L-1 Identity Solutions protests TWIC award to Lockheed Martin

A biometrics company has filed a protest challenging a Jan. 29 contract award to Lockheed Martin for the Transportation Worker Identification Credential program.L-1 Identity Solutions filed a protest with the Federal Aviation Administration yesterday stating that the Transportation Security Administration made critical mistakes when it evaluated a proposal from L-1 Identity Solutions' subsidiary Integrated Biometrics Technology.The Homeland Security Department, TSA's parent agency, awarded the $69.5 million contract to Lockheed Martin to provide all U.S. maritime port transportation workers with biometric smart cards to serve as secure identification badges.Robert LaPenta, chairman, chief executive officer and president of L-1 Identity Solutions, said TSA “misread certain key aspects of our proposal, including our proposed price.”The company filed its protest in the FAA's Office of Dispute Resolution for Acquisition, a body that adjudicates challenges to TSA contract decisions.