Selective Travel wins university challenge

Belfast-based Selective Travel secured the prestigious contracts following a nation-wide tendering process for the £4m contract to provide and manage travel for the University of Glasgow, plus a £1.5m travel contract for the University of Sunderland in Newcastle.

“This latest double win totalling £5.5 million in value, follows a major share of a five-year £100 million Framework contract awarded to us in June 2015 by the influential Southern Universities Purchasing Consortium,” said Selective Travel managing director Keith Graham.

“The latest win will add almost £26milion of additional turnover to our business and, as a result of the new contracts, we have increased our staffing levels from 88 to just over 100 employees.”

Working with the University of Glasgow, the fourth oldest in the English speaking world was a privilege he said.

For both Universities we found ourselves competing for business against some of the leading travel companies in the country.

“It was certainly a universities challenge but, armed with our previous experience and considerable expertise in the sector, we were ready for the challenge – and delighted to emerge as winners.”

The new contracts, he added, served to reinforce Selective’s position as one of the leading and fastest growing independent travel management companies in the UK and the largest in Northern Ireland.

“They enhance our growing reputation and market share in the academic sector where our clients already include buying consortia for 400 British Universities and over 20 Higher Educational organisations throughout the UK.

“Today’s universities are large internationally-focused businesses with complex travel requirements. Our role in working with them centres on the management of their travel requirements and delivering the best value, while meeting the client’s duty of care needs.

“The business we already hold in the higher education sector demonstrates not only our considerable expertise, but also our determination to create and maintain a sector lead through outstanding customer care.

“We are looking at these latest wins as very much ‘our starter for ten’.”