L-1 Identity Solutions [ID] says the value of its Passport Card contract with the State Department has more than doubled to a potential $239.8 million over five years due to anticipated increased travel demand and the inclusion of the new Border Crossing Card (BCC) as part of an expansion to the Passport Card program. L-1 received a potential $107 million Passport Card contract in March after the State Department disqualified its original award to General Dynamics [GD]. Under the expansion, the potential value of the Passport Contract is now $215 million. The potential value of the BCC award is $24.8 million. The Passport Card is a wallet-sized document for land and sea travel between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda as an alternative to a passport and to meet the requirements of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. Full production and distribution of the Passport Card began this month with over 350,000 U.S. citizens pre-ordering the document. The BCC is modeled after the Passport Card and is specifically for Mexican visa applicants. BCC documents are slated to begin issuance this fall.
GovBuys, Inc., has received an $8 million contract from Customs and Border Protection to supply unattended ground sensors (UGS) as part of the Secure Border Initiative. GovBuys, a Maryland-based small business, will supply sensors and supporting communication equipment manufactured by Monitron. The procurement augments an existing nationwide network of UGS and monitoring equipment. The UGS utilizes for types of sensor cards: Directional/Seismic; Dual Directional; Dual Seismic; and Contact Closure/Open.