DHS Awards US-Visit Contract
Posted Jun 04, 2004
An announcement was made on June 1, 2004 that the contract for professional services, technical support, design, and related activities in connection with the US-Visit program has been awarded to a company known as Accenture, LLP. The contract award, made on May 28, 2004, was on schedule and valued at up to $10 billion. The US-Visit program is essentially a security measure which takes place at the points of entry into the U.S. and departure from the U.S. It involves an inkless fingerprint and a digital picture taken at the Port of Entry. The program is being phased in, with the primary initial focus on Ports of Entry. We explained the essentials of the US-Visit program in our January 9, 2004 MurthyBulletin article, US-Visit Underway, available on MurthyDotCom.
Currently, the program applies to almost all visitors holding nonimmigrant visas. It is in place at 115 airports and 14 seaports. It is scheduled to expand to the 50 busiest land ports by December 31, 2004. It will include all 165 land ports by December 31, 2005. The program will be expanded to Visa Waiver Program travelers by September 30, 2004.
The biometric identifiers are essentially designed to assure that the identity of the traveler is a certainty. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), since US-Visit started, more than 4.5 million people have been processed through the system. Most report that it is fast and efficient and that waiting times for processing have not been greatly affected. The DHS reports that the program has helped them identify over 500 prior criminals or suspected criminals, or immigration violators. The criminals include convicted rapists, drug traffickers, an armed robber, and persons involved in credit card fraud. There are also those identified for various immigration violations, including use of false documents.
The selection of an outside contracting company whose parent corporation is headquartered in Bermuda has engendered some negative publicity for Accenture as a foreign corporation that has avoided paying substantial U.S. taxes. Two other U.S. companies lost the contract to administer the US-Visit Program to Accenture. The DHS has stated that the bidding process was bona fide and the selection was made after following all federal laws and guidelines. The US-Visit program is part of a congressional mandate to have an entry / exit program in place by December 31, 2003. Despite the negative publicity, we hope that the program can continue to operate efficiently, consistent with its stated goal of enhancing security while facilitating legitimate travel and trade.
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