IDSS Nabs CBP Contract for Mail Scanners for Opioid Detection

Customs and Border Protection is awarding Integrated Defense & Security Solutions

(IDSS) a contract for four of the company’s DETECT 1000 computed tomography (CT)-based scanners to automatically detect synthetic opioids in mail arriving at international mail facilities and other mail inspection facilities. The value of the award, which includes up to four years of preventative and corrective maintenance and operator training, was not disclosed. CBP says that “IDSS is the only company that provides CT scanners and proprietary maintenance that meet the government’s needs in the interdiction of synthetic opioids withing the international mail stream.” CBP says the DETECT 1000 is the only scanner with an average scan time of less than 10 seconds “that provides greater than 60 percent probability of detection of opioids in quantities of 100 grams or more at demonstrated false detection rate of 10 percent or less in a simulated stream of commerce environment.” The agency also says the scanner was the only CT system to achieve the Transportation Security Administration’s Accessible Property Screening Standard Level 1 detection certification tests. IDSS previously won a Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate Opioid Detection Challenge.

CBP Awards Rapiscan $5M for CT Mail Scanners; Company gets $6M for Checkpoint Scanners

Customs and Border Protection has awarded OSI Systems’ [OSIS] Rapiscan Systems division a $4.9 million contract for computed tomography systems to scan mail. The agency didn’t provide additional detail about the award. In a separate announcement, OSI says it has received a $6 million order to upgrade airport checkpoint inspection systems. The company didn’t say which of its systems it will be providing and who the customer is.

Sevatec Nabs $23M USCIS Task Order for Identity Management Solutions

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has awarded Sevatec a $22.5 million task order to modernize its identity management offerings for public facing information technology systems. Sevatec says it will develop a modern authentication and identity proofing platform, enabling mission delivery through a single, simple, and secure customer experience. The award was made under the General Services Administration’s Alliant 2 Government Wide Acquisition Contract. The company says it will be operating and modernizing complex, large-scale identity management systems for public facing websites and IT systems in the cloud using DevSecOps delivery, mobile development, open source technologies, and agile project management practices. Sevatec is teamed with Excella and Capital Technology Group on the work.

CISA Awards $14M to Endyna for Federal Vulnerability Disclosure Platform

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has awarded a potential $13.5 million, five-year contract to Endyna, Inc., to provide a vulnerability disclosure platform and related services to protect federal civilian networks. The platform, which will launch in early 2021, will allow federal agencies the option of using a centrally-managed system to receive vulnerability information from the public and other agencies to strengthen the security of their internet accessible systems. Endyna, which is based in Northern Virginia, in 2018 began providing a similar platform to the Defense Department under a subcontract to Bugcrowd, Inc. “CISA, designated by the White House as the Cybersecurity Quality Services Management Office in April, will build on its current cyber security offerings to provide a marketplace of services to agencies to protect and defend systems and operations and deliver cyber security solutions that continuously leverage industry innovation, in alignment with the National Cybersecurity Strategy,” says Bryan Ware, CISA’s assistant director for Cybersecurity.

Metric5 Joint Venture Earns Spot on TSA $25M FAST Contract

Metric5 says its joint venture with Octo Consulting Group has been awarded the Mission Support Portfolio on the Transportation Security Administration’s four-year, $25 million Flexible Agile Scalable Teams (FAST) contract, and will provide program management, subject matter and senior technology expertise, agile devops application development, and application production support. FAST leverages industry and government best practices to reduce time to market, improve code quality, and improve customer service. Octo Metric was the only small business awardee and one of only six vendors selected for the FAST contract.

Applied Technology Associates Awarded $18M Air Force CUAS Contract

Applied Technology Associates has received a $17.7 million contract from the Air Force to provide a prototype ground-based directed energy weapon for fixed-site Air Base Air Defense against Group 1 and Group 2 unmanned aerospace system (UAS) threats. ATA says the directed energy counter UAS (CUAS) prototype project involves the development, assembly and test of a prototype system in an operationally relevant environment. In Phase 1, the company will to prototype design, assembly and contractor test. If successful, the Air Force may proceed to Phase 2. Work is expected to be completed by Sept. 10, 2021. “ATA is eager to utilize our extensive heritage in acquisition, tracking and pointing applied to directed energy systems,” says Larry Lloyd, ATA’s vice president of Business Development. “We look forward to building upon our LOCUST counter-UAS product portfolio with this key prototype project.”

Army Selects FirstNet for Public Safety Communications at U.S. Installations

The Army has selected the FirstNet nationwide, high-speed broadband communications platform for public safety communications at 72 installations in the U.S., says AT&T [T], which will provide the services. AT&T says it will deliver nearly 3,200 lines of FirstNet services, more than 3,000 FirstNet-capable devices and more than 700 signal boosters to help improve indoor connectivity. The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet), an independent agency within the federal government, was conceived based on recommendations of the 9/11 Commission to strengthen public safety communications and improve interoperability across the U.S. “FirstNet is helping us improve vital communications on our installations, depots and arsenals, including during catastrophic disasters or emergencies when communications capabilities are strained,” says Col. Kevin Comfort, Command Provost Marshal at Headquarter, Installation Management Command at Joint Base San Antonia at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. “We’re adopting FirstNet because it is designed for public safety professionals with priority, preemption and highly reliable data communications that will improve our overall response and our interoperability with our civilian partners.”