L-1 will process applicants' fingerprints in Tenn.

L-1 Identity Solutions Inc. has won a $40 million contract to be the exclusive provider of digital fingerprinting services for the state of Tennessee.

The three-year contract between the company based in Stamford, Conn., and the Tennessee Applicant Processing Services program includes two additional one-year renewals for a total of up to five years.

Tennessee fingerprints citizens employed as child care workers, school employees, and real estate and insurance agents. Prints are also required for those seeking a state or federal license permit, such as commercial drivers seeking to transport hazardous materials or citizens wanting to carry a handgun, according to L-1's news release dated July 20.

L-1 expects to process more than 175,000 applicants annually in Tennessee and will provide residents with 57 convenient locations statewide for fingerprinting, background checks and gathering other biographical data required for applications and state licenses, according to the announcement.

Certified fingerprint technicians using state-of-the-art technology will capture the prints without the use of ink and submit them electronically for processing via a secure private network.

Personal information and records remain secure and private by residing in the state's central database system rather than on personal computers at the fingerprint locations. Also criminal history results are received quickly and securely in a few days, instead of months.