TSA besieged by protests

Northrop Grumman Corp. and Avue Technologies Corp. recently filed protests with the Government Accountability Office and the Federal Aviation Administration Office of Dispute Resolution for Acquisition concerning contract awards worth a total $3.2 billion.

Northrop Grumman is protesting
Transportation Security
Administration's a decision not to
consider it as a finalist for the $2
billion Information Technology
Infrastructure Program contract.
Unisys Corp. had already filed a
protest with GAO, objecting to its
omission from the list of finalists
for TSA's ITIP contract.

Flaws might exist in TSA's conduct
of the procurement, Northrop
said. GAO has until Oct. 29 to issue
a decision, the agency's Web site
states.

Avue is protesting the agency's
recent award of a $1.2 billion
human resources contract to
Lockheed Martin Corp. The company
alleges that TSA did not follow
procurement rules, including proper
evaluation of pricing.

The chairman of the House
Homeland Security Committee had
criticized TSA for its decision to
outsource management of the more
than 40,000 transportation security
officers employed by the agency.