Airports Government Technology procurement Identity management United States

Identity Management System Procurement for a Major US Airport

End-to-end

Full procurement cycle from requirements definition through vendor recommendation

COTS-aligned

Procurement structured to maximize vendor COTS compliance and minimize customization risk

Market-validated

Pre-selection of candidates through structured market research and industry engagement

The challenge

A major US airport needed to replace its aging identity management system (IDMS), which handled credentialing, access control, and badging for tens of thousands of airport workers, tenants, and authorized personnel. The existing system was approaching end-of-life, lacked integration with modern security infrastructure, and could not meet evolving TSA regulatory requirements.

The airport required a procurement process that would identify a commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) solution capable of meeting its complex operational, security, and regulatory requirements while minimizing customization risk and total cost of ownership. The procurement also needed to be defensible under public-sector procurement rules and withstand potential vendor challenges.

M2P was engaged to lead the end-to-end procurement, from requirements definition and market research through RFP design, vendor evaluation, and final recommendation. The objective was to deliver a competitively selected, COTS-aligned identity management platform that the airport could implement with confidence.

Our approach

Requirements definition

Conducted stakeholder workshops and documented functional, technical, security, and regulatory requirements across credentialing, access control, and badging operations.

Market research

Engaged the IDMS vendor market through structured research, product demonstrations, and reference checks to assess available COTS capabilities and identify qualified candidates.

RFP design

Developed a comprehensive RFP structured to maximize COTS compliance scoring, minimize customization risk, and ensure defensibility under public procurement regulations.

Vendor evaluation

Designed and executed a multi-stage evaluation process including written proposals, product demonstrations, reference validation, and cost analysis with a weighted scoring methodology.

Recommendation

Delivered a board-ready recommendation with full scoring documentation, risk assessment, and implementation considerations to support the airport's final selection decision.

Outcomes

Competitive defensible procurement

Delivered a fully documented, transparent procurement process that met all public-sector compliance requirements and could withstand vendor challenge or audit.

COTS-aligned selection

Identified and recommended a vendor whose COTS platform met the vast majority of requirements out of the box, minimizing customization scope and implementation risk.

Requirements the market could meet

Market research and vendor engagement ensured requirements were achievable and realistic, avoiding specifications that would have forced unnecessary customization or sole-source outcomes.

Services delivered

Digitalization & Technology Technology procurement Requirements engineering Market intelligence RFP design Vendor evaluation Scoring methodology

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