Lockheed Wins TWIC Contract

Feb 1, 2007 12:00 PM

           

The Transportation Security Administration has awarded a contract for new, secure identification cards for port workers to Lockheed Martin Corp., Bethesda, Md.

The initial value of the contract, which involves issuing ID cards to 750,000 maritime workers, was estimated at $70 million. The contract could prove far more valuable, however, if it leads to other, related deals for the firm: Identity technology is a fast-growing sector for government contractors, and the Transportation Worker Identification Credential, known as TWIC, is the first of many identity contracts to be announced in the next few years.

“It is fundamental to our nation's security that individuals who pose a security threat do not gain access to our nation's ports,” TSA spokesperson Darrin Kayser says. “The TWIC contract allows us to begin enrollment at selected ports in March.”

TWIC cards will be issued to workers who pass government background checks. The cards, which will eventually be required for up to 6 million workers in rail yards, airports and seaports in order to access secure areas, will contain the individual's photograph and name. A chip also will store the holder's fingerprint template, a PIN and other unique identifying information.

Under the terms of the contract, Lockheed Martin will establish enrollment centers within close proximity of port facilities, where applicants will provide certain biographic information and fingerprints to conduct a security threat assessment and produce the biometric credential. The threat assessment, conducted by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), includes a check of criminal history, immigration, and intelligence databases. Once a worker successfully completes the threat assessment process, Lockheed Martin will issue the credential to the worker.

Lockheed Martin beat out seven other firms for the deal, including BearingPoint Inc., which did the bulk of the development work, Computer Sciences Corp., Electronic Data Systems Corp., International Business Machines Corp. and Motorola Inc.

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