Immigration Services shops for full-service ID card vendor

The Homeland Security Department is looking for a contractor to process up to 28 million government identification cards a year both for existing programs and for new ID cards such as in the proposed Temporary Worker Program.

In a special notice published on Monday, the Citizenship and Immigration Services bureau said it wants industry ideas and comments by June 20 relating to equipment, system integrations and services for the ID cards. The agency is looking for a contractor to "personalize" existing and new ID cards by adding the personal identification information to blank cards.

The immigration agency wants to replace its nine-year-old Integrated Card Production System, which has grown obsolete, with a new system. The immigration agency has used optical laser technologies since 1998 to personalize 25 million cards and non-laser technologies for eight million cards. The system is used for Permanent Resident Cards (also known as Green Cards), Laser Visa Border Crossing Cards and Employment Authorization Cards, the notice states.

To replace the system, the agency wants to buy equipment, integration software, systems integration, training, warranty and maintenance support services. The award will be an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract with a one-year base period and four one-year options.

The vendor should be capable of delivering a minimum of 8.5 million cards a year, and a maximum of 28 million, the notice states. The contractor also must be flexible and able to adapt to smart card, laser, magnetic stripe and radio frequency identification technologies. The vendor may assist in producing cards for government employees under Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 and for the DHS' Transportation Workers Identification Credential.