[nmrm2]

The app was used at 100 airports. If you include the cost of the iPads then it's like $7000 for the actual app. Still high for a couple hours of work, but you figure most of that is overhead inherent in contract-style work. I never charge less than 1k for a project because it's not even worth the time it takes to place a bid and manage the paperwork, and I don't have to put up with government BS.

The ironic thing is that the person who made the FOIA request is complaining about lack of transparency when transparency is a perfect example of the sorts of perverse incentives that cause government projects have insane amounts of overhead. One of those spend a dollar to prevent a penny of fraud things. I don't really have any solutions, but there's no free cake.

'course the elephant in the room is that TSA itself is a waste of money even without expensive software contracts.

[ahallock]

> If you include the cost of the iPads then it's like $7000 for the actual app.

These articles imply it was for the app development. $7000 is high, but not outrageous.