Datatrac wins ID card contract

Datatrac Information Services Inc. has been awarded a follow-on contract worth up to $200 million over 10 years to produce secure identification cards for noncitizens who are permanent U.S. residents.

The blanket purchase agreement with the Homeland Security Department continues an existing five-year deal for Datatrac's memory identification cards for the Homeland Security's Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services. Datatrac will work with SEI Technology Inc. and Information Spectrum Inc.

Datatrac has produced at least 12 million identification cards, formerly known as the "green card," for aliens living in the United States, said Vince Ley, Datatrac's director of strategic business development. The cards incorporate biometrics such as fingerprints and will be used for the permanent resident card and the State Department's border-crossing card for noncitizens who commute across the U.S. border, Ley said.

The project will employ 126 workers in four states with the largest concentration in Corbin, Ky., said Rep. Harold Rogers (R-Ky.), who represents the area.

"The cards produced at facilities like the one in Corbin, Ky., are on the cutting edge of technology. I am pleased the department has chosen to continue the use of these proven products," Rogers said.