TSA examines conflict of interest charges against contractor
Lockheed Martin comes under fire for training and testing federal airport screeners while competing to win their jobs.
The Transportation Security Administration is examining whether Lockheed Martin Corp.--the government's largest contractor--has a conflict of interest when it comes to airport screening operations.
Lockheed Martin is under contract by TSA to administer part of the agency's annual recertification program for federal airport screeners. But the company also is part of an industry team that is competing to replace federal screeners with a privatized workforce.
"TSA has engaged Lockheed in discussions regarding a potential conflict of interest and we are currently awaiting additional information," said agency spokeswoman Deirdre O'Sullivan. She would not say what additional information is being sought.
Lockheed Martin declined to comment for this story.
The American Federation of Government Employees and some federal screeners told Government Executive that they share concerns about Lockheed's dual role.
"To the extent that somebody is both training the current workforce and bidding to replace that current workforce, there is either a conflict of interest or an appearance of a conflict of interest," said Peter Winch, national organizer for AFGE.
Lockheed Martin announced in late March that it had formed an industry team with Covenant Aviation Security to provide private screening services at airports across the country. The new team will compete for work under TSA's Screening Partnership Program, which allows airports to opt out of using a federal screening workforce. Only two airports have applied to opt out so far. TSA plans to make contract awards in the fall.
Covenant is already responsible for passenger and baggage screening operations at San Francisco International Airport and Tupelo, Miss., Regional Airport as part of a pilot program established by Congress.
"The Lockheed Martin-Covenant team will bring experience-based innovation to security-screening privatization and provide world-class training, human resources management, checkpoint traffic control and customer service through our partnerships with TSA, airport management and the flying public," said John Freeh, president of Lockheed Martin Systems Management, in the March announcement.
But Lockheed Martin is under contract to administer the third part of TSA's recertification program. The third phase tests the ability of screeners to physically inspect passengers and baggage. If screeners fail, they are given remedial training by Lockheed Martin officials.
AJ Castilla, a federal screener at Boston's Logan International Airport, said he believes Lockheed Martin will use its knowledge of the federal screening workforce to highlight screener flaws and push for privatization.
"They're going to play both sides of the fence," Castilla said. "I can't go work for a competitor at the same time I'm a federal screener. That's what they're doing. If I had done it, I would have been fired yesterday."
He added: "It's like they've set us up to fail. That's what a lot of us believe."
TSA's O'Sullivan noted that Lockheed Martin does not have any role in determining whether airports opt in or out of federal screening. TSA, she said, is developing a list of vendors that are qualified to provide private screening services. The list is expected by the end of the month.
O'Sullivan also said 99.5 percent of federal screeners pass the recertification tests administered by Lockheed Martin.