One of the UK’s largest independent travel management companies has taken over the high-profile travel account for the Houses of Parliament.

Hillgate Travel won the account from incumbent Carlson Wagonlit Travel following a tender process which involved all the UK’s largest TMCs.

The three-year contract will see Hillgate running the Travel Office for both the House of Commons and House of Lords.

The win comes at a time of unprecedented scrutiny for MPs following the expenses scandal earlier this year.

Hillgate will be responsible for the personal travel requirements of the members of both houses and their associated staffs.

The TMC has been tasked with both bringing travel costs down and putting in place more environmentally-friendly processes.

To this end, the TMC will introduce its own online booking tool before the end of the year.

It also plans to scrap paper invoices replacing them with PDFs to all members.

Another proprietary Hillgate tool – Hillgate Approver – is under discussion for use at the house from 2010 onwards.

Jeremy Bull, Hillgate’s chairman and chief executive, said: “We are delighted to be working for such a prestigious new client at such a high profile moment in its long history.

“Keeping travel costs down and introducing new technology were key drivers of the tender process and we are delighted to be able to deliver both to the house with immediate effects.”

On behalf of the Houses of Parliament, Contract Manager David Weir commented: “Hillgate joins the two Houses at a challenging time for parliament and the public sector in general, and we look forward to working with them to ensure we continue to get the best value for money when MPs and Lords travel on their parliamentary business.”

All staff employed in the onsite facility have transferred and been retained on the account by Hillgate under their TUPE obligations.