Explosives Detection System Certification Data Collection- Special Notice.pdf

Special Notice: TSA25-04-0480

Explosives Detection System Data Collection

A. Purpose

The purpose of this special notice is to notify Explosives Detection Systems (EDS) vendors interested in qualifying systems under the next EDS qualification window of an opportunity to participate in a data collection. This data collection opportunity can be used by EDS vendors to inform development and refinement of next generation detection algorithms compliant with Detection Functional Requirements Document (DFRD) 7.3a and notional detection requirements for 8.1a. DFRD 7.3a and 8.1a are expected to be requirements under Electronic Baggage Screening Program (EBSP) 2.0. Participation in this opportunity is not mandatory for participants in the EBSP 2.0 qualification window, but may accelerate their certification and qualification submissions once the qualification window is opened.

B. Data Collection Prerequisites

This data collection opportunity is open to new EDS vendors as well as existing vendors having EDS equipment previously certified by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) or EDS equipment currently qualified by TSA.

Vendors who wish to participate must have an active Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Transportation Security Lab (TSL). Vendors who do not have an active CRADA will be ineligible to participate due to time constraints, but vendors who need to modify their CRADAs to include new systems are anticipated to have time to do so. If modifications are required to existing CRADAs please reach out to Maria Torres (Maria.Torres@st.dhs.gov), with Jim Killmeyer (James.Killmeyer@st.dhs.gov) and EBSPIndustryDay@tsa.dhs.gov copied.

C. Participation

Vendors interested in participating in this data collection must notify TSA via email at EBSPIndustryDay@tsa.dhs.gov no later than July 22, 2025. Vendors must submit an information sheet (Attachment 1) for each model and configuration of EDS to be considered for this data collection. Data collection will be limited to ten (10) physical systems due to space constraints;

however, multiple configurations of a single system may be included in the data collection event provided:

1. No hardware changes are required.

2. Data collection facility staff can enable the configuration change, without vendor help, in less than five (5) minutes of disruption to the data collection process.

EDS proposed for data collection will be prioritized based on the rank order provided by the vendor in each information sheet and in the order they were submitted. The highest ranked system from each vendor will be taken first, in the order they were submitted. If the ten (10) spaces are not filled after each vendor’s highest ranked system has been added, then the second ranked system from each vendor will be added, in the order they were submitted, and so forth until all ten (10) spaces are filled. TSA reserves the right to exclude any EDS deemed unlikely to achieve EBSP 2.0 requirements. At this time, the TSA does not anticipate opening multiple windows of data collection opportunities. Vendors selected for participation in the data collection event will be notified by TSA of which systems were selected by July 31, 2025.

Participating vendors will be fully responsible for all aspects of their equipment during the data collection process including, but not limited to, shipping, coordination, installation, troubleshooting, and decommissioning of equipment. One (1) EDS and one (1) emulator will be required to be installed at two (2) separate Government test facilities; TSL (located in Atlantic City, NJ) and Tyndall Reactive Materials Group (TRMG) (located on Tyndall Air Force Base, FL). Availability of the equipment should be expected from August 2025 for installation at TRMG until as late as June 2026 (subject to change). The exact timing of equipment installation will be coordinated with vendors after they are notified of their selection for the process by July 31, 2025. Additional data collection may be required to be completed at TSL after the data collections planned at TRMG are completed. Note that TSA or vendor-owned equipment currently located at TSL or TRMG is eligible for use for data collection purposes; however, vendors that wish to use TSA-owned equipment must receive written permission from TSA to do so and will be solely responsible for all configuration change expenses before and after testing.

All expenses associated with this data collection opportunity will be the responsibility of the vendor. TSA will not reimburse vendors for any expenses incurred in response to this notice.

Attachments: (1) EDS Information Sheet