Morpho Nabs Spain Airports Contract for 290 Itemiser 4DX ETDs
Safran Group’s Morpho Detection subsidiary in December said it won a contract from Spain national airport operator Aena, S.A. to supply and service 290 Itemiser 4DX desktop explosive trace detectors (ETDs) following a competitive round of operational testing. Morpho says its system was selected to meet new European Union requirements for enhanced passenger screening at more than 20 airports throughout Spain. Morpho’s local partner on the deal is Alava Ingenieros. The award is the largest global order so far for the Itemiser 4DX.
Implant Sciences to Supply Canadian Agency with 122 ETDs; Ships to Global Customers
Implant Sciences [IMSC] says it has received an order from the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) for up to 122 QS-B220 desktop explosive trace detectors (ETDs) to be deployed at a number of airports in Canada by the end of June for passenger and baggage screening. The order is the first for Implant with CATSA. Separately, the company says it has shipped more than $5 million of its QS-B220 and handheld QS-H150 ETDs across five continents over the past two months. These shipments do not include orders placed by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, which have also begun to ship to airports across the U.S., the company says.
CATSA Awards Xovis Contract for Passenger Tracking Sensors
Switzerland’s Xovis AG says it has received a contract from the Canadian Air Transport Authority (CATSA) for the purchase and supply of sensors to anonymously track the flow of passengers and predict processing times of passengers at Canadian airport security checkpoints. The sensors will be integrated with CATSA’s Boarding Pass Security System. Xovis’ sensors are already installed at Edmonton International Airport and will be installed in the new terminal at Calgary International Airport, with a further nationwide rollout possible following an assessment at these locations. “This large rollout further strengthens our leading position in the passenger flow measurement sector for airports,” says David Studer, CEO of Xovis.
Vencore Wins $96M DHS Task Order to Support USCIS
Vencore, Inc. says it has received a potential five-year $96 million task order called Joint Engineering Teams-Sustainment (JETS) under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) EAGLE II contract. Vencore will provide U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) with high-productivity, agile development services and lean processes focused on the efficient and effective sustainment of the IT applications and systems currently in production at the department. Vencore says it will join industry peers and federal employees, working collaboratively in an open environment, to provide support in architecture and design, processes and practices, continuous integration and continuous delivery, testing and quality assurance. “USCIS is a frontrunner in evolving mission-critical systems and technologies to support the government’s efforts to effectively manage immigration services,” says Mac Curtis, president and CEO of Vencore. “Vencore is confident it can provide unparalleled service to USCIS by bringing expertise in portfolio-level agile approaches and collaborative development and operations.” JETS is Vencore’s second task order win on EAGLE II.
Pyramid Systems Nabs Potential $81M JETS Order to Support USCIS
Pyramid Systems, Inc. has received a potential five-year $81 million task order under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Joint Engineering Teams-Sustainment (JETS) for biometrics as the prime contractor. Under the JETS task order, Pyramid and its teaming partner Five 9 Group, Inc. will provide Agile services for enhancement and operations and maintenance of current biometrics applications used for U.S. immigration-related efforts. JETS was awarded under the DHS EAGLE II contract.
TSA Increases GD’s STIP Contract
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has added $5.5 million to General Dynamics’ [GD] existing contract for the Security Technology Integrated Program (STIP), bringing the total value of the award to $27 million. GD won the STIP contract in Dec. 2013. The purpose of the program is to network transportation security equipment across all airports into a centralized data management system. In 2016 GD’s additional STIP funding will be used for algorithm switching related to checked baggage explosives detection systems, credential authentication technology-personal identity verification security, secure remote validation, continued support for security equipment integration, and support of a biometrics authentication technology proof of concept. TSA is the process of competing a new Blanket Purchase Agreement for STIP.
DHS Awards $42M to Six University Centers of Excellence
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate has awarded task orders worth $42 million over five years to six university Centers of Excellence (COEs), allowing the department’s components to continue awarding task orders for homeland security-relat4ed research, development, analysis and services aligned with the thrust focus area of the COEs. The awardees and the potential value of the task orders are: the Univ. of Maryland-led Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, $15 million; the Univ. of Alaska at Anchorage-led Arctic Domain Awareness, $6 million; the Stevens Institute of Technology-led Maritime Security Center, $6 million; the Rutgers Univ.-led Visualization and Data Analytics, $5 million; the Kansas State Univ.-led Foreign Animal and Zoonotic Disease Defense, $5 million; and the Jackson State Univ. (Miss.)-led Coastal Hazards Center, $5 million. The new task orders run from FY ’16 to FY ’20.
Veterans Affairs Awards AtHoc $20M for Crisis Comms
Blackberry’s [BBRY] AtHoc unit has received a multi-year $20 million award from the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide enterprise-wide crisis communications. The award is a delivery order against NASA’s Solution for Enterprise-Wide Procurement Government-wide Acquisition Contract and continues AtHoc’s support of the VA Notification System and VA Personnel Accountability System. AtHoc’s system includes alerts across telephones, text, pagers, fax, desktops, smart phones, and integration with other VA systems such as digital media.