TSA Awards Private Screening Contract for Greater Rochester International Airport

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced Tuesday (May 30) the selection of McNeil Security, Inc., of Springfield, Va. as the private screening contractor for Greater Rochester (N.Y.) International Airport under the Screening Partnership Program (SPP).

“We are looking forward to continuing our working relationship with McNeil, which has been providing screening services here under the SPP pilot program,” said John McCaffrey, TSA’s Federal Security Director (FSD) for Greater Rochester and Elmira-Corning Regional airports.

TSA awarded the contract for security screening services for passenger checkpoint and checked baggage operations from vendors that submitted proposals and are among the 34 private business screening companies identified on TSA’s Qualified Vendor’s List (QVL). The total contract award value, including options, is approximately $46 million. The period of performance consists of a three-month base period commencing on June 19, 2006 and ending on September 30, 2006, and four one-year options with a final completion date of September 30, 2010 (if all options are exercised). Under SPP, the FSD will remain responsible for overseeing TSA security standards and managing contractor performance.

SPP is designed to meet the requirement for the “opt-out” program established in the Aviation and Transportation Security Act of 2001 (ATSA). Since November 19, 2004, airport operators have been allowed to apply to TSA to have screening functions performed by qualified private screening contractors through SPP. Beginning in 2002, ATSA required TSA to conduct a contract screening pilot program (known as the “PP5”) at five airports to evaluate the performance of private screeners relative to federal screeners.

Under ATSA, the pilot program ended on November 19, 2004, but TSA issued bridge contracts to the original PP5 contractors to allow TSA time to develop the rules for application to the SPP, the acquisition process, the QVL and the Requests For Proposals for the new contracts. All the original PP5 airports [San Francisco International, Kansas City International, Greater Rochester International, Jackson Hole Airport (Wyo.), and Tupelo (Miss.) Regional] and one federalized airport at Sioux Falls, S.D. have applied to have qualified contractors perform screening functions. Contracts for Sioux Falls, Jackson Hole, Kansas City, and Tupelo have been awarded. Over the next few months, TSA plans to complete the procurement process for San Francisco, the final PP5 airport.