DHS Extends Deadline for RFI on Latent Fingerprint System

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced an extension for its Request for Information (RFI) regarding the development of a new latent fingerprint system. The original deadline for submissions, set for January 10, 2025, has been moved to January 17, 2025. This amendment was issued on January 8, 2025, through the Office of Procurement Operations, aiming to provide potential vendors with additional time to prepare comprehensive responses. The system will play a pivotal role in enhancing the DHS’s biometric capabilities under the Office of Biometric Identity Management (OBIM).

The RFI, originally issued in November 2024, seeks an AWS cloud-based solution for managing and analyzing latent fingerprints. OBIM, which oversees the Automated Biometric Identification System (IDENT), requires the system to handle two large fingerprint galleries. The first gallery contains approximately 30 million identities and grows by three million annually, while the second holds 300 million identities, with an annual growth rate of 18 million. Performance requirements include processing up to 100 latent searches per hour at peak times and achieving response times of less than 600 seconds or 60 minutes, depending on the scenario.

Another critical component is the Unsolved Latent File (ULF), which will allow reverse searches of unsolved latent fingerprints. The ULF gallery is expected to grow from its current 500,000 entries to as many as two million over time. The system must process 12,000 known-to-latent searches and up to 100 latent-to-latent searches per hour during peak periods. Vendors are expected to propose robust thresholding mechanisms to maximize accuracy while minimizing examiner workloads, along with plans for migrating existing ULF data.

The DHS emphasizes usability and efficiency for latent fingerprint examiners, requiring a graphical user interface (GUI) tool with capabilities such as visualization, feature marking, match verification, and report generation. The RFI also calls for details on licensing models, including costs for 100 users and enterprise-wide access. Interoperability with third-party examiner tools and approaches to algorithm updates are additional key criteria.

This extended deadline follows amendments in December 2024 that provided answers to vendor questions and clarified submission procedures. The responses to this RFI will help shape DHS’s procurement strategy for future biometric capabilities, particularly as it faces Congressional scrutiny over the progress of its Homeland Advanced Recognition Technology (HART) system.

Interested vendors must submit their proposals via email to DHS officials Amy Driver and Sasha May by January 17, 2025, at noon ET. The proposals should address all specified requirements, including costs, migration strategies, and operational performance. This initiative highlights the DHS’s commitment to leveraging advanced technology to meet growing national security and immigration challenges.

Source: SAM.gov

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January 10, 2025 – by Cass Kennedy