Yesterday morning, TSA sent a broadcast email to every employee announcing the launch of Gold+. By this morning, TSA had published draft contract documents on the federal procurement register describing exactly what Gold+ contractors will be required to deliver and how they will be evaluated to win those contracts.
What the Draft Contract Says
The draft Performance Work Statement published this morning describes Gold+ as a turnkey solution in which a private contractor delivers and manages both the security screening technology and the workforce at participating airports. TSA transitions from operator to regulator. The contractor runs the checkpoint.
The contractor is responsible for hiring, training, scheduling, and managing all screening personnel. The contractor procures, installs, and maintains all screening equipment. The contractor funds its own office space, break rooms, and locker areas unless TSA or the airport explicitly provides them. TSA provides regulatory oversight and outcome-based performance standards.
Classified Performance Standards
The performance standards that define what counts as acceptable security under Gold+ are classified. The specific thresholds for threat detection rates, selectee find rates, and access control metrics are marked Sensitive Security Information and will not be available for public review.What Contractors Must Deliver for the Price
The draft evaluation criteria establish a statutory constraint that is worth reading carefully. Every contractor proposal must demonstrate that its total price, covering staffing, technology, and maintenance, does not exceed what TSA currently spends on federal screeners at that airport. TSA will provide the current federal staffing cost baseline for each airport. Contractors must come in at or below that number while delivering the full scope of services.
Remote Screening Is a Stated Requirement
The draft contract requires contractors to provide qualified personnel to support remote image review and other centralized screening activities at TSA's direction. Surge staffing capacity for remote image review missions is explicitly required. This is not described as a future concept or a pilot. It is a baseline operational requirement that every Gold+ contractor must be prepared to deliver.
Remote image review means screening images from one airport are reviewed by personnel at a different location. The checkpoint officer who resolves an alarm may not be in the same building as the person who reviewed the image that triggered it.
What Happens If a Contractor Fails
The draft contract requires every Gold+ contractor to maintain an escrow account sufficient to fund 180 days of continued screening operations in the event of financial distress, default, or other circumstances requiring rapid transition back to TSA.
What This Means
The Record as of May 15, 2026
TSA announced Gold+ to its workforce on May 14, 2026.TSA published draft contract documents describing how the program will work on May 15, 2026.
The documents describe a program in which private operators replace federal screeners at participating airports, funded at or below current federal labor costs, with classified performance standards and no guaranteed workforce protections.
The oversight questions Against Giants has raised with congressional offices remain unasked and unanswered on the congressional record. TSA is moving toward a final solicitation in June.
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