Statement of Work - Biometric Identity Services - Draft

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (DHS)

OFFICE OF BIOMETRIC IDENTITY MANAGEMENT (OBIM)

Biometric Identity Services

STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW)

1.0BACKGROUND

The Office of Biometric Identity Management (OBIM) is the Congressionally designated lead entity within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for biometric identity services. The capability to match, store, share, and analyze biometric identity information includes OBIM’s operation, maintenance, and improvement of the central DHS biometric repository which is currently the Automated Biometric Identification System (IDENT), and in the future the in-development replacement system for IDENT, Homeland Advanced Recognition Technology (HART).

OBIM provides DHS and its mission partners with biometric identity services that enable national security and public safety decision making. As an enterprise-level service provider, OBIM supports five (5) of the six (6) DHS Strategic Goals:

Counter Terrorism and Homeland Security Threats
Secure U.S. Borders and Approaches
Preserve and Uphold the Nation’s Prosperity and Economic Security Strengthen Preparedness and Resilience
Champion the DHS Workforce and Strengthen the Department

OBIM also shares biometric data with the U.S. Departments of Defense (DoD) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), within the Department of Justice (DOJ). This occurs daily through automated and manual means. Together, the biometric repositories of DHS, DoD, and DOJ make up the Biometric Triad. DHS also acts as a biometric service provider for the Department of State with match-store-share functionality of biometric and associated biographic information to support visa adjudication. This interdepartmental collaboration facilitates a “whole of government” approach to identity services.

OBIM supports the DHS mission to protect our nation by providing biometric identification services to federal, state, local and international Government decision makers. OBIM helps them accurately identify the people they encounter and determine whether those people pose a risk to the United States. OBIM serves as the lead entity for biometric identity management services within DHS and provides enterprise-level biometric identity information to DHS and its mission partners. OBIM is focused on improving biometric sharing in support of national security and international patterns. By matching, storing, sharing and analyzing biometric data, OBIM provides partners on the front lines of homeland security with rapid, accurate, and secure identification.