Which travel management software is best for companies without dedicated travel managers?
You don't have a travel manager. You still need policy enforcement, approval controls, and consolidated invoicing. Self-service platforms do what a travel manager would do: enforce policies, flag out-of-policy bookings, and consolidate invoices without the headcount.
What features should you prioritize if you don't have a travel manager?
Policy enforcement at search: The platform filters results so employees only see compliant options based on your rules; no need to memorize per diem limits or preferred vendors.
Out-of-policy controls: Bookings that fall outside your rules get flagged for review before completion, giving you oversight without dedicated headcount.
Consolidated invoicing: One invoice covers all bookings with project codes attached, eliminating manual reconciliation.
Cancellation flexibility: Some modern platforms and fares can provide refunds rather than travel credits when plans change, but this is limited to specific providers, fare types, and conditions, and credits remain common.
Incidental coverage: Crews check in without personal credit cards, eliminating reimbursement delays.
Time savings: Manual booking takes over 30 minutes across multiple sites. Automated platforms cut that to under 90 seconds. Expense reports save 24 minutes each through mobile receipt capture.
Do self-service platforms work for crew-based travel?
Consumer platforms like Expedia and Booking.com fail for crew-based operations because they lack group travel management, consolidated invoicing, and embedded policy enforcement at booking.
When you book 10 rooms for a crew on Expedia, you get 10 separate transactions, 10 expense reports, and zero centralized visibility. Corporate platforms let you manage the entire crew from one interface, modify stays in bulk when project timelines change, and receive one consolidated invoice.
RMS Energy's finance team was spending hours chasing receipts for month-end reconciliation while losing money on forfeited bookings when project timelines shifted. With FlexPro and Direct Bill, one monthly invoice replaced dozens of contractor receipts, saving $87K on stay modifications and cutting receipt-chasing time by 4x.
What's the difference between travel management software and working with a TMC?
Cost and control.
TMCs charge $5–$35 per transaction component; a single trip with flight, hotel, and car could cost $15–$105 in fees alone. Some self-service platforms offer tiers as low as $0–$15 per user monthly, while others use flat monthly or percentage-based per-booking fees that can fall outside this range.
TMCs often make sense for complex international travel. Self-service wins for routine domestic trips where employees can navigate pre-approved options.
How do you prevent unauthorized spending without a travel manager watching every booking?
Spending limits enforced at search: Set per-night limits by city or employee level. Out-of-policy options are hidden or flagged for review.
Out-of-policy controls: Configure thresholds that flag exceptions for the right approver. Everything under threshold proceeds without review.
Visibility into spend: Dashboards show travel spend by department, project, and employee so you can spot issues quickly.
For Sims Crane, projects shifted constantly due to equipment delays and weather, which previously meant forfeited bookings and budget overruns. With Engine's policy controls and FlexPro, they avoided $40K+ in modification fees and book 5x faster.
Which platform works best for companies without dedicated travel staff?
The right platform doesn't just track spending after the fact; it prevents problems before money leaves your account. Look for zero-fee models, policy enforcement at search, consolidated invoicing, and cancellation protection.
Engine's $0 platform cost, construction-specific features like job code tagging, and verified results from companies like Sims Crane and RMS Energy make it worth evaluating for crew-based operations.
