Trinity Technology Group has received a potential $20.9 million contract from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to provide privatized screening at two airports.

Trinity will receive just over $3 million in the first year of the contract, which includes four one-year options.

The contract covers passenger and baggage screening services at Sioux Falls Regional Airport in South Dakota, where Covenant Aviation Security is the incumbent private screening contractor, and Charles Schulz-Sonoma County Airport in California, where Trinity is the incumbent.

Trinity also provides private screening services to an airport in Tupelo, Miss., and seven airports in Montana under contract to the TSA through the Screening Partnership Program (SPP). The contract for the airports in Montana is potentially worth $10.9 million and was awarded in 2009.

The SPP program enables airports to opt-out of using federal screeners for passenger and baggage security services and instead have the private sector compete for that work. The program has never been large, only in use in about 16 airports, and has been limited by TSA from further expansion because the agency doesn’t believe it offers any obvious benefits over those provided by federal screeners (Defense Daily, Feb. 1).