State keeps Harris Corp. busy with consular affairs

The State Department has awarded Harris Corp. a one-year, $42 million follow-on contract for technical support services at more than 230 U.S. embassies and consulates.Under the contract, Harris will provide system configuration management and upgrades, help-desk services, Web development, and training for State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs.More than 250 Harris employees will be assigned to work on systems and operational support for the high volume of business applications that the consulates and embassies receive, including approximately 5 million visa applications per year and other services for Americans living or traveling abroad.Harris support services will also include border protection initiatives and biometric technology for the visa application process.“We are very pleased that the Department of State has again selected Harris to support the critical mission systems of its embassies and consulates,” said Dan Garrison, vice president of enterprise services at Harris Technical Services Corp., in a statement.Harris Technical Services is a wholly owned subsidiary of Harris that serves the information technology services marketplace.