- Leidos is holding the incumbent contract
- Work will cover roughly 450 airport locations
- Solicitation is estimated for Jan. 11, 2027, with award anticipated in the second quarter of that fiscal year
The Transportation Security Administration has forecast a recompete valued between $50 million and $100 million for handling and disposing of hazardous materials passengers leave behind at airport checkpoints.
The agency published the entry Wednesday in the Department of Homeland Security’s Acquisition Planning Forecast System, listing Leidos as the incumbent. It plans to place a firm-fixed-price order under the OASIS+ vehicle, with a solicitation estimated for Jan. 11, 2027, and an award anticipated in the second quarter of that fiscal year.
Performance will run through May 10, 2032.
DHS technology and operational priorities will be featured at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Homeland Security Summit, set for Nov. 10. DHS Deputy Secretary Troy Edgar will deliver the opening keynote, with Secret Service Director Sean Curran also among the keynote speakers. Register now to hear from agency decision-makers.
What Does the Hazardous Materials Contract Cover?
The winning contractor would supply personnel, equipment, vehicles and supervision to manage and dispose of hazardous materials at roughly 450 airport locations, along with TSA offices where needed.
That count can shift over the contract’s life as airports open, seasonal facilities operate, or privatization and federalization decisions change. The work must meet federal, state and local regulations.
Why Does TSA Hold the Management & Disposal Responsibility?
Before the Aviation and Transportation Security Act was passed in 2001, air carriers screened passengers and handled whatever prohibited items were found. The law shifted screening to the TSA and, with it, the obligation to take custody of items passengers abandon at checkpoints and to dispose of them. Hazardous materials that are not donated must go through disposal channels set by federal and state law.
TSA issued its first national contract for the work in 2003. The mix and volume of abandoned items have shifted since Congress directed the agency to prohibit lighters in April 2005; liquids, gels and aerosols were added in August 2006; and lighters were removed in August 2007.
Under agency policy, items dropped in collection bins become federal property immediately and are not returned to passengers. TSA does not take permanent custody of firearms, illegal weapons, explosives, radioactive materials or biohazards.
Which Company Holds the Current Management & Disposal Contract?
Leidos won the existing five-year contract in 2022 at a potential $55 million, covering more than 430 federalized airports in the U.S. and its territories.
That work included compliance visits to airport operations, standardized operating procedures, audits of treatment, storage and disposal facilities, and operation of HazOUT, a documentation system the company built.
Leidos also held the preceding contract, awarded in 2017 at a potential $45 million across more than 440 screening checkpoints, with one base year and four options.
