Fergie's Tech Blog

Bearing Point Could Lose Federal ID Card Contract

Chris Kirkham writes in The Washington Post:

The federal government has decided to reopen the bidding to produce hundreds of thousands of universal government identification cards, stripping the McLean consulting firm BearingPoint Inc. of a potential five-year contract.

It is an unusual move for the General Services Administration, coming just two months into the $104 million contract. BearingPoint will continue to develop ID cards for government employees and contractors through early January, after which the GSA will either ask for more bids or allow agencies to choose from an approved list of vendors.

GSA officials said the decision had nothing to do with BearingPoint's performance but rather that the agency felt there were more companies that could develop the appropriate technology. The cards make use of biometric data such as fingerprints and retinal scans and contain computer chips that can store more personal information. GSA officials say that with more options, they can command lower prices.

posted by Fergie @ 11/01/2006 06:50:00 PM