U.S. Customs and Border Protection has opened a procurement for a biometric facial comparison system supporting the modernization of Global Entry processing at international airports.
The solicitation, numbered 70B03C26Q00000328, calls for a contractor to supply and integrate the technology at multiple airport terminals. The Department of Homeland Security’s acquisition forecast describes the work as a new requirement covering personnel, management, equipment, software, integration support, testing, documentation, training, maintenance and technical support.
DHS estimates the firm-fixed-price order at between $5 million and $10 million. The department expects to make the award in the fourth quarter of the 2026 fiscal year, with the contract scheduled to run through September 29, 2027. Quotes are due September 17.
Global Entry is CBP’s trusted-traveler program for expedited entry to the United States. The planned system will add to the agency’s use of facial comparison in airport processing, including a facial recognition option introduced at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport for U.S. citizens last year.
Airport facial comparison typically captures a live image and checks it against an identity photograph already held by the government. CBP has also been testing other modalities and expanded iris recognition trials at border locations as it evaluates how different biometric tools perform in operational settings.
The Global Entry requirement is separate from the $440 million government-wide biometric capture contract vehicle that DHS announced last week. That larger procurement is designed to give DHS components access to multiple biometric capture products and related services, while the new solicitation concerns airport modernization for CBP’s Office of Field Operations.
The acquisition forecast lists the competition as full and open under the federal category for other computer-related services. CBP expects the selected contractor to provide sustainment as well as the initial deployment, placing ongoing maintenance and support within the same order.
CBP’s Office of Field Operations manages the ports of entry where Global Entry members complete arrival processing. The contractor must test the integrated system, train personnel and provide operating documentation in addition to installing the equipment. Keeping maintenance and technical support within the order extends its role beyond the initial airport deployment.
Sources: SAM.gov, DHS Acquisition Planning Forecast System
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
