In late January the U.S. State Department awarded Falls Church, Va.-based General Dynamics the contract for the new Passport card. But the company was unable to reach a final deal with the agency.
“We reached an impasse before starting work with the State Department,” says Rob Doolittle, staff vice president of public affairs at the company. Doolittle would not release details of the stalemate.
But General Dynamics loss is L-1 Identity Solutions gain. The State Department announced the Stamford, Conn.-based company will take over the project, which has an estimated value of approximately $107 million over five years.
Sub contractors under L-1 for the Passport Card Program include Datacard Group, American Bank Note, RCD Technology, Identity StrongHold, Intermec and Transcore.
The need for the Passport Card came out of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. WHTI is part of the Intelligence Reform Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, which requires citizens from the U.S., Canada and Bermuda to have a passport or other designated document that established the holders’ identity and nationality when entering the U.S. from a land or sea border crossing. The Passport card is $45, cheaper than the $100 for a Passport book. ![[end]](/resources/bullet/archive-4.gif)
