The Situation

A globally active International NGO (INGO) faced delays in their travel approval process, which, while ensuring compliance, also introduced inefficiencies and increased travel costs. Bookers reported missed opportunities to secure lower fixed fares due to the time lag between request and approval.

Additionally, dissatisfaction with the approval system led to off-contract bookings, which weakened visibility, disrupted audit trails, and limited financial control.

Our Solution: Making Efficiency and Compliance Work Together

Through close collaboration with Finance, Governance, IT, and Procurement stakeholders, Key Travel helped redesign the INGO’s travel and procurement workflow to prioritise both efficiency and control. 

Key improvements included: 

  • Integration of internal approval data: A unique booking code was generated from the internal “form fill,” reducing duplication and manual input.

  • Annualised Purchase Orders (POs): Transitioning from individual booking POs to department-level annual POs minimised delays and reduced administrative burden.

  • Streamlined data entry: A dropdown list of pre-coded payment options improved user experience and booking speed.

  • Automated, policy-aligned approval workflows: Approvers could now review bookings with clear coding, contextual notes, and visibility of lower-cost alternatives, enabling faster, more informed decisions.

The Impact: Efficiency Gains That Translate Into Mission Value

  • Booking speed doubled: The time from quote to booking was cut in half, enabling staff to access more cost-effective travel options.

  • Achieved over £1 million in confirmed savings: Full-year data shows that savings surpassed the £0.5m projection from the initial phase, exceeding £1 million in total.

  • Increased access to lower fares: With faster approvals, the organisation could book less flexible, but significantly cheaper fare types.

  • Online booking adoption surged to 75%+, reducing transaction fees and further improving policy compliance.

  • Improved data integrity and audit readiness: Enhanced visibility across departments now supports better reporting and donor accountability.

 

Why this matters?

For INGOs, every pound saved through efficiency is a pound redirected to mission-critical activity. By removing friction in the travel process, Key Travel not only delivered financial savings, we helped the organisation become more agile, accountable, and focused on delivering humanitarian impact.