FBI Wants to use Mobile Devices to Collect Biometrics

The FBI wants to capture fingerprints and facial images on its mobile devices, so it’s on the hunt for a vendor able to provide such a service.

In an Aug. 3 draft Request for Quotations, the bureau devoted 43 pages to detailing its wide array of requirements for a mobile biometric application able to collect biometrics via an agent’s smartphone.

The software must be able to capture fingerprints and facial images from a domestic location that has cell service, according to the notice. It also needs to be compatible with the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Samsung Galaxy Tab 4, which are the bureau’s current Android-based phone and tablet.

Currently, the bureau obtains and stores fingerprint data using the Quick Capture Platform, according to the notice. The software was first used in 2007 by the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team.

The notice follows a Request for Information pertaining to the same solicitation published last summer.

The mobile biometric app must be “easy to install, easy to update, easy to remove, intuitive and easy to navigate,” according to the notice. It must be able to capture thumbs and plain finger impressions, as well as facial images. Also, it has to be able to account for instances when an individual’s finger is either missing or simply “unprintable,” according to the notice.

Finally, the software must take less than one minute to launch and have the ability to collect biometric information in a specific order based on the agency’s needs.

In addition to providing the right type of software at the right price, the contractor must also provide such services as software training, quarterly progress meetings, a capabilities demonstration and software upgrades, according to the notice.

The notice is meant to give industry the opportunity to comment on these many requirements. Submissions are due by Aug. 6. 

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