U.S. government planning three new biometrics contracts
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is progressing toward the replacing its legacy IDENT biometric system with the new Homeland Advanced Recognition Technology (HART), issuing a request for information (RFI) from vendors.
The system is operated by the Office of Biometric Identity Management (OBIM) and will expand DHS capabilities from fingerprints, iris biometrics and facial images to also include DNA, palm prints, voices, scars, marks, tattoos, contactless fingerprints. DHS is Seeking vendors for biometric examiner tools, a web portal, reporting, analytics, person-centric capabilities, and mobile applications and looking for information on end-user access including mobile apps, biometric examiner tools, automated testing, biometric matching, DevOps accelerated development and automated delivery, big data, reporting, and analytics, cloud security, and various kinds of maintenance.
HART will run on the AWS GovCloud FedRAMP-certified environment, and the Director of OBIM’s Identity Operations Division Patrick Nemeth told Biometric Update last year that the implementation of HART will enable far greater capacity than the IDENT system, which has reached its limits.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), meanwhile, is preparing to issue a request for proposals (RFP) for biometrics services development and management, NextGov reports.
NextGov received a copy of a draft RFP for Biometrics Development, Security and Operations, or BDSO.
“The contractor will be operating and modernizing complex, legacy, large-scale, internet-facing websites and IT systems in the cloud using forward-thinking, modern, open source technologies and backend systems with heavy customer engagement,” and with deployed application code as the main deliverable, according to the report.
USCIS wants an agile development capability and no vendor lock-in so the system can outlive the contract, and wants it to work with its current AWS cloud environment, as well as leave open the option to switch to a different cloud in the future.
NextGov reports the solicitation is expected to be posted in mid-July.
The Department of Homeland Security is planning to expand its TSA Precheck program, according to a statement of work reported by Bloomberg Government, to include the 9 million frequent flyers who are not already enrolled by making enrollment simpler and more convenient.
U.S. travelers who fly at least once a year, who number more than 80 million, are also of interest to DHS. The agency posted an RFP for the new enrollment system on June 3, and Bloomberg Government helpfully estimates the opportunity is worth between $10 and $100 million.
The contract will have a three-year base period, a pair of two-year options, and three one-year options, so could potentially last up to 10 years. Multiple contracts could be awarded, and proposals are due on July 15.
Comments