Will your ABIS acquisition be substandard?
Acquisition of an automated biometric identification system (ABIS, sometimes known as an automated fingerprint identification system or AFIS) can be complex, with many factors that can adversely impact the success of your ABIS acquisition. These factors include:
- Many, conflicting stakeholders. An ABIS must satisfy the needs of field investigators, forensic examiners, tenprint personnel, information technologies staff, procurement officials, privacy officials, records management and agency leadership.
- Few, distracted vendors. ABIS vendors must satisfy hundreds of customers, earning the most margin, while following the letter of the contracts. Hence, it is crucial that requirements are well thought out ahead of time.
- “One size fits all” acquisition professionals. Some acquisition professionals offer either agency experience or vendor experience, but few offer both. Many offer a “cookie cutter” solution without incorporating their clients unique needs.
Dissatisfied stakeholders, distracted vendors, and “one size fits all” acquisition professionals can all result in a substandard ABIS that does not meet your unique needs.
Benefits.
An expertly guided ABIS pre-acquisition and acquisition can result in greater agency stakeholder satisfaction, reduced deployment time and costs, and increased public safety for your jurisdiction.
How to get the ABIS your agency deserves.
Your agency needs a knowledgeable acquisition professional who understands your stakeholders, strives to keep your vendors focused, and produces a unique acquisition that addresses your concerns and obtains agreement from your stakeholders.
Michael K. French, owner of Applied Forensic Services LLC (AFS), draws upon 12 years of experience with a law enforcement agency, 13 years of experience with ABIS vendors, and eight years of service on forensic and industry standards bodies. He is knowledgeable about all aspects of an ABIS acquisition through his involvement in approximately 50 ABIS implementations including the FBI Next Generation Identification system (NGI).
Here is a brief overview of how AFS will work with you:
- Consult with all stakeholders as early as possible in the pre-acquisition phase to secure their agreement.
- Understand agency policies and priorities, as well as other relevant laws and regulations such as FBI requirements.
- Answer key questions, including the overall project goal, project management, funding sources, and the best acquisition strategy (sole source or competition).
- Develop and distribute relevant pre-acquisition documents, including a Concept of Operations and a Acquisition Strategy (preferably including a benchmark).
- Secure authorization and budget to proceed with the acquisition.
- Develop and distribute a Statement of Work (or Requirements Specification) that clearly delineates agency and vendor responsibilities.
- For competitive procurements, develop and distribute a Source Selection Plan and Request for Proposal, the latter incorporating the Statement of Work.
- Acquire the ABIS via a sole source or competitive procurement, work with the vendor(s), award a competitive procurement, and negotiate the contract.
In addition to pre-acquisition and acquisition services, AFS also offers separate Independent Verification & Validation (IV&V) post-acquisition services. Contact AFS for details.
Take the first step to acquiring your unique ABIS.
How can my approach benefit your next ABIS implementation?
It is never too soon to start planning, and it is never too late to re-evaluate your current approach. If my service is of interest to you, I would be happy to set up a complimentary 30-minute consultation. I can listen to your concerns and suggest possible next steps.
Contact me at mike@appliedforensicservices.com