FBI delays upgrades to fingerprint databases

The FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Service (CJIS) Division has delayed plans to make upgrades to its fingerprint identification databases and related systems, sources said. It will award a $1 billion, 10-year contract for the work in mid-January, about a month later than planned, they said. CJIS has been planning the upgrade to its Automated Integrated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) for more than two years, and has relied on some contractors to help frame the requirements for the contract. Sources said the division now is considering bids from teams led by three major systems integrators: Northrop Grumman, IBM and Lockheed Martin. Each of the three companies has a chance to win the contract, sources close to the bureau said. The current schedule delay will allow FBI’s technology managers to complete final phases of their negotiations with the prospective vendors, the sources said. The bureau’s plans for the IAFIS upgrades include a very strong preference for using commercial systems as elements of the final product, sources said. , .