, independent travel specialists and travel management firms to provide international travel management and fieldwork support services.

This invitation is open internationally. Applicants of any size and from any country are welcome to respond, provided they can demonstrate the capability described in this document.

This is a request for a continuing service appointment, not a request to quote for a single fixed itinerary. The appointed provider would support a changing programme of trips over the term of the contract, as and when Project Earth approves them.

02 About Project Earth

Project Earth supports grassroots, community-led infrastructure and development. Communities identify their own priorities, and local Project Sponsors lead projects with technical, project-management and funding coordination from Project Earth.

The Travel & Support programme connects independent travel, community participation and prospective projects. Travellers visit less-documented places, meet and listen to local communities, and may help identify community-led opportunities that could later become Project Earth projects. Travellers act as facilitators and connectors; they are not presumed to be Sponsors or project managers and cannot promise funding.

The appointed travel provider handles travel logistics. Project selection, fieldwork objectives, community engagement and project decisions remain entirely with Project Earth and the communities concerned.

03 Objectives

Project Earth seeks a provider that can deliver:

• Reliable international travel support for Project Earth participants.
• Practical access to remote and less-documented destinations, including places with limited transport and little online booking information.
• Affordable and flexible arrangements, including extended stays for fieldwork and remote working.
• Central coordination through one principal point of contact.
• Accurate and efficient travel administration: quotations, approvals, bookings, documents, changes and invoices.
• Attention to traveller safety, with clear information on risks, insurance and escalation.
• Clear, regular reporting on trips, costs and issues.

04 Scope of Services

The services are expected to include the following, as instructed by Project Earth for each approved trip.

• Transport: international and domestic flights; airport and local transfers; ferries; rail; buses; local and private transport; vehicle hire with or without driver; and alternative routes where scheduled services are infrequent or disrupted.
• Accommodation: hotels and guesthouses, local lodges, homestays where they have been assessed as suitable, serviced apartments, remote-work stays with adequate connectivity and workspace, and negotiated rates for longer stays.
• Remote-location research: identifying and confirming options in places with infrequent transport, sparse or no online booking, and suppliers that can only be confirmed directly by phone, message or local contact.
• Visa, entry and transit guidance: current entry, visa, transit and documentation requirements for each traveller, with referral to a qualified or regulated immigration adviser where formal immigration advice is needed.
• Travel insurance: advice and arrangement of suitable cover for medical treatment, emergency evacuation, cancellation and remote fieldwork, with any exclusions explained explicitly to Project Earth and the traveller.
• Itineraries: detailed, revisable itineraries for each trip, with itemised costs, supplier contacts, booking references, known risks and alternatives.
• Changes and disruption: handling cancellations, missed connections, extensions, early returns and emergencies, with clearly defined after-hours support arrangements.

Proposals should describe after-hours and emergency support exactly as it would actually be provided, including hours, response times and limits. Project Earth does not expect, and will not accept, claims of rescue or emergency response services that the tenderer does not actually deliver.

05 Participant Types

The provider may be asked to arrange travel for:

• The Project Earth Founder and staff.
• Independent travellers taking part in the Travel & Support programme.
• Volunteers.
• Local Project Sponsors.
• Technical professionals, such as engineers and specialists.
• Project partners.

Taking part in a trip does not automatically give a traveller Sponsor status or any other role within Project Earth. Roles are confirmed separately by Project Earth.

06 Seven-Stage Travel Workflow

Travel arranged under this appointment would follow these seven stages:

1. Stage 1 — Enquiry: A prospective traveller or Project Earth team member raises a travel need with Project Earth.
2. Stage 2 — Project Earth assessment: Project Earth assesses the purpose, suitability, participants and scope of the trip.
3. Stage 3 — Approved travel brief: Project Earth issues an approved travel brief to the provider, setting out objectives, travellers, dates or flexibility, destinations, requirements and budget limits.
4. Stage 4 — Quotation and options: The provider returns an itemised quotation with practical options, including costs, conditions, cancellation terms and known risks.
5. Stage 5 — Approval before booking: Project Earth approves the selected option in writing. No booking is made and no expense is incurred before this approval.
6. Stage 6 — Field travel support: The provider supports the traveller with bookings, documents, changes and disruption during the trip. Project Earth retains responsibility for fieldwork, community engagement and project management.
7. Stage 7 — Expense close-out and reporting: The provider reconciles all costs, refunds and credits, issues final invoices and reports on the trip.

07 Geographic Coverage

Project Earth currently anticipates possible travel to the following countries: Fiji, Nepal, Indonesia, Kenya, Vanuatu, Madagascar, Bangladesh, Guatemala, Peru, India, Ghana, Uganda, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands.

These destinations are prospective. Listing them is not a guarantee of any booking, trip or volume of travel to any country, and the list may change. Tenderers should state which of these countries they can support directly, through partners, or not at all.

08 Commercial Terms

Tenderers are invited to propose a transparent fee model. Acceptable structures include:

• Transaction fees per booking.
• Per-trip management fees.
• A retainer.
• A combination of the above.
• Potential payments linked to verified performance or verified savings.

Tenderers should disclose in full all supplier commissions, incentives, override payments, mark-ups, cancellation and change charges, and any other remuneration they would receive in connection with Project Earth travel.

There is no minimum booking volume guarantee. Project Earth will not pay costs that it has not authorised in advance.

09 Technology and Systems

Proposals should explain how the provider would manage:

• Travel instructions and approved travel briefs.
• Quotations and written approvals.
• Booking documents and itineraries.
• Invoices and expense reporting.
• Cancellations, credits and refunds.
• Security and privacy of traveller personal data.
• Communication with travellers in low-connectivity locations, for example by messaging apps, SMS or offline documents.

The provider should be able to work alongside Project Earth’s own central systems. Project Earth will not require travellers or staff to adopt a complex proprietary platform as a condition of service.

10 Local Economic Participation

Where suitable and reliable options exist, Project Earth prefers locally owned transport, accommodation and guiding services, so that travel spending supports the communities visited.

This preference is balanced against safety, quality and cost. Tenderers should explain how they identify, assess and use local providers.

11 Tenderer Qualifications

Tenderers should provide information on:

• Ownership and company profile.
• Licences, registrations and industry accreditations.
• Financial stability and insurance held, including professional indemnity and public liability.
• Experience arranging travel to remote and less-documented destinations.
• Experience with NGO, volunteer or professional travel, where applicable.
• Experience arranging long stays.
• Staffing and account management.
• Emergency and after-hours service levels.
• References from comparable clients.

Small and specialist agencies are welcome to apply.

12 Submission Requirements

Written tenders should be organised in eight parts:

• Part A — Understanding of Project Earth and its Travel & Support model.
• Part B — Methodology for delivering the services described in this document.
• Part C — Geographic capability, country by country.
• Part D — Staffing and account management.
• Part E — Commercial proposal, with all fees, commissions, incentives and other remuneration fully disclosed.
• Part F — Technology, administration and reporting.
• Part G — Comparable experience and references.
• Part H — Any qualifications, assumptions or departures from these conditions, and proposed contract terms.

13 Evaluation Criteria

Tenders will be evaluated against the following weighted criteria:

Project Earth may request clarifications, interviews or comparative sample itineraries from tenderers during evaluation.

The lowest-priced tender will not necessarily be selected.

14 Appointment

• Project Earth proposes to appoint one principal travel services provider.
• The initial contract term is 12 months.
• Extension of the term is possible, subject to negotiation.
• Contract terms will be negotiated with the preferred tenderer.
• Project Earth retains the right to source specialist services, including specialist local providers, separately where necessary.

15 Conditions of Tender

• This invitation is not a binding offer and does not create a contract or any obligation to appoint.
• Project Earth may reject any tender, accept any tender, negotiate with one or more tenderers, amend this invitation, or close it without making an appointment.
• Tenderers bear their own costs of preparing and submitting a tender and of any clarification or interview.
• Information identified by a tenderer as confidential will be treated confidentially, subject to law.
• Any eventual contract will address liability, insurance, privacy and data protection, financial authorisations, cancellation, service standards and dispute resolution.

16 Tender Enquiries and Submissions

Status: OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS. There is no fixed closing date.

Written tenders should be sent by email to project.earth.mw@gmail.com. Questions may be asked by email, or on WhatsApp by registered users after signing in.

Please quote the tender reference PE-RFP-TRAVEL-001 in the subject line of every email.

Project Earth may review submissions as they are received and may close this invitation once an appointment is made.