FBI awards biometrics system contract

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has awarded Lockheed Martin a ten-year, $1bn contract to develop and maintain its multi-modal, biometrics identification system.

The next generation identification (NGI) system, to be used by state, local and federal authorities, is intended to double the size of the existing fingerprint database. It will also expand to include palm prints, iris and facial recognition capabilities.

Lockheed Martin will act as project manager on the contract, and will partner with other companies such as BAE Systems Information Technology, which will work on external interface requirements engineering and security design, Accenture, and West Virginia-based companies Global Science & Technology and Innovative Management & Technology Services.

Furthermore, the programme will be supported by Lockheed Martin’s biometric experimentation and advanced concepts (BEACON) centre in White Hall, West Virginia, which was opened last year for the development of integrated biometrics solutions.