Bulgaria’s Ministry of Defense to procure mobile biometric identification system

Bulgaria’ Ministry of Defense has identified a need for a mobile automatic biometric identification system to support its Military Police in NATO-led operations.

According to a “sources sought” announcement issued by the U.S. Army Contracting Command on behalf of the Department of Defense, contractors are welcome to provide a statement of their interest, capabilities and qualifications to provide the system which will be known as the “Bulgarian Mobile Automatic Biometrics Identification System” or “B-MABIS.”

B-MABIS will provide collection, storage, search, sharing of fingerprints, iris and facial images along with latent prints and contextual data. The system will be implemented in “Medium Size Towers” in three locations: Sofia, Plovdiv, and the Novo Selo Training Area (NSTA).

The solicitation calls for the creation of these towers with biometrics software and technology, as well as a multifunctional handheld device for collecting biometrics data that includes fingerprints, iris, and face, and case-protected mobile workstations. Contractors will also be responsible for a central repository for electronic fingerprint transmission records and a web server with backup and recovery.

The Center for Contracting and Commerce is seeking information from possible contractors, who are welcomed to provide capability statements including a delivery schedule and warranty information. However, the announcement specifies that a contract may not be awarded as a result of the sources sought announcement.

In recent years, Bulgaria has been implementing biometrics as a measure of increasing security. In 2012, it implemented automated border control gates at Sofia Airport that use biometrics and ePassports as part of its travellers identity verification process.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  Bulgaria  |  defense  |  mobile identity credentialing