Smiths Detection secures CBP contract for railway X-ray scanners

The Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has awarded a $13.5M contract to Smiths Detection to provide HCVT advanced X-ray scanners for use at railway checkpoints.

The scanners would be used at northern and southern border checkpoints, with initial deliveries planned for 2021.

“Smiths Detection’s HCVT gives U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers 24/7 capabilities to intercept dangerous goods and contraband transported throughout the U.S. by rail,” Shan Hood, president of Smiths Detection Inc., said. “Equipping CBP with HCVT technology is key in making the delivery of freight safer while allowing the logistical chain to keep moving.”

The scanners are used to screen moving rail cars and wagons for dangerous or illegal cargo, enabling more effective and faster screening methods.

The devices can penetrate over 12 inches of steel and screen single or double-stacked containers at normal operating speeds. They can be connected with custom networks and other HCV scanners to enable remote analysis, image comparison, and knowledge sharing between homeland security agencies.

The indefinite-delivery-indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract possesses a $379m ceiling, allowing for multiple orders of SDI products and services under a single contract over five years.