The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) last month awarded private airport security screener Covenant Aviation Security, LLC, a potential $404.9 million contract to provide security screening services at San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
Covenant is already providing private screening services to SFO under a previous award from TSA.
The contract is for four-years and nine-months if all options are exercised. The award was made on March 31 and was announced April 6. Under TSA’s Screening Partnership Program (SPP), airports may choose not to use TSA screeners and instead hire private screeners.
However, in January TSA Administrator John Pistole decided to limit the SPP program to the current 16 participating airports, saying that the program has no obvious benefits (TR2, Feb. 16).
Pistole’s action prompted Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), chairman of a House committee that has oversight of aviation security and a staunch proponent of SPP, to say he would launch a review of the matter.
In addition to SFO, TSA soon plans to make awards for private screening services for several other airports that are already participating in the SPP. Last week the agency extended existing contracts for three to four months at four airports until it completes ongoing competitions.
The airports and their existing private service screening companies include: Joss Foss Sioux Falls Regional Airport in South Dakota (Covenant); Kansas City International (FirstLine Transportation Security); Greater Rochester International, N.Y. (McNeil Technologies); and Tupelo Regional, Miss. (Trinity Technology Group). Covenant is a subcontractor to Trinity at Tupelo.
For the SPP competition at Sioux Falls TSA plans to award the prime contract to a small business. Covenant has teamed with a small Colorado firm Excalibur Associates to compete for that award.