Siding with the Senate’s proposed funding level, Congress is providing $400 million in FY ’12 for border security technology and fencing programs, nearly $128 million less than the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requested.

In their FY ’12 report accompanying the DHS spending bill, House and Senate conferees are concerned that despite a new procurement plan from Customs and Border Protection for off-the-shelf fixed-sensor towers to initially be deployed in select areas along the nation’s southwest border, delays in the project have pushed back any contract award until next summer.

In its bill in June, the House recommended $500 million for the border fence and technology program.

Congress is fencing some of the funds pending receipt of a detailed spending plan for all the program elements within the $400 million Border Security Fencing, Infrastructure, and Technology line (BSFIT).

“Under the best of circumstances, the contract for two [of three] of these towers would not be awarded until the summer of 2012, delaying the execution of the associated funds into fiscal year 2013,” the conference report says. “As a result, $60 million is withheld for obligation from this appropriation until a detailed expenditure plan is provided to the Committees, no later than 90 days after the enactment of this Act.”

Congress also wants a multi-year investment and management plan for BSFIT funds to be submitted by CBP with the FY ’13 budget request.

The conferees apparently reduced the BSFIT funds given the slow execution of existing funds, noting that combining unallocated obligations with the FY ’12 allocation, CBP has $775 million for the program.

The fixed-sensor tower program, called the Integrated Fixed Towers, include a combination of radar and day/night cameras and related communications equipment for each tower, as well as a common operating picture to display the images from a series of towers that make up a system. The IFT procurement, part of the new Arizona Border Surveillance Technology program, replaces the fixed tower portion of the Secure Border Initiative Network canceled by DHS earlier this year.

CBP earlier this month issued a draft Request for Proposals for the IFT procurement and plans to issue the final RFP early next year (Defense Daily, Dec. 12).

The conference report is also concerned with slowness on CBP’s part in purchasing and upgrading Remote Video Surveillance Systems (RVSS), which are also part of the new Arizona technology plan. Like the IFT systems, the RVSS are another tool for CBP to consider for deploying technology along the nation’s borders to help stem the flow of illegal activity occurring between the ports of entry.

An RFP for the RVSS is expected to follow the RFP for the IFTs.

As part of the BSFIT funding line, Congress is providing $20 million for Northern Border technology, $25 million below the administration’s request and the original amount approved by both the House and Senate, and $40 million for tactical communications.

The conferees also agreed to provide $149.5 million for non-intrusive inspection and detection technology that is typically used at land and seaport of entry.

The bill also includes $504 million for CBP’s Air and Marine Office, including $139 million for procurement, which includes funds to convert to UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and $22.5 million to acquire another Multi-Role Enforcement aircraft, which the conferees says is a “high priority for CBP, particularly important given the increasing aircraft retirements CBP expects.”

Congress also provides $4 million above the Air and Marine request for operations and maintenance of unmanned aircraft systems and wants DHS to seek enough funds for this account in FY ’13 to operate and sustain these aircraft over multiple shifts.

Overall Congress is providing $8.7 billion for CBP’s salaries and expenses, which includes the various technology efforts, essentially in line with the request.

The bill also provides $306.8 million for the US-VISIT program, which is managed within the National Protection and Programs Directorate. The funding level is $9.4 million more than requested and originally recommended by both the House and Senate for the program to prepare a comprehensive plan for implementing a biometric air exit solution for foreign nationals departing the United States. The additional funding is also for improving an existing biographic entry-exit matching capability and to prevent foreign nationals from overstaying their visas.

US-VISIT is managed by Accenture [ACN].

DHS has pilot tested biometric air exit solutions and found they are technically feasible but difficult and costly to implement. The conference report notes that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano sent Congress a letter in October outlining her concerns about biometric exit solutions, “particularly the costs of such an undertaking, and proposing legislative changes to the law.”

Napolitano is still interested in a biometric component to the process of foreign national departing the United States, the conferees say. However, to get their message across that they want progress on this front, the bill fences some funds for Napolitano’s office until a plan is submitted and associated costs identified for a biometric exit solution.