The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is planning to launch a competition for network and telecommunications equipment, licensing and maintenance services to support existing and emerging requirements.
According to the notice published on the Department of Homeland Security’s Acquisition Planning Forecast System, TSA has an existing Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) for a subset of hardware (specified switches and routers) which expires in 2025. The current incumbent is Akira Technologies Inc.
TSA has made a significant investment in Cisco hardware and software and built its mission-critical applications using Cisco equipment as the platform. The TSA network contains a combination of over 5,000 Cisco devices (e.g. routers, switches, wireless, security, voice over IP, servers and other dedicated appliances) with accompanying software and licensing that deliver high-end network and telecommunication capabilities and connectivity to over 600 TSA sites. The infrastructure is critical and used by all TSA staff including screening officers and law enforcement.
The infrastructure requires annual hardware failure protection, licensing, technical support, bug fixes, vulnerability patches, and maintenance. Additionally, these devices require upgrades or replacement as they near end of life (EOL) and end of service life (EOSL) for TSA to remain Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) compliant and provide a secure network.
Currently, numerous divisions across TSA acquire networking and telecommunications equipment, licensing, maintenance and support, using multiple contracts and task orders to address emerging requirements.
The notice lists June 14, 2024, as the expected solicitation date for the competition.
Image: DHSmonitor