Washington – The Transportation Security Administration has decided to award a closely watched contract to supply high-tech identification cards at ports nationwide to Lockheed Martin, according to sources familiar with the choice.
The initial value of the contract, which involves issuing ID cards to 850,000 maritime workers, was estimated at roughly $70 million. The contract could prove far more valuable, however, if it leads to other, related deals for the firm.
Identity technology is a fast-growing sector for government contractors, and the Transportation Worker Identification Credential, known as TWIC, is the first of many identity contracts slated to be announced in the next few years.
The program, a key element of the government’s attempts to secure the nation’s ports, was initially supposed to provide transportation workers with ID cards embedded with microchips by the end of 2003. But it has been bogged down with technology glitches and privacy concerns, and now Lockheed will have 18 months to finish rolling out its cards.
Darrin Kayser, a TSA spokesman, would not confirm Wednesday that the agency had made its decision but indicated that an announcement is imminent.
“The TWIC contract, which will be awarded in the coming days, allows us to move forward and begin enrollment at selected ports in March,” Kayser said.
Lockheed is the Defense Department’s biggest contractor.
