TSA looks for administrative software to support Secure Flight

The Transportation Security Administration plans to purchase commercial software to help manage its program to check airline passengers against terrorist watch lists, according to a request for information the agency released on Tuesday.

The contract is part of the Secure Flight program, which TSA began managing in 2009. It requires airlines to collect passengers' date of birth and gender when they make flight reservations. TSA compares the information to data stored on the terrorist watch list.

Because the program is expanding, TSA needs administrative software to supervise onboarding and offboarding of government and contractor staff; equipment, including phones and computers; and facility management issues such as space planning.

The winning contractor will install and configure the software on an existing TSA network and provide training, according to the RFI.

TSA set a deadline of June 28 for contractors to submit a capability statement.

Earlier this month, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that TSA is checking all passengers traveling within the United States and its territories against the terrorist watch list through the Secure Flight program. TSA expects all international carriers with direct flights to the United States to begin using Secure Flight by the end of the year.