Synthetic Data Generation for Property and Passenger Screening
The Department of Homeland Security Office of Procurement Operations has awarded a sole-source contract to Cignal LLC for maturation of synthetic image generation software for checkpoint security screening systems, pursuant to 41 U.S.C. 3304(a)(1) and FAR Class Deviation 25-11.
The justification rests on Cignal's unique proprietary and patented architecture for generating synthetic screening images, retention of all intellectual property rights under previous Silicon Valley Innovation Program Other Transaction Authority agreements, and demonstrated capability that no other vendor has achieved. This is a follow-on to four prior development phases: Phase 1 ($142,465.20), Phase 2 ($199,840.00), Phase 3 ($499,959.72), and Phase 4 ($499,965.60). The contractor will develop and demonstrate software tools that produce synthetic X-ray, computed tomography, and millimeter wave image data suitable for public algorithm development and government development, testing, and evaluation. Cignal will collaborate with end users at DHS Science & Technology Directorate, Transportation Security Administration, and other agencies to validate tools and generated images for machine learning algorithm development, training, testing, and evaluation. Research & Development funding from FY26 supports this effort. The contractor is located in Reedsville, Pennsylvania. The contracting officer certifies anticipated pricing as fair and reasonable based on prior acquisition history.
FY26-0251 Department of Homeland Security Office of Procurement Operations
9/30/26, 2:48 PM Synthetic Data Generation for Property and Passenger Screening
The Department of Homeland Security Office of Procurement Operations intends to award a sole-source contract to Cignal LLC for synthetic data generation supporting property and passenger screening, with a notice-of-intent response deadline of September 7, 2026. The procurement is reserved for a single responsible source under FAR 6.103-1, with no competition anticipated.
The requirement supports the DHS Science and Technology Directorate's Screening at Speed program, which develops machine vision artificial intelligence systems for aviation security that reduce wait times while maintaining screening effectiveness. Cignal's Cignal Engine prototype, a suite of simulation and multi-spectral data lifecycle tools, addresses barriers to acquiring high-quality labeled training data for AI development and operations, including the cost and security sensitivity of threat datasets, manual annotation burden, and dataset scale. The technology requires further maturation before transition to the Transportation Security Administration.
Work is performed at Cignal's location in Reedsville, Pennsylvania. The requirement falls under NAICS 541715 (Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences) with a 1,000-employee size standard, and is coded to PSC AJ12 (General Science and Technology R&D Services). No award value, period of performance, or quantity is specified in this notice of intent.
FY26-0251 Department of Homeland Security Office of Procurement Operations
8/26/26, 3:42 PM