WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The TSA awarded a contract to conduct an independent study of the costs of screening at airports that participate in its Screening Partnership Program (SPP), as well as at airports that do not do so.
“[O]ur analysis suggests that the study's cost assessment has limitations that affect its accuracy and credibility,” the report, released on Wednesday, said.
However, the GAO noticed the TSA-sponsored study only used data from a single year — Fiscal Year 2013 — to extrapolate five-year estimates.
That approach could not “account for variables that can change from year to year such as staffing and wages,” the GAO report said.
Moreover, the GAO report pointed out that the TSA-sponsored study drew conclusions for all airports, including those for which data was not available.
The GAO said it compared the study’s “methodological approach against generally accepted research standards.”
The Transportation Security Administration was created in 2001. Its mission is to strengthen the security of US transportation systems and ensure the freedom of movement for people and commerce, according to its web site.
