UK Home Office reviewing bids for biometric system management contract worth up to £300M

The UK Home Office is weighing supplier bids for a contract worth up to £300 million (US$388 million) for a single service management capability for its IABS and IDENT1 biometric systems, Computer Weekly reports.

The IABS and IDENT1 systems provide fingerprint, DNA, and facial biometric matching for law enforcement, immigration, and other agencies in the UK. The contract was originally due to start September 30, 2018, as the current support contracts for the two systems ended in March and April. No reason was given for the delay, but Home Office Biometrics (HOB) intends to upgrade to a single platform that can achieve its future goals, eliminating a “clear duplication” of functions at the same time. The delay is relatively modest compared with the six year wait for Home Office’s Biometrics Strategy.

IDENT1 is managed by Northrup Grumman, and IABS is managed by IBM, PublicTechnology noted when the procurement notice was issued in January. The contract is expected to last between 6 and 10 years, with a total value of between £198 ($256 million) and £308 million ($398 million).

HOB issued an RFI for between 200 and 300 mobile fingerprint scanners to support its MobileID gateway to the IDENT1 system in March.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  Home Office Biometrics (HOB)  |  immigration  |  law enforcement  |  platform  |  tender  |  UK