Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is considering integrating its disparate large-scale inspection systems used to scan vehicles and cargo at the nation’s ports of entry by connecting them to a larger network, the agency said last Friday.
A Request for Information seeks feedback on whether vendor agnostic integration platforms currently exist to connect the non-intrusive inspection (NII) systems), manage the data from the X-ray systems, and integrate with CBP information technology architecture using open architecture, the agency said in the May 24 notice in the federal procurement site Sam.gov.
CBP uses the NII systems to scan passenger vehicles and cargo conveyances for illicit goods and materials threats as they enter the U.S. The agency buys this equipment from companies such as Leidos [LDOS], OSI Systems [OSIS], and Smiths Detection.
Ideally, CBP said the integrated platform solutions will integrate with other agency platforms that host truck manifest and import cargo data, technology platforms such as biometric entry and exit used for international travel, pipe data to port of entry or regional control centers, have a standard user interface and image analysis tool set, and automate data collection.
CBP wants vendor responses by June 21.