The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has put a
hold on its five-year purchase agreement with Identix Inc.
for its TouchPrint® 3000 fingerprint scan booking stations
and desktop systems after a competitor filed a protest with
the department.

Identix had signed a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) with
the DHS on Oct. 3 to provide TouchPrint systems to the
Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) and other
departments within the DHS in a deal valued at more than
$27 million, though the DHS didn’t put a cap on how much of
the equipment it would purchase. That deal is now on hold
until the protest has been resolved and the DHS has told
Identix in a letter it will re-evaluate the agreement,
though the letter also said the DHS will ask the U.S.
General Accounting Office to dismiss the competitor’s
protest.

Calls to the DHS were not returned and Identix would not
disclose the name of the competitor. However, Identix
Director of Investment and Public Relations Damon Wright
says the protest didn’t come as a surprise.

“We absolutely expected this,” Wright says. “This is one of
the largest awards to the biometics industry.” Wright
expected the protest to be resolved within the next 90
days, and added the protest is impeding on the need for the
equipment in the field by the DHS.

The CIS plans to use live scan electronic fingerprint
scanning systems to digitally capture and electronically
submit applicant fingerprint images to the FBI. The
fingerprints are used to conduct criminal background checks
prior to the CIS making a determination whether to grant
immigration benefits.

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