TOPICS
TOPICS
OMB lists products meeting ID card requirement
Federal agencies facing a looming Oct. 27 deadline for issuing new high-tech identity cards to employees and contractors now are able to purchase certified products and services through the General Services Administration.
A June 30 memorandum from the Office of Management and Budget details the acquisition policies governing agencies as they work to meet the ID requirement in Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12, and includes a list of products and services that fit previously established OMB requirements.
"Everyone is working hard to meet this challenging deadline, and this memorandum and list of HSPD 12-certified products and services should enable agencies to take the next step in their implementation process," said Karen Evans, administrator of OMB's Electronic Government and Information Technology division.
HSPD 12 mandates that all agencies issue identification cards that meet specifications published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology by Oct. 27. OMB selected GSA to approve all products and services to be made available to help agencies meet the requirement.
GSA, through a third-party laboratory, has approved five private sector vendors offering nine products, including three companies offering end-to-end solutions. Overall, 49 vendors have enrolled in the evaluation program, with 29 of those companies initiating the application process for 109 products.
Agencies that need assisted services through GSA have until Aug. 30 to order HSPD 12-related services through the Federal Acquisition Service and have until Sept. 22 to order supplies.
"GSA is ready to implement HSPD 12 and to help other agencies do the same, as the federal government's premier acquisition agency," said Lurita Doan, GSA's recently confirmed administrator. "GSA has the tools to help agencies meet the October deadline, effectively and efficiently, and at best value to the government and to taxpayers."
Agencies that do not elect to receive assistance from GSA can purchase approved products and services through GSA's Schedule 70.
COMMENTS
- HSPD-12 was fixed where no standard other than the biometric smart card was considered. There are two ironies: 1) The addition of biometrics to the more than 50-year-old smart card platform is a minor obstacle overcome by determined identity thieves. All types of radio frequency technologies are insecure and the addition of biometric images doesn't change this! 2) Nearly no one behind the fixing of the biometric smart card to this standard remains in office. Most have either resigned/been fired. Billions of dollars were/are being spent on a standard that makes identity theft easier than in all the history identification credentials have been in use, and the jailing of the federal government's racketeers isn't going to return the funds to taxpayers’ bank accounts when the biometric smart card is dropped as a standard because of its incompetence. The first time a database is hacked storing the ID algorithms, there will be no way to undo the damage without replacing every single card! The federal government had an alternative that overcame this, but corruption (evil) won over righteousness (good). Dawn Posted July 11, 2006 4:00 PM
