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The Transportation Security Administration has not completed performance standards for its private screeners, the Government Accountability Office said in a report issued Monday.

Only after the agency establishes criteria by which the Homeland Security Department can judge screeners will it be possible to hold individual airports responsible for negligence by a contractor, GAO said. The Homeland Security Department shares some of the burden for not having completed the criteria, the report (GAO-06-166) stated.

As part of its Screening Partnership Program, which allows airports to apply to use private screeners in place of federal ones, TSA developed performance goals for private screeners in the areas of security, customer service, management and cost. But DHS still must approve the draft, GAO said.

GAO called on DHS and TSA to work together to finalize the goals. DHS generally agreed with that recommendation.

The challenge is figuring out the cost of the stringent airline security necessitated by heightened domestic security levels. TSA has said the program will "operate at a cost that is competitive with equivalent federal operations."

TSA's goal is to award fixed-price contracts for screening services at small airports and to remove the burden of liability from the government. It will seek to do the same at large airports, but the financial factor grows hazy as airport size increases - the agency said it needs two years to calculate how much screening will cost at major terminals.

COMMENTS

• Let me think about this one for just one second. A federal agency has decided -- due to resource limitations -- that its mission must be limited to baggage screening, hired 50,000 baggage screeners and is having a difficult time issuing the required standards of performance that would permit the private sector to compete with them for this historically commercial work. And why would these standards -- now that we have standards for our federal screeners -- be any different from those imposed on federal employees? So what did you expect? It would be nice if TSA would act like an agency and not a service monopoly; set the standard, oversee performance, let the airports compete for cost-effective service providers, and reinvest in more and broader transportation security. Not gonna happen. GovExec.com reader Posted May 2, 2006 3:09 PM
• I agree that the federal screeners need to have strict performance criteria and training in how to be professional and treat people with dignity. At the Orlando airport they were making disabled elderly men take off their belts, their belts! This is just nuts. It really broke my heart at how unorganized TSA was and that they put these elderly folks through such a process. One gentleman who was in a wheelchair was made to stand up and walk through the metal detector, then they simply forgot he was there, standing the best he could. Then, we placed our backpacks with breakables (cameras, novelties, etc.) in the gray tubs and the TSA screeners literally tossed our stuff out of the tubs onto the belt. My purse was sent through and then they made us wait. I advised the screener that I didn't want my purse on the other side without me, she acted snippy and said there's no one else’s stuff over there. I really didn't care, it's my purse. I should have filed a complaint right then but since we had to wait for over 30 minutes with three kids to get through, didn't have the time or energy. TSA screeners are not above respecting people and should be trained as such. I'm sure there are some great screeners out there but my experience at Orlando with the lack of organization and attitude was ridiculous. Maybe a contractor would do a better job? GovExec.com reader Posted May 3, 2006 10:08 AM
• Stop The Nonsense!!! I spent (15) years at a major East Coast airport, and had many opportunities to observe the sad performance of the "square badges." Then, 9/11 hit. Despite TSA's many, many problems, it's still better than the previous inadequate past! Don't let any airline determine the quality and performance of screeners. But, why are we spending so much money assuring the foreign customs inspectors that our passengers aren't terrorists? Put the money into incoming flights, not outgoing ones! GovExec.com reader Posted May 1, 2006 8:02 PM