MorphoTrust Nabs Potential $18M DoD ABIS Maintenance Contract
The Defense Department has awarded MorphoTrust a potential five-year, $17.8 million contract to maintain the department’s main biometric database, the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS). The initial one-year award is for $3.6 million and the contract has four one-year options. The ABIS system was provided to DoD by the former L-1 Identity Solutions under a subcontract to Northrop Grumman [NOC]. L-1 was later acquired by Morpho, a division of France’s Safran Group that oversees MorphoTrust. DoD purchased an enterprise-wide license for ABIS in 2010. DoD uses the multimodal biometric repository to match fingerprints, facial and iris images, along with other biometric functions, to support the department’s mission of identifying and providing intelligence on persons of interest that could potentially pose a threat to national security or to those engaged in warfighting missions. The contract calls for MorphoTrust to provide ongoing software maintenance and support for all DoD systems based on ABIS. The company says that in addition to DoD’s core application, the Next Generation ABIS serves as the foundation for eight other biometric systems.
OSI Systems Garners $15M in Mid East Orders
OSI Systems [OSIS] says its Rapiscan Systems division has received a $15 million contract from a customer in the Middle East to provide multiple units of its Eagle high-energy X-Ray mobile and fixed location cargo and vehicle inspection systems. The name of the customer was not disclosed.
Coast Guard Awards Exelis Contract for Airborne Radar System
ITT Exelis [XLS] has received a $6.5 million contract from the Coast Guard to supply an AN/APY-11 multimode radar that will be integrated on the new HC-130J Super Hercules long-range surveillance aircraft. The radar is produced by Exelis and its partner Israel’s Elta Systems Ltd. Exelis has been providing the radar system to the Coast Guard since 2005. “Our multimode radars is the most effective maritime surveillance radar in its class,” says Peter Martin, director of Programs, Defense Systems, for the Exelis Electronic Attack & Release Systems business. “As the Coast Guard’s mission continues to grow, our radar will adapt to evolving operational requirements.”
Booz Allen to Get $9M under DHS S&T Contract Extension
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate plans to award Booz Allen Hamilton [BAH] an eight-month, $9.3 million contract extension to continue to provide it with Systems Engineering and Technical Assistance (SETA) support. The extension, which begins on April 1 and runs through Nov. 30, follows a six-month, $14.5 million extension the company received last year from S&T to continue providing SETA support. The DHS Office of Procurement Operations had originally hoped to blend the SETA requirements of S&T, the Office of Health Affairs, and the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office but it was determined that these organizations and their respective programs would benefit from separate SETA acquisition strategies. The contract extension will enable DHS to properly compete and award new contract vehicles.
USCIS Plans Potential $4M Task Order to MorphoTrust for LiveScan O&M
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)plans to award MorphoTrust, Inc., a potential two-year, six-month $4.1 million task order to provide operations and maintenance (O&M) support for the agency’s installed base of 660 Touchprint 4100 LiveScan fingerprint scanners to ensure the devices meet their expected five-year operational life. MorphoTrust, a division of France’s Safran Group, makes the LiveScan systems and is the only company that provides O&M support for the devices. MorphoTrust provided USCIS 440 cabinet-style machines, 100 desktop devices and 110 mobile systems under a subcontract to NCS Technologies in 2009. The contract will be up for a recompete and award in FY ’15. The base value of the pending task order is $1.6 million for one year and the first option period is valued at $1.7 million for one-year. A six-month option period is valued at $833,332.
AS&E Receives Service Order from U.S. Agency
American Science & Engineering [ASEI] has received a $2.6 million contract from an undisclosed U.S. government agency to provide service and maintenance of cargo X-Ray inspection systems, including the Z Portal and Z Backscatter Van systems. The customer is likely Customs and Border Protection. AS&E says the systems are being used to detect contraband at checkpoints.
TSA Awards Research Task Order for SPOT Validation Efforts
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has awarded the American Institutes for Research (AIR) a $1.7 million task order to continue research and validation efforts on the Screening Passengers by Observation Techniques (SPOT) program. Behavior Detection Officers use SPOT techniques to detect suspicious behavior in passengers at airports. In Sept. 2012 the TSA awarded an initial contact to AIR for a subject matter expertise panel to examine and analyze current behavior detection protocol, methodologies, pilots and research, and propose enhancements to the SPOT program from a scientific prospective. Now, TSA requires additional work in these areas, including research and validation. The agency wants refinement of suspicious indicators, review of current performance metrics, help with a pilot test on the collection of race and national origin data, and to pilot test measures related to the selection of BDOs.