Request for Information -Hidden Machine Readable Security Features

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

BUREAU OF ENGRAVING AND PRINTING

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20228

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

Type of Notice: Request for Information (RFI)
Notice Number: 2031ZA26N00005
Short description of supply or service: Research and Development RFI for Hidden Machine-Readable Security Features
PCS or FSC Code: AJ13
NAICS Code: 541715
Response Date: 2:00 PM Eastern Time, November 15, 2026
Primary POC: Kevin Ibershoff, Contract Specialist, [email protected] Secondary POC: Falcon Albino, Contracting Officer, [email protected] Program Office POC: Chris Dollberg, Ph.D., Division Manager, [email protected] Description: This is a Request for Information (RFI) only. This RFI is for informational planning purposes only and it should not be construed as a commitment by the Government for any actual procurement of materials, machinery, or services. This notice does not constitute a solicitation or a promise of a solicitation in the future. This RFI does not commit the Government to a contract for any supply or service. Respondents are advised that the Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI. All costs associated with responding to this RFI are solely at the responding parties` expense. No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s). If so, respondents are solely responsible for properly marking and identifying such information within their responses. The U. S. Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP), is interested in obtaining, testing, and evaluating novel emerging technologies and/or materials with potential application as hidden machine-readable counterfeit deterrent / authenticating features on future generations of U. S. currency. Proposed counterfeit deterrent feature / system should be novel and that are not otherwise in commercial use or the public domain.
Proposed features may become distinctive counterfeit deterrents incorporated into the banknote or applied to the notes. An effective hidden machine-readable feature should be: 1. difficult to discover on a banknote even by subject matter experts 2. difficult to elucidate the functionality or detection mechanism of the feature 3. readable by a highly discriminating standalone detection system 4. resistant to simulation or duplication, both in terms of material and response