*Cross Match Technologies has entered into an agreement with the National Public Administration of Argentina to support the deployment of identity management systems throughout the country. Cross Match says it will provide guidance in the areas of forensic-quality fingerprint and palm print capture devices, multimodal biometric capture systems, document readers, software and related professional services in support of administration activities. “We will promote the use and implementation of new biometric technology and electronic equipment,” says Pedro Janices, national director of the National Office of Information Technologies.
*American Science and Engineering [ASEI] says a U.S. government agency has deobligated the remainder of a contract is awarded the company in Sept. 2010 for development and delivery of a modular Z Backscatter system for remote detection and defeat of improvised explosive devices. The amount of the award, including the initial funding, was not disclosed at the time of the contract all though AS&E said then it was in the multi-million dollar range (TR2, Oct. 13, 2010). As a result of the deobligation, AS&E has removed the remaining amount from its backlog. The deobligated amount is not considered to be material, the company says.
*Source One Distributors, a veteran minority-owned small business, has received a potential three-year, $2.4 million contract from the Pentagon’s Washington Headquarters Services to supply Itemiser DX explosives trace detectors (ETD) for use at Pentagon entrances. The company received $1.1 million to supply the systems in the first year of the ordering period. The second year option is worth $826,00 and the third year $540,000. Source One is reselling the Itemisers, which are produced by Morpho Detection.
*The Government Accountability Office has rejected a protest by Raytheon [RTN] regarding the awarding of two contracts late last year to Flir Corp. [FLIR] and Griffon Corp.’s [GFF] Telephonics division for mobile surveillance towers to be deployed along the southwest border. The rejection clears the way Customs and Border Protection to deliver government furnished equipment, namely trucks, to the companies to integrate with telescoping towers fitted with cameras and radar to conduct surveillance along the border (TR2, May 11).