SOURCES SOUGHT
70 -- Intelligent Passport with embedded Integrated Circuit (IC)
- Notice Date
- 7/3/2003
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- Contracting Office
- Department of State, Office of Logistics Management, Acquisition Management, P.O. Box 9115 Rosslyn Station, Arlington, VA, 22219
- ZIP Code
- 22219
- Solicitation Number
- RFI-CA-0001
- Response Due
- 7/28/2003
- Archive Date
- 8/12/2003
- Point of Contact
- Kathleen Mejia, Contract Specialist, Phone 7038756689, Fax 7038756085,
- E-Mail Address
-
mejiakj@state.gov
- Description
- The Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs (CA), is soliciting industry input supporting the development/deployment of a new Intelligent Passport that contains an embedded Integrated Circuit (IC). Specifically, this request for information relates to the integration of contactless integrated circuit technology into the traditional paper-based passport booklet document and the ultimate procurement of such technologies. One of the primary driving forces that has led to this requirement is Section 303(c) of the Enhanced Border Security Act and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002 which requires, inter alia, that countries that participate in the US Visa Waiver Program have a ??program to issue to its nationals machine readable passports that are tamper?resistant and incorporate biometric and document authentication identifiers that comply with applicable biometric and document identifying standards established by the International Civil Aviation Organization.? Consistent with principles of international reciprocity, the United States intends to adhere to these same requirements. Therefore, the use of contactless integrated circuit technology arises as a direct result of standards decisions recently taken by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), announcing on May 28 that ??ICAO?has selected high-capacity, contactless integrated circuit (IC) chips to store identification information in MRTD?s -- passports, visas and identity cards??. This decision and the related determinations made by ICAO regarding the use of biometrics for travel document applications are reflected in Document 9303, Part 1, the ICAO standards for passports. This RFI relates solely to the requirement for a chip in-lay assembly and for the contactless chip integration. The U.S. intends to carry out the integration of chip technology into passports in several phases of implementation. The first and thereby the most urgent is to be implemented by 26 Oct 2004, which will introduce the biometric-carrying IC to passports issued at a single domestic passport issuance facility. In parallel, CA will work with the Department of Homeland Security for testing the new passports. The remaining phases of implementation will be carried out more broadly in terms of both issuance as well as inspection, with the ultimate goal of all US passports having IC?s embedded in them. This request is seeking information regarding all aspects of the contactless chip including, but not limited to chip availability, technical performance, security, durability, delivery scheduling, etc. with respect to carrying out these initiatives. All responses will be kept in strict confidence by the Department of State. Product Specifications: In accordance with ICAO specifications and State Department requirements, the product sought is an ISO/IEC 14443, Part 1-4 compliant, Type A or B, with a minimum storage capacity of 64 K (kilobytes) chip/antenna assembly embedded in an in-lay suitable for incorporation into the paper passport book; on-board operating system in accordance with ISO/IEC Standard 7816-4; the data will be stored on the chip in the Logical Data Structure prescribed by ICAO and secured with a digital signature. The minimum Set of Commands includes: ?Select File? by Data File (DF) name (full name) to select the application; ?Read Record? by short Elementary File (EF) identifier with a specified record number or with a specified record identifier, to read data group; and, ?Write Record? needed to load data group onto the chip; a read distance range of 0-10 cm. (Vendors are asked to comment on the use of READ BINARY either instead of or in addition to READ RECORD as suggested above.) The memory must support random access data retrieval with a data retention capability of 15 years under the conditions of use described in ISO 7816 and will support 106 read/write cycles without failure or performance degradation. The documents are issued for a ten-year period of validity and the chip assembly must meet this requirement in terms of overall durability. Vendor comments regarding durability, flexing, susceptibility to solvents, electrical/magnetic fields, stamping, and the routine use that an international traveler is likely to subject the passport to and ways in which testing and validation can be carried out are particularly sought. The Bureau of Consular Affairs is especially eager to receive as much specific information regarding durability definitions and related testing and the meaning of test results in terms of chip expectations when integrated into a passport book. The chip will carry data relative to the authorized bearer of the passport. Specifically, the chip will hold the biographic information similar to that in the current visual and machine readable zones such as name, issuance authority, date and place of birth and so on. Additionally, to carry out the ICAO requirement for a globally interoperable biometric, the chip will hold at least one compressed full facial image of the authorized document bearer, such image of at least 12K. It should be noted that although the ICAO minimum standard for chip size is 32K, the State Department desires a minimum chip size of 64K; vendors should comment on the impact of 32K vice 64K, if any. Also, vendors should comment on the usable storage in a 64K chip. Other similar storage requirements may emerge as plans progress. Security of data and protection of privacy are critical considerations. In addition to the ICAO-recommended use of encryption and digital signing, the Bureau of Consular Affairs is interested in suggestions and recommendations from vendors to address these concerns. Similarly, facilitation of the traveler is a corollary objective along with enhanced security. Therefore, the performance variables associated with transmission speeds and data transfer rates should be addressed clearly and comprehensively. The intelligent passport must be readable on a globally interoperable environment. As a guiding principle, vendors should keep in mind that incorporation of the IC into the document should be accomplished with as little impact on current operations as possible. There are three systems that together constitute the overall concept of operations for the U. S. passport production. The first two systems are within the purview of the Department of State as issuer and the US Government Printing Office as the book ?manufacturer?. With respect to the personalization function of the Department of State, the use of the Toppan MP300US printer is intended to continue. The use of the chip and the incorporation of the inlay in the book must intersect with this process as transparently as possible and without any impact on the ability to print data into the passport. It is intended that the chip assembly/inlay will be incorporated into the inside back cover of the book at GPO, with as little impact on these processes as possible as well. Writing to the chip may be accomplished as a part of the personalization process (assuming appropriate changes can be made to the Toppan printer) or as a separate step. The susceptibility of the assembly/inlay to temperature variables, flexing, bending, etc. are important for the vendor to address. (Vendor views as to chip/book placement methodologies are welcome.) Finally, the inspection of documents, generally carried out at the world?s ports of entries, is the third systemic area of focus that the vendor should address in responding. Keep in mind that the inspection of U.S. passports will vary all over the world and passports will be subject to manual, machine-reading and unattended examination. Readers will vary in many ways, although ICAO has recommended that ISO Standard 14443 both A and B capable be used. The inspection authorities will also likely be equipped to read the OCR-B as at present as well as the features that full-page readers can carry out. The chip assembly?s performance variables should be addressed in this inspection context. (The Attachment expands on specifications.) Information Requested: Vendors are requested to provide information on all of the above factors, and to respond to all elements, i.e. 1) technical performance, 2) security, 3) durability and 4) other factors that are relevant to the success of this project. It is requested that vendors provide a not-to-exceed 3-page summary of their response, and then attach additional information as appropriate. Any assumptions made regarding any of the systems within the concept of operations should be clearly stated. This covers book manufacturing, passport personalization, and inspection at ports of entry. Any known or anticipated impediments/constraints affecting the plans as outlined should be addressed forthrightly and candidly. Insofar as pricing, general cost estimates should be provided for both the relatively limited early stages of implementation as well as full nationwide volume. There are approximately 7 million passports issued, with the intent being that by 2006 all US passports will be IC-enhanced. Please note as well that policy options under consideration related to the US passport could well increase annual passport issuance to the range of 12 million or higher. The information provided must also cover integration requirements in general as to the systems specified as well as those that may be chip/inlay-specific. The response should also include a schedule for delivery, milestones related thereto, dependencies or caveats in such scheduling, and manufacturing capacity/flexibility with regard to both small quantities early in implementation and higher quantities as volume reaches maximum. In addition to the required information above, if the respondent has any information regarding health and safety concerns with respect to the use of contactless chips, such information will be desirable. Additionally, with regard to global interoperability, views will be appreciated regarding any issues or potential impacts created by the differences in legal radiation requirements and limits that are due to regulatory policies among Europe, Japan, the United States and others. Time To Respond: Questions should be e-mailed to chiprfi@state.gov, and the Government will respond as soon as practicable to all companies on the mailing list. Responses must be submitted no later than 4:00 PM EST July 28, 2003. Responses should sent to e-mail address chiprfi@state.gov , or mailed to the following address: U.S. Department of State A/LM/AQM/INF/TEL Attn: Kathy Mejia P. O. Box 9115, Rosslyn Station Arlington, VA 22219 Hand delivery: U.S. Department of State A/LM/AQM/INF/TEL Attn: Kathy Mejia 1701 N. Fort Myer Drive, Suite 200 Arlington, VA 22209 This RFI does not constitute an RFP and does not obligate the Government in any way. The Department of State intends to use the information as submitted to help shape the ensuing RFP that will be forthcoming as soon as practicable consistent with the timing expectations outlined above. All information received in response to this announcement that is designated "Proprietary" will be handled accordingly. Additional information can be found in a related attachment posted on www.statebuy.gov. Click on Business Opportunities and finally on Contract Opportunities.
- Place of Performance
- Address: D.C. Metro area
- Country: U.S.
- Country: U.S.
- Record
- SN00363652-W 20030705/030703213352 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps.gov Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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