Trinity Technology Group has received a potential one-year $7.8 million award from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to prove private screening services at four airports in western Montana after the agency terminated a contract with a joint venture for the same services.
TSA terminated for default on Oct. 1 a potential five-year $28.6 million it had awarded in May 2014 to a joint venture between Comprehensive Security Services, Inc. and FirstLine Transportation Security, Inc. for the private screening services under the Screening Partnership Program (SPP). An agency spokeswoman tells HSR that the contract was terminated for default because the joint venture was “unable to meet the requirements as set forth in the terms of their contract.”
In the FedBizOpps.gov site, TSA says that the joint venture had “multiple deficiencies” that led to the contract termination.
TSA selected Trinity to provide the checkpoint and checked baggage screening services at Bert Mooney, Bozeman Yellowstone International, Glacier Park International, and Yellowstone Airports, because the company is already providing screening services to five airports in eastern Montana under a separate contract in the SPP program. The agency also says that Trinity is the only small business that that expressed an interest for the airports in western Montana.
Trinity in Dec. 2014 won a $9.2 million contract to provide private screening services to the five airports in eastern Montana. The company was the incumbent contractor for the airports.
With the contract termination and simultaneous award to Trinity, TSA also sent about 80 National Deployment Officer to three of the airports in western Montana to ensure a smooth transition to the new contractor. The fourth airport is seasonal and isn’t operating at the moment.
The TSA spokeswoman says that as part of the transition to Trinity, Comprehensive Security and FirstLine employees will be offered first right of refusal for position with Trinity. The TSA’s National Deployment Officers will provide security screening operations until Trinity is able to assume full responsibility for security screening services.
The spokeswoman also says the “TSA is reserving the right to assess administrative costs associated with the termination of the contract.” Those costs include reimbursement for the deployment of the National Deployment Officers.
TSA is planning to recompete the screening work for the four airports and a “timeline is in development,” the spokeswoman says.
The SPP program allows airports to opt-out of relying on federal screeners in favor of private contractors to provide screening services at security checkpoints and for checked baggage.