The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology (S&T) has issued a Broad Agency Announcement that aims to develop, build and evaluate prototype kiosks that integrate credential authentication and explosives trace detection technology for use at security checkpoints.
If vendors submit viable proposals, the agency hopes to award at least one, and possibly up to three, contracts for the Kiosk Access Control Point (KACP) technology development effort, S&T says in a recent FedBizOpps announcement.
But S&T doesn’t expect to use a lot of money for the effort. It says about $2 million will be available for all awards under the project.
S&T is using a two-step proposal selection process for the solicitation, with an Industry Day slated for Dec. 6 in Arlington, Va., and white papers due Dec. 13. The white papers will be evaluated and those proposals that are accepted will be invited to participate in the second step, which will consist of the solicitation, receipt, and evaluation of a full proposal.
The KACP program has two primary objectives. First is for the system to be able to reliably verify and authenticate government-issued photo credentials such as passports and driver’s licenses, and credit cards and other personal identification forms.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has already begun the move to automated credential authentication, with small initial awards last month to three companies for Credential Authentication Technology/Boarding Pass Scanner Systems (CAT/BPSS). The agency will begin pilot testing the systems at airport checkpoints beginning early next year.
Currently a TSA Travel Document Checker (TDC) manually inspects a person’s ID and boarding pass with the help of a low-technology system. With CAT/BPSS, the TDC will scan the ID while the passenger scans their own boarding pass with the system automatically corroborating the ID and pass and authenticating the documents as well.
S&T doesn’t say that the KACP will be used to authenticate a boarding pass, raising questions about how it might be used at least at an aviation security checkpoint.
The second objective of the KACP is to integrate trace chemical analysis of the ID documents for explosive analytes of interest. The analytes may include commercial, military and homemade explosives such as TNT, NG, TATP, RDX and PETN. Recognizing that no detection system can detect all analytes of interest, S&T wants offerors to propose systems that reliable identify a maximum number of analytes of interest. The agency will provide a full list of analytes of interest to offerors whose white papers are selected to submit proposals.
Under any award, S&T says a contractor will have one-year to complete design and development of the KACP, including going through a preliminary design review and critical design review (CDR). After the CDR, DHS will determine whether to proceed to the next phase, which is expected to be for six months, and include fabrication, test and delivery of two KACP systems. The systems will be delivered and installed in S&T’s Transportation Security Laboratory, which typically certifies that systems meet requirements for explosives detection.
White papers are due by Jan. 9, 2012, and invitations to submit a full proposal will are scheduled to be sent on Feb. 9, 2012. Full proposals are due on March 12 and notification of selection for award negotiations is expected on April 25.
Some of the performance parameters of the kiosk include relatively lightweight, 150-pounds maximum, with the goal weight beings less than 75-pounds, a user-friendly touch screen interface, trace and credential analysis in less than 15 seconds after correct identification document insertion, and in the event of a trace alarm or credential alert, the kiosk should be available to screen the next ID within one minute of previous document insertion. The kiosks should also be networked so that a security officer can view the status of each system.
Noting that few companies possess the in-house capabilities to do document checking and explosives trace detection, S&T encourages companies and even federally funded research and development centers to team on any proposals. One firm that stands out with having the requisite capabilities in-house is Safran Group’s Morpho business, which has trace detection through the acquisition of General Electric’s former homeland protection business, and document authentication through the purchase of L-1 Identity Solutions’ identity management business.
[Sol. No. BAA1203. Contact: Fernando Soto-Perez, contract specialist, [email protected], 202-254-5345]