FBI taps Datatrac for background-check call center

Datatrac Information Services Inc. has won a five-year, $48 million contract from the FBI to provide a call center for the bureau's instant criminal background check system, the company announced today.

Under the contract, Datatrac of Richardson, Texas, will manage two inbound call centers for the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS, that will provide federal firearms licensees with approval or denial information on firearm transactions.

Under the Brady Act, gun dealers may not sell a firearm to anyone without first contacting NICS to determine if the sale would violate federal or state law. The Brady Act was designed for gun dealers to contact NICS three ways: through a state point of contact, directly through the NICS call center or through a Web system known as NICS E-Check.

The company will operate the call center from facilities in Barbourville, Ky., and Wheeling, W.Va.

Datatrac provides call center management, records management, ID and smart-card solutions and information technology integration to government customers. The company has more than 1,100 employees.