Shoe Scanner Detection Technology (SSD) | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The Shoe Scanner Detection Technology (SSD) opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number BAA10-17) is a Department of Homeland Security science and technology research and development solicitation aimed at improving checkpoint screening by allowing people to keep their shoes on while still being screened for serious threats. The core goal is to develop an advanced shoe-scanning capability that can detect a broad spectrum of explosive threats including military explosives, commercial explosives, homemade explosives, and explosive precursors, and also detect metallic weapons or components of metallic weapons on a person moving through a checkpoint. In other words, DHS is looking for technology that closes a well-known security gap (threats concealed in footwear) without slowing down passenger flow or relying on shoe removal as a screening step.

This solicitation is issued as a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), which typically means DHS is seeking innovative technical approaches and is open to different solution pathways rather than prescribing a single design. The work under the BAA is described as being organized into two main parts: (a) tasks, meaning the programmatic events, activities, and measurable achievements the performer is expected to complete over the course of the project; and (b) deliverables, meaning the tangible products and outputs produced by the project (for example, prototypes, test results, technical reports, data packages, demonstration results, and other documented outcomes). While the summary text does not list the exact task breakdown, the structure signals that proposals will be evaluated not only on the technology concept, but also on a clear execution plan with defined milestones and concrete deliverables.

Financially, the opportunity lists an estimated total funding amount of $2,000,000, with individual award amounts ranging from a floor of $500,000 up to a ceiling of $2,000,000. DHS expected to make up to four awards. The funding instrument types indicated include cooperative agreements, grants, other transactions, procurement contracts, suggesting DHS reserved flexibility to fund efforts under the mechanism that best fits the project and the level of government involvement required. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement stated, which generally lowers barriers to participation for smaller organizations or early-stage technology developers.

Eligibility is intentionally broad. The announcement states the BAA is open to all responsible sources and explicitly includes small businesses, other for-profit organizations, nonprofits (including those with and without 501(c)(3) status), private and public institutions of higher education, and state-controlled institutions of higher education. It also notes that offerors may apply as single entities or as teams and may include participants from academia, the private sector, government laboratories, and Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), including Department of Energy national laboratories and centers. That combination suggests DHS was encouraging multidisciplinary teams that can bridge fundamental sensing science, system engineering, and realistic checkpoint testing and evaluation.

From an administrative standpoint, registration is mandatory for any organization that wants to participate, and it must be completed through the DHS BAA portal at https://baa.st.dhs.gov/. The announcement strongly encourages early registration and emphasizes reading the full announcement and following all instructions, implying that compliance requirements, proposal formatting, and submission steps matter and may be strict. The posting date and creation date were July 14, 2010, with an original and current closing date of August 2, 2010, and an archive date of September 1, 2010, meaning this specific funding round is historical and no longer open, but the summary captures what DHS was seeking during that cycle.

The administering organization is listed as the Office of Procurement Operations, Grants Division, and the related CFDA number is 97.108 (Homeland Security, Research, Testing, Evaluation, and Demonstration of Technologies), which situates the opportunity within DHS efforts to move promising security technologies through R&D, testing, and demonstration. For questions or issues accessing the full announcement, all inquiries were directed to BAA10-17@dhs.gov, and the additional information link instructs users to locate the announcement by searching under the Department of Homeland Security and then the Office of Procurement Operations.

In practical terms, the SSD BAA was about delivering a next-generation checkpoint screening capability that improves both security coverage and passenger convenience: detect a wide range of explosive materials and precursors plus metallic weapon threats, while allowing travelers to keep footwear on, and provide a structured plan of tasks and deliverables that can be tested and demonstrated under DHS oversight.

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