$888.7 million biometric homeland security contract moves ahead

A nearly $1 billion contract awarded to US Investigation Services by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in April will continue to go ahead after a challenge to the award was dismissed.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office denied a protest filed by Serco Inc. After an investigation, the GAO found that US Investigation Services had the full internal capability to complete the contract. Serco suggested that the Department of Homeland Security only considered the capabilities of the USCIS’s parent company and not its professional services division.

As a result, US Investigation Services will be able to continue to work on administering immigration benefits, which includes collecting biometric and biographic data (e.g., digital fingerprints, photographs, driver’s license scan, passport scan, and signatures) from applicants. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (SCIS) uses this data to conduct criminal background checks before deciding to grant immigration benefits through a network of 135 application support centers and at six ports of entry.

US Investigation Services will provide operational and facilities support to the independent contractor-operated application support centers to the Deparment of Homeland Security for a cost of US$888.7 million over five years, which includes a one-year base period and four one-year options.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  border control  |  government purchasing  |  homeland security