Army awards HID sole-source contract for fingerprint enrollment system maintenance

The U.S. Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command (MICC) at Fort Knox has approved a sole-source contract renewal for maintenance of the HID ArcID Enrollment system, a web-based platform used to collect and manage fingerprint data for the Army National Guard Bureau (ARNG).

The award is detailed in Justification Review Document MICC 2025-79, cites Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 16.505(a)(4), which permits restricting competition to a single manufacturer when an item is peculiar to that company.

In this case, HID ArcID software and associated fingerprint capture devices are already in use across the Army Recruiting Command (USAREC) network and data center, making the company the only viable provider of ongoing maintenance.

According to the contracting notice, the firm-fixed-price delivery order will renew perpetual licenses for ArciD Enrollment Maintenance. The government projects the award will be finalized this month, with funding drawn from the Army’s Operations and Maintenance budget.

The ArcID system plays a key role in military recruiting. Fingerprint data collected through the platform is required for background checks on all applicants. Workstations equipped with original equipment manufacturer fingerprint capture devices are connected to servers maintained at the USAREC Data Center.

The contract ensures that HID continues to provide software patches, technical support, and capacity packs that enable stations to interface with the central system.

Without the renewal, the Army warned it could not maintain the integrity of its existing enrollment infrastructure. “The procurement provides the ARNG the necessary software maintenance to utilize the existing web-based fingerprint enrollment system,” the justification states.

The order reflects the Army’s determination that continuity of maintenance and support outweighs the potential benefits of opening the contract to broader competition.

Article Topics

background checks  |  biometrics  |  fingerprint biometrics  |  government purchasing  |  HID  |  identity management  |  procurement  |  U.S. Army