Do you have available circular or guidelines on the purchase of airline tickets?
DIRECT RETAIL PURCHASE OF AIRLINE TICKETS
a. Policy Considerations. All procurement of airline tickets shall be done through competitive bidding, except when the Procuring Entity has determined that Direct Retail Purchase is the best modality for the procurement of airline tickets. In case of competitive bidding, other factors such as value-added or related services may also be taken into account in determining the procurement project’s ABC.
b. Definition. Where Goods and Services are required by a Procuring Entity for the efficient discharge of its principal mandate, governmental functions, or day-to-day operations, direct retail purchase of airline tickets may be made by end-users delegated to procure the same from identified direct suppliers or service providers.
c. Conditions. The procurement of airline tickets can be contracted by the end-user to identified direct suppliers or service providers under the following conditions:
ii. For airline tickets:
a) Direct purchase of airline tickets required for official travels within the fiscal year, including provisions for foreseeable emergencies based on historical records, shall be reflected in the APP in its entirety including any amendment thereto which shall be reflected in the supplemental APP;
b) Direct purchase must be made from any commercial airline at fairly reasonable rates, subject to flight availability at the time of booking, travel days, stopovers, routes, additional visa requirements and other reasonable considerations as determined by the enduser;
c) Payment may be made through cash advance, reimbursement or other allowable payment modalities subject to pertinent auditing and accounting rules; and
d) Procurement of airline tickets must be in accordance with existing rules and regulations governing official local and
foreign travels of government personnel and Executive Order No. 77, s. 2019.
In addition, COA Circular 2023-004 dated June 14, 2023 re: Amended Documentary Requirements for Common Government Transactions, under Traveling Expenses, one of the requirements is:
Quotation of plane fare for similar dates, from at least three airline companies/travel agencies or its equivalent. In case of less than three quotations, a certification by the claimant attesting to such
circumstance, signed by his/her supervisor.