EPA flies solo on HSPD-12

The Environmental Protection Agency is continuing to piece together its effort to meet the upcoming Homeland Security Presidential Directive-12 deadline for agencies to begin issuing Personal Identity Verification cards.

In a recent notice, the agency said it is seeking a public-key infrastructure provider to supply authentication certificates for the new identification cards.

EPA estimates it will issue roughly 26,000 PIV cards between September 2006 and October 2008, and the winning bidder should be able to provide 6,000 certificates every six months during that time, the notice said.

Under HSPD-12, agencies must begin issuing PIV cards in at least one location by Oct. 27. Although the Office of Management and Budget has been agencies to use a shared-services model being offered by the General Services Administration, EPA is going it alone.

Meanwhile, OMB formally issued its memorandum directing agency CIOs to update their strategic plans for meeting the Oct. 27 deadline.

In particular, agencies must delineate how many background investigations on potential employees are planned for the next two fiscal years, Karen Evans, OMB administrator for E-government and IT, said in the memo.

Responses are due Sept. 8, and OMB will provide a written evaluation of the plan.

The responses will be used to help OMB and agencies determine how they can best meet the mandate, a senior official said earlier this week.

Rob Thormeyer is a staff writer for Washington Technology's sister publication, Government Computer News.