DigitalNet wins DHS fingerprint ID work

DigitalNet Holdings Inc., a provider of network computing solutions, won a Homeland Security Department contract worth up to $25 million for fingerprint identification services, officials of the Herndon, Va., company announced today.

DigitalNet will provide fingerprint identification specialists at the department's Western Identification Network in San Diego and the Biometrics Support Center in Washington.

The contract was awarded by the DHS U.S. Visit program office, and is for one year with four option periods. If all options are exercised, the contract will be worth $25 million over five years, according to DigitalNet officials.

The U.S. Visit program verifies the identity of visitors to the United States using biometric technologies. DigitalNet's fingerprint identification specialists will compare fingerprints collected during screenings, according to the company.

Executives of DigitalNet and Rockville, Md.-based BAE Systems North America announced Sept. 11 that BAE Systems North America would buy DigitalNet for about $600 million, including DigitalNet's $93.25 million debt. BAE Systems North America is a wholly owned subsidiary of BAE Systems plc of Hampshire, United Kingdom.

DigitalNet employs nearly 2,200 people who provide networked infrastructure and information assurance technologies to federal agencies, including the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Justice, State and Treasury, as well as the national intelligence community. The company had revenue of $336.2 million in fiscal 2003.