Leidos keeps large TSA airport equipment support contract

The Transportation Security Agency has made its second try at an award of a massive contract for IT and logistics services in support of screening equipment at airports around the U.S.

But this time around, the winner is incumbent Leidos of a new contract potentially worth $926.5 million over up to five years and an initial four-month base period. TSA announced the award in a FedBizOpps notice Wednesday, while contracting records in the Federal Procurement Data System indicate one other company bid for the contract.

Leidos has been the incumbent since 2013 when the company was known as Science Applications International Corp. and had momentarily lost the work when TSA chose Peraton through what was an almost $578 million recompete of the Checkpoint Integrated Logistics Support contract.

Peraton first won the contract in October 2017 and then secured the work three months later after Leidos withdrew a protest against the award. In May 2018, TSA terminated the award to Peraton and almost immediately extended Leidos’ incumbent contract. TSA then issued Leidos another extension in September of last year to gain more time to develop another solicitation for the redone contract.

The winner of the ILS contract is responsible for testing, deployment and maintenance of equipment that checks passengers and baggage for weapons and other possible security threats at 448 domestic airports.