One-Time Pad (OTP)
Past New Requirement Updated
- Agency
-
Customs and Border Protection
Department of Homeland Security
- Solicitation expected
- Estimated value
- $2,000,000 to $5,000,000
- Set-aside
- Total Small Business
Forecast facts
- Anticipated award
- Through
- NAICS code
- 541512 Computer Systems Design Services
- Place of performance
- Ashburn, VA
- Forecast number
- F2026074277
- Points of contact
-
- Christian Painter christian.d.painter@cbp.dhs.gov (703) 462-0583
Forecast details come from DHS's Acquisition Planning Forecast System. Agencies' dates and values are estimates.
About this forecast
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is issuing a task order under a single-award small business IDIQ to assess the feasibility and viability of One-Time Pad (OTP) encryption technology through a pilot program expanding Post Quantum Cryptography capabilities for mission-critical operations, advanced communications networks, and mobile surveillance applications. The pilot will secure communications between Aerostats and Border Patrol Stations, integrate secure links between Mobile Video Surveillance System trucks and Border Patrol Stations, and establish a Quantum Safe Security Operations Center for centralized management, monitoring, and operational support. The solicitation is estimated to release on September 7, 2026, with award targeted for September 28, 2026.
The contract value is estimated between $2 million and $5 million on a firm fixed price basis, with performance running from September 28, 2026 through September 27, 2027. Work is performed in Ashburn, Virginia. Christian Painter, Assistant Supervisory Federal Air Marshal at CBP, serves as the primary point of contact at christian.d.painter@cbp.dhs.gov or (703) 462-0583, with the Aviation Maritime and Border Technologies Contracting Division as the procuring office.
Forecast text
CBP seeks to assess feasibility and viability of One-Time Pad (OTP) technology, through a pilot aimed at expanding the operational use of Post Quantum Cryptography (PQC) to deliver end-to-end security for mission-critical operations, advanced communications networks, and mobile surveillance applications. One-Time Pad (OTP) is a theoretically unbreakable encryption method that provides perfect secrecy, which is vital for further safeguarding CBP personnel and assets in an increasingly hostile operational environment. Key aspects of OTP pilot include securing communications from Aerostats to Border Patrol Stations (BPS) and integrating secure links between Mobile Video Surveillance System (MVSS) trucks and BPS. A Quantum Safe Security Operations Center environment will provide centralized management, monitoring, reporting, communications services, and operational support for the pilot infrastructure. This initiative aligns with CBP's overarching cybersecurity modernization efforts, including its 2024-2028 IT Strategy, which emphasizes strengthening cybersecurity protocols and adopting a zero-trust architecture.
Acquisition Strategy: This is a task order under a CBP single award IDIQ to a small business.
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