All commercial airports are eligible to apply to the SPP. In December 2012, we reported that TSA had developed  some resources to assist SPP applicants, but it had not provided  guidance on its application and approval process to assist airports. Further, we found that airport operators who completed the applications  generally stated that they faced difficulties in doing so and that additional  guidance would have been helpful. Thus, we recommended that TSA develop guidance that clearly (1) states  the criteria and process that TSA is using to assess whether participation  in the SPP would compromise security or detrimentally affect the cost- efficiency or the effectiveness of the screening of passengers or property  at the airport, (2) states how TSA will obtain and analyze cost information  regarding screening cost-efficiency and effectiveness and the implications  of not responding to the related application questions, and (3) provides  specific examples of additional information airports should consider  providing to TSA to help assess an airport’s suitability for the SPP. TSA concurred with our recommendation and has taken actions to  address it. Specifically, TSA updated its SPP website in December 2012  by providing (1) general guidance to assist airports with completing the  SPP application and (2) a description of the criteria and process the  agency will use to assess airports’ applications to participate in the SPP. We believe that these actions address the  intent of our recommendation and should help improve transparency of  the SPP application process as well as help airport officials determine  whether their airports are good candidates for the SPP. Performance between SPP and Non-SPP Airports Varied; TSA Recently Developed a Mechanism to Monitor Private versus Federal Screener Performance

		Performance Varied between SPP and Non- SPP Airports for Some Measures, but Differences Cannot Be Entirely Attributed to the Use of Private or Federal Screeners

In our December 2012 report, we analyzed screener performance data for  four measures and found that there were differences in performance  between SPP and non-SPP airports, and those differences could not be  exclusively attributed to the use of either federal or private screeners. TSA Has Developed a Mechanism to Monitor Private Screener Performance Separately from the Performance of Federal Screeners

Since our December 2012 report, TSA has developed a mechanism to  regularly monitor private versus federal screener performance, as we  recommended. We also reported in December 2012 that TSA had conducted or  commissioned prior reports comparing the cost and performance of SPP  and non-SPP airports. However,  TSA officials stated at the time that they did not plan to conduct similar  analyses in the future, and instead, they were using across-the-board  mechanisms of both private and federal screeners, such as the  Scorecard, to assess screener performance across all commercial  airports. However, as we reported in December 2012, the Scorecard and PMR did  not provide a complete picture of screener performance at SPP airports  because, while both mechanisms provided a snapshot of private screener  performance at each SPP airport, this information was not summarized  for the SPP as a whole or across years, which made it difficult to identify  changes in performance. We concluded that  monitoring private screener performance in comparison with federal  screener performance was consistent with the statutory requirement that  TSA enter into a contract with a private screening company only if the  Administrator determines and certifies to Congress that the level of  screening services and protection provided at an airport under a contract  will be equal to or greater than the level that would be provided at the  airport by federal government personnel. TSA concurred with our recommendation, and has taken actions to  address it. Specifically, in January 2013, TSA issued its first SPP Annual  Report. Further, in  September 2013, the TSA Assistant Administrator for Security Operations  signed an operations directive that provides internal guidance for  preparing the SPP Annual Report, including the requirement that the SPP  PMO must annually verify that the level of screening services and  protection provided at SPP airports is equal to or greater than the level  that would be provided by federal screeners. Further, these actions could  also assist TSA in identifying performance changes that could lead to  improvements in the program and inform decision making regarding  potential expansion of the SPP.
Why GAO Did This Study

TSA maintains a federal workforce to screen passengers and baggage at the majority of the nation's commercial airports, but it also oversees a workforce of private screeners at airports who participate in the SPP. The SPP allows commercial airports to apply to have screening performed by private screeners, who are to provide a level of screening services and protection that equals or exceeds that of federal screeners. In recent years, TSA's SPP has evolved to incorporate changes in policy and federal law, prompting enhanced interest in measuring screener performance.
This testimony addresses the extent to which TSA (1) has provided guidance to airport operators for the SPP application process and (2) assesses and monitors the performance of private and federal screeners. This statement is based on a report GAO issued in December 2012 and selected updates conducted in January 2014. To conduct the selected updates, GAO reviewed documentation, such as the SPP Annual Report issued in January 2013, and interviewed agency officials on the status of implementing GAO's recommendations.

What GAO Found

Since GAO reported on this issue in December 2012, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has developed application guidance for airport operators applying to the Screening Partnership Program (SPP). In December 2012, GAO reported that TSA had not provided guidance to airport operators on its application and approval process, which had been revised to reflect requirements in the Federal Aviation Administration Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. Further, airport operators GAO interviewed at the time generally stated that they faced difficulties completing the revised application, such as how to obtain cost information. Therefore, GAO recommended that TSA develop application guidance, and TSA concurred. To address GAO's recommendation, TSA updated its SPP website in December 2012 by providing general application guidance and a description of the criteria and process the agency uses to assess airports' SPP applications. The guidance provides examples of information that airports could consider providing to TSA to help assess their suitability for the program and also outlines how the agency will analyze cost information. The new guidance addresses the intent of GAO's recommendation and should help improve transparency of the SPP application process as well as help airport operators determine whether their airports are good candidates for the SPP.
TSA has also developed a mechanism to regularly monitor private versus federal screener performance. In December 2012, GAO found differences in performance between SPP and non-SPP airports based on its analysis of screener performance data. However, while TSA had conducted or commissioned prior reports comparing the performance of SPP and non-SPP airports, TSA officials stated at the time that they did not plan to conduct similar analyses in the future, and instead stated that they were using across-the-board mechanisms to assess screener performance across all commercial airports. In December 2012, GAO found that these across-the-board mechanisms did not summarize information for the SPP as a whole or across years, which made it difficult to identify changes in private screener performance. GAO concluded that monitoring private screener performance in comparison with federal screener performance was consistent with the statutory provision authorizing TSA to enter into contracts with private screening companies and recommended that TSA develop a mechanism to regularly monitor private versus federal screener performance. TSA concurred with the recommendation. To address GAO's recommendation, in January 2013, TSA issued its first SPP Annual Report, which provides an analysis of private versus federal screener performance. Further, in September 2013, a TSA Assistant Administrator signed an operations directive that provides internal guidance for preparing the SPP Annual Report, including the requirement that the report annually verify that the level of screening services and protection provided at SPP airports is equal to or greater than the level that would be provided by federal screeners. These actions address the intent of GAO's recommendation and could assist TSA in identifying performance changes that could lead to improvements in the program.

What GAO Recommends

GAO is making no new recommendations in this statement.