TSA concurred with this recommendation. TSA’s test and evaluation  process is guided by DHS and TSA policies. TSA Has Identified Technologies to Meet Mission Needs, but Failures during Testing Have Contributed to Acquisition Inefficiencies

Consistent with departmental guidance and acquisition best practices,  TSA’s test and evaluation process supports its acquisition decisions by  providing information regarding the ability of passenger and baggage  screening technologies to meet mission needs prior to full production  decisions. Only Half of Screening Systems Tested in the Last 5 Years Passed Testing and TSA Procured Almost All of the Successful Systems

Of the 22 PSP and EBSP systems TSA and DHS tested from June 2010  to July 2015, 11 successfully completed qualification and operational  testing, and TSA procured all but one of the 11. Too Soon to Tell Whether TSA’s Actions to Ensure Technology Maturity Will Address All Factors Contributing to Acquisition Inefficiencies

TSA has acknowledged the need to better ensure technology maturity at  the start of testing to improve the efficiency of its test and evaluation  process. In addition to other efforts, a key action TSA is taking to achieve  this goal is developing a third party testing strategy—through which a  third party tester will help ensure systems are mature prior to entering  TSA’s test and evaluation process. For example, TSA has not identified whether  there are a sufficient number of eligible third party testers or established a  mechanism to oversee the testing they will perform. Further, TSA did not  conduct a comprehensive assessment of testing data prior to developing  its third party testing strategy and may be missing opportunities to identify  additional areas for improvement in its acquisition process. TSA Is Implementing a Third Party Testing Strategy but Has Not Finalized Its Approach or Conducted a Comprehensive Assessment of Testing Data

			TSA Has Yet to Finalize Key Aspects of the Third Party Testing Strategy

TSA is developing a third party testing strategy and plans to implement it  for select technologies in 2016. Due to the significant challenge the agency faces  in balancing security concerns with efficient passenger movement, it is  important that TSA procure and deploy effective passenger and baggage  screening technologies. Unintended consequences, such as increased  acquisition costs, could result. Given TSA’s emphasis on  improving its acquisition and test and evaluation processes, an  assessment of TSA’s testing data would help guide future TSA reforms. To help ensure that the reforms TSA has underway are informed by  existing information, conduct and document a comprehensive  assessment of testing data available to date, such as timeframes for  completing testing, costs incurred, and testing delays across all  technology areas to identify key factors contributing to any acquisition  inefficiencies and potential areas for reform. Appendix I: Scope and Methodology

The Transportation Security Acquisition Reform Act included a provision  for GAO to examine the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA)  test and evaluation process for security-related technologies. Specifically,  this report examines the extent to which (1) TSA’s test and evaluation  process helps TSA meet mission needs through the acquisition of  passenger and baggage screening technologies, and (2) TSA’s planned  actions to improve the test and evaluation process address factors  contributing to inefficiencies, if any, in acquiring those technologies.
Why GAO Did This Study

TSA, within the Department of Homeland Security, is responsible for securing the nation's civil aviation system while facilitating the movement of passengers and commerce at approximately 440 airports nationwide. TSA tests passenger and baggage screening technologies developed by industry to ensure they support TSA missions. In reviews from 2010 to 2014, GAO found that TSA encountered challenges in acquiring and deploying technologies. The Transportation Security Acquisition Reform Act contained a provision for GAO to assess TSA's test and evaluation activities for security-related technologies. This report assesses the extent to which (1) TSA's test and evaluation process helps it meet mission needs through the acquisition of passenger and baggage screening technologies, and (2) TSA has taken steps to improve the test and evaluation process.
GAO reviewed DHS and TSA acquisition and test policies, analyzed testing and acquisition documentation for technologies tested in the past five years, observed the testing process at DHS and TSA facilities, and spoke with DHS, TSA, and industry officials.

What GAO Found

The Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) test and evaluation process has enabled TSA and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials to identify passenger and baggage screening technologies that will meet mission needs, but technology failures during testing have contributed to inefficiencies in the acquisition process. Consistent with departmental guidance and acquisition best practices, TSA's test and evaluation process provides information regarding the ability of technologies to meet mission needs before agency officials decide whether to begin full production, saving the agency from investing in potentially expensive yet ineffective equipment. From June 2010 to July 2015, half of the 22 systems that TSA tested successfully completed qualification and operational testing. TSA procured all but 1 of the 11 successful systems. Technologies that entered the test and evaluation process and were immature required significant modifications and retesting.
TSA has taken steps to improve its test and evaluation process by helping ensure technologies are mature before entering testing, but it is too soon to tell whether these actions will address all of the factors that contribute to acquisition inefficiencies. A key action TSA is taking involves developing a third party testing strategy, through which a third party will help ensure systems are mature prior to entering TSA's test and evaluation process. TSA plans to implement its approach in 2016, but it has yet to finalize key aspects of the strategy. For example, TSA has not identified whether there are a sufficient number of eligible third party testers or established a mechanism to oversee that testing. Without a finalized strategy, TSA risks unintended consequences, such as increasing acquisition costs. Further, TSA has not conducted or documented a comprehensive assessment of testing data and thus may be missing opportunities to identify additional areas for improvements to its acquisition process. An assessment of this data, such as costs incurred, could help TSA guide future reforms to the test and evaluation process to help ensure they address factors contributing to any acquisition inefficiencies.

What GAO Recommends

TSA should finalize its third party testing strategy before implementation and conduct and document a comprehensive assessment of testing data to identify key factors contributing to any acquisition inefficiencies. DHS concurred with GAO's recommendations.