GAO: DHS Should Address Challenges before Implementing TWIC Program

October 27, 2006 // Published as a news service by IHS

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and industry stakeholders face three major challenges in addressing problems identified during the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program testing including ensuring that key components of the TWIC program work effectively in the maritime sector, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

The challenges cited in the report include:

• Enrolling workers and issuing TWIC cards in a timely manner to a significantly larger population of workers than was done during testing of the TWIC program.
• Ensuring that the TWIC technology, such as biometric card readers, works effectively in the maritime sector. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) obtained limited information on the use of biometric readers in the maritime sector because most facilities that tested the TWIC program did not use these types of readers.
• Balancing the added security components of the TWIC program with the potential impact that the program could have on the flow of maritime commerce.

An independent contractor's assessment found deficiencies with TWIC program testing and recommended that additional testing be conducted to determine its effectiveness, according to the report. The TSA acknowledged that there are challenges to implementing the TWIC program and took some actions to address these issues including allowing more time to consider requirements for installing TWIC access control technologies.

However, the TSA plans no additional testing of the TWIC program. Rapidly moving forward with implementation of the TWIC program without developing and testing solutions to identified problems to ensure that they work effectively could lead to further problems, increased costs and program delays without achieving the program’s intended goals, according to the report.

The TSA experienced problems in planning for and overseeing the contract to test the TWIC program. Specifically, the TSA made changes to contract requirements after the contract was awarded, contributing to a doubling of contract costs and the TSA did not ensure that all key components of the program were tested, according to the report.

The TSA acknowledged that problems with contractor oversight occurred because the agency did not have sufficient personnel to monitor contractor performance. The TSA has taken some actions to address this problem.

However, until the TSA issues the contract for TWIC implementation and develops its plans for monitoring contractor performance, it is not clear to what extent these actions will ensure that the contract to implement the TWIC program will include comprehensive and clearly defined requirements and that contractor performance will be closely monitored to ensure that the program is implemented successfully and costs are controlled, according to the report.

The GAO recommends that before implementing TWIC in the maritime sector the TSA develop and test solutions to problems identified during testing to ensure that key components of the program work effectively and strengthen contract planning and oversight practices before awarding the TWIC implementation contract.

The GAO did this study because the TSA is developing the TWIC program to ensure that only workers that do not pose a terrorist threat are allowed to enter secure areas of transportation facilities. The TSA completed TWIC program testing in June 2005 and will be implementing the program in the maritime sector by the end of this year.

Source: Government Accountability Office (GAO).