The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) last week announced a number of new additions to its qualified vendors list for next-generation checkpoint baggage scanners, increasing competition ahead of the next contracting round.
Under the checkpoint property screening systems (CPSS) program, TSA now has nine qualified systems across its three configurations: base, mid-size and full-size.
Last year and again early this year, TSA awarded Analogic the first contracts under the CPSS program. At the time, the company was the only one whose checkpoint computed tomography (CT) system was on the qualified product list for all configurations.
As of last Monday, TSA had deployed 259 of Analogic’s ConneCt system, mostly in the mid-size configuration, an agency spokesman told Defense Daily last Friday. Deployments of the company’s base system just began and full-size deployments started in January 2023.
This fall, Smiths Detection earned the mid-size qualification of its HI-SCAN 6040 CTiX system and, last week, the company’s scanner was added to the base and full-size qualified list as well. Smiths Detection several years ago won the original TSA contract for 300 checkpoint CT systems, but that was under an earlier program called AT/CT. The CPSS program requires a higher threat detection standard.
The 6040 CTiX systems supplied by Smiths under the AT/CT effort have all be deployed to various U.S. airports.
Also added to the qualified products list is Integrated Defense and Security Solutions (IDSS) in the mid-size category, and the Dutch company Scarabee, for both mid- and full-size configurations. Scarabee doesn’t make a CT system but the company does provide the screening lanes that the scanners are integrated with.
Notably, Leidos [LDOS] did not make the qualified list for its checkpoint CT system. The company, along with Analogic, IDSS, and Smiths are the only ones that have been developing CT systems for the checkpoint.
TSA is expected to eventually purchase about 2,400 checkpoint CT systems. The next contracting round is expected around March 2023.
The base configuration refers to the CT system integrated with traditional ingress and egress roller tables for passengers to load and retrieve their carry-on items. The base lane also includes a manual diverter for potential threat items.
In addition to the CT scanner, all configurations also include primary and alternate viewing stations.
The mid-size screening lanes have powered ingress and egress conveyors, roller tables on the front and back ends of the scanner, and an automatic diverter system for suspect items. The full-size system includes three parallel divesting stations for multiple passengers, automated bin return, an automatic diverter system for suspect bags and an automated secondary screening subsystem, powered ingress and egress conveyors, and a high-threat containment unit.