SAIC lands $73 million contract from U.S. Army for tactical biometric collection

Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) has announced it was awarded a contract by the U.S. Army Contracting Command – New Jersey to provide software engineering maintenance and management services in support of the Quick Reaction Capabilities (QRC) managed by the Joint Personnel Identification (PM JPI), which will provide the U.S. Military with a tactical biometric collection capability.

According to the company, this contracted service will allow the military to capture biometric data and enroll it into the Department of Defense‘s (DoD) enterprise authoritative biometric database. PM JPI will aid in positively identifying and verifying the identity of actual or potential adversaries. Under the contract, SAIC will provide software engineering maintenance and management services in support of PM JPI QRCs, including sustainment of the specified design criteria and quality standards of PM JPI.

The contract, worth USD$73 million, was awarded to SAIC under the U.S. Amry’s Computer Hardware, Enterprise Software and Solutions (CHESS) Information Technology Enterprise Solutions 2 Services (ITES-2S) contract vehicle. Work will be primarily performed in Alexandria, Va., Williamsburg, Va., Charleston, S.C., Sierra Vista, Ariz., and Fairmont, W.Va.

“We look forward to continuing our support of the Department of Defense’s biometric program and providing this set of critical capabilities that enable U.S. military forces to maintain an edge over its adversaries in biometrics warfare through the integration and fielding of leading technology collection ad identification devices,” John Thomas, SAID senior vice president and business unit general manager said.

The Canadian Forces is also looking to ramp up its collection of biometric data. As reported previously in BiometricUpdate.com, a directive from former Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Walter Natnczyk looked to ensure the Canadian Forces were technologically positioned to evolve the use of biometrics and to expand collection beyond those detained in Afghanistan.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  government purchasing  |  military  |  SAIC  |  secure identification