*The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) plans to award a potential nine-month, $4.9 million contract extension to Maryland-based Systems Integrations, Inc., to permit a continuation of services by the TSA Contact Center (TCC), which is the public’s point of contact with the agency. The contract extension will have a base seven-month term worth $3.7 million that runs until July 31, 2010, and two one-month options worth $1 million. The extension includes three quarterly award fees totaling $226,638. The extension is necessary while the contract is recompeted. The TCC has a number of responsibilities, including handling phone inquiries and complaints about TSA rules and regulations, responding to emails and other forms of communication, distributing claim and redress forms, and more.
*Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Tohono O’odham Nation of Arizona agreed to develop a Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative-compliant Enhanced Tribal Card (ETC), providing members of the Tohono O’odham a secure and standardized ID card that facilitates travel and trade along the U.S. border. There are over 28,000 enrolled citizens of the Tohono O’odham. The Department of Homeland Security says the agreement is the first step in working with the nation’s tribal partners in the months ahead on dealing with security issues such as secure credentials to emergency preparedness. So far this year CBP has also signed agreements with the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho and the Pascua Yaqui of Arizona and the Seneca Nation of New York. The agency is working with 25 more tribes on the ETC initiative.
*TSA has awarded Safe Passage International, Inc., a $460,615 contract to provide support for the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of training for the Certified Cargo Screening Program (CCSP). The CCSP program is TSA’s effort to meet the congressionally-mandated Aug. 2010 deadline to screen 100 percent of all cargo bound for passenger planes. Safe Passage will develop program training for the public and for third party validators under CCSP.