Northrop taps L-3, Identix in border contract bid

MCLEAN, Va.--Northrop Grumman yesterday announced it teamed with fingerprint and card scanner company L-3 Communications Titan Group, and biometrics company Identix, among others, in its bid to win a $2 billion federal contract to secure the U.S. border. The Department of Homeland Security is scheduled to award the six-year Secure Border Initiative Net contract in September. The group that wins the contract will provide DHS's Customs and Border Protection directorate with a comprehensive border-protection solution comprising integrated technologies, infrastructure, rapid-response capability and personnel. Northrup announced that it will lead a team of seven large partners, supplemented by solutions providers and a host of small businesses as well as partners providing community outreach. In addition to L-3 Communications Titan Group, its seven large partners are: Anteon International Corp., SRA International, BearingPoint, L. Robert Kimball & Assoc., HNTB Assoc. and General Dynamics. In addition to Identix, Northrup's solution providers include EMC Corp., ESRI, Hugues Network Systems, Motorola, Sprint/Nextel, Oracle and Nortel. "Together with our industry partners, we can deliver a comprehensive solution, working closely with the government to enable stronger border security, deter illegal border crossings and ultimately help achieve DHS's goal of operational control of our nation's borders," Wood Parker, president of Northrop Grumman Information Technology Intelligence Group, said in a statement.