Test and Evaluation Support Services (TESS)

The Transportation Security Administration awarded this Master IDIQ for Test and Evaluation Support Services (TESS) on September 9, 2010, but ordering closed on March 8, 2016—the vehicle is no longer active and has been closed to new task orders for over a decade.

The 25 task orders issued under TESS funded operational test and evaluation of security technology equipment across all transportation modes, with scope spanning equipment acceptance testing at manufacturer facilities and commercial airports nationwide, field assessments of risk-based security procedures, modeling and simulation support, system evaluation and data collection for technology infrastructure modernization, and development of security equipment qualification standards. Work was performed at TSA headquarters, the TSA Systems Integration Facility, Reagan National Airport, and airport locations throughout the continental United States and its territories.

The vehicle experienced declining ordering momentum, peaking in 2011 with seven orders before settling to 3–6 orders annually through 2014, with the final task order awarded September 22, 2014. Competition was sharply concentrated: Battelle Memorial Institute held 9 orders with $136.2 million in combined potential value, while Engility Services, LLC held 16 orders with $87.8 million—these two primes captured 100 percent of all task orders. All 25 orders served a single customer: TSA. No task orders carried set-aside designations; all were unrestricted.

The vehicle's combined potential value across all task orders was $224 million, with $212.6 million obligated (95 percent of potential value). Task-order values ranged widely: the largest was $38.8 million (systems integration facility test support and equipment procurement), followed by $35.3 million (acceptance testing of security equipment and in-line screening systems) and $31.6 million (acceptance testing at manufacturer locations and commercial airports). Smaller orders ranged from roughly $300,000 to $3 million. Most task orders used Cost Plus Fixed Fee or Firm Fixed Price pricing.

Because the vehicle's ordering authority expired a decade ago and all task orders are now closed out, this vehicle is not a pursuit candidate.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has a requirement for Test and Evaluation Support Services (TESS) in response to the need for operational test and evaluation (OT & E) of security technology equipment. TESS supports TSA's responsibilities in all modes of transportation, and supports stakeholders and organizations associated with transportation security. TESS contractors perform integrated evaluation strategy responsibilities, including all data collection analysis services that support overall Government objectives. Additional responsibilities include identifing necessary data sources, including field testing, modeling and simulation, special studies, and any other relevant sources (i.e., commercial standards, testing by other US government agencies, foreign governments, etc.) to ensure credible, timely, adequately scoped evaluation products that maximize use of test resources.