Boarding Pass Scanner

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is conducting market research to determine small business interest, capability, and socio-economic category of potential sources for the manufacture, delivery, and maintenance of Boarding Pass Scanners (BPS), to include hardware, firmware, and software necessary to scan and process data from a boarding pass or other external sources (such as a networked database) and display the results to the user. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified small business sources; (2) the socio-economic category of small businesses; HUBZone; service-disabled, veteran owned, woman owned, 8(a), etc; and (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method and whether a set-aside is possible. BACKGROUND The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was created to strengthen the security of the nation's transportation systems and ensure the freedom of movement for people and commerce. TSA uses a risk based strategy and works closely with transportation, law enforcement, and intelligence communities to set the standard for excellence in transportation security. The mission of TSA's Office of Acquisition Program Management (OAPM) is to deliver innovative, mission-driven capabilities required by the front line to safeguard America's transportation system. The focus of Risk Based Screening (RBS) is to screen the traveling public in a manner suited for an individual's risk level. In order to appropriately screen for an individual's risk level, Secure Flight provides a passenger's vetting status. The BPS units will be used to retrieve this information along with other relevant passenger information that is located within the barcode on the boarding pass. Several applications exist, including but not limited to, being used as a prescreening device (informing the passengers if they are in the Pre-Check lane or standard lane) and being used by the Traveler Document Checker (TDC) to retrieve a passenger's vetting status for screening purposes. BPS HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS 1. The BPS unit shall adhere to the latest version of the BPS Functional Requirements Document (FRD), Attachment A. 2. Regardless of airline carrier or boarding pass origin, the BPS shall always display SSS (Secondary Security Screening) if this vetting status is contained in field 18 of the barcode. Along with the SSS vetting status, the passenger's name, flight number, flight date, carrier code and risk status for each valid Pre-Check airline boarding pass shall be displayed. 3. The BPS unit shall be able to decrypt and read all Pre-Check airlines boarding pass barcodes in both paper and mobile form if the airline has joined the Mobile Boarding Pass Program. 4. The BPS unit shall display appropriate error messages when the boarding pass is not the correct format, when the flight is not departing from the unit's airport, when the flight date is not within +/- 24 hours, when the digital signature is not present, when the digital signature is not validated by the private key on the unit, and when the unit cannot validate the carrier code. 5. The BPS unit shall have all current Pre-Check airline public and private keys at the time of shipment from the Contractor's facility. The Contractor is responsible for coordinating and obtaining these public keys from the Pre-Check airlines and ensuring all boarding pass types produced by all TSA Pre-Check carriers are readable by the unit. 6. The BPS units shall weigh less than 15 pounds and have dimensions no greater than 12 inches by 12 inches by 12 inches. For handheld units, the unit shall weigh no more than 10 ounces and shall have the center of mass be behind the handle. 7. The Contractor shall provide BPS units capable of running on rechargeable battery power and AC power. Each unit shall come with two (2) rechargeable batteries, one (1) battery charger capable of charging the batteries separate from the BPS unit, and a stanchion mounting bracket with similar if not identical size dimensions to the Lavi Stanchions model number Beltrac 3000. Each BPS shall come with all items needed for the unit to function on AC and battery power (Cables, power adapters, etc.). 8. Excepted maintenance will be required to repair broken units. RESPONSE INFORMATION In order for the TSA to improve its understanding of market capabilities from small businesses and identify qualified small business vendors that are capable of providing the required supplies and services, a Contractor's Capabilities Statement is requested. This statement must identify your company's capabilities to meet the requirements identified above and in the attached DRAFT BPS FRD, Full Company Name, DUNS Number, Company Point of Contact, mailing address and phone number, Current Business Size (i.e., small business, 8(a), woman owned, veteran owned, etc.), and what experience you have providing similar and/or same supplies and services. The capabilities statement shall not exceed two (2) pages in length and shall be in either PDF or MS Word Format. Please send responses with a subject heading of "Boarding Pass Scanners". Send your capability statements and any questions to Jessica Quinones at Jessica.Quinones@tsa.dhs.gov by 10:00 AM Eastern Time on March 30, 2018. Telephone responses will not be accepted. Future information about this acquisition, including issuance of a solicitation and/or applicable amendments, will be issued through FedBizOpps (www.fbo.gov). Interested parties are responsible for ensuring they have the most up-to-date information regarding this acquisition. This Sources Sought Notice is issued solely for informational and planning purposes only and is not a solicitation. A Government requirement for this service is being developed, and a contract may or may not result. This notice does not constitute a commitment by the Government. All information submitted in response to this announcement is voluntary, and the Government will not pay for information requested nor will it compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing information provided to the Government. Please note: All contractors doing business with the Federal Government must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database. The website for registration is www.sam.gov.