NIGP 57812: Biometric Card Reader

NIGP 57812 Biometric Card Reader, an Item code, covers biometric access and timekeeping hardware that state and local governments integrate into security, law enforcement, and workforce management systems. Recent solicitations show state and local buyers procuring biometric card readers and biometric time clocks as components within larger access control, physical security, and time-and-attendance solutions rather than as standalone products. The hardware typically pairs with access-control software, video security systems, or workforce management platforms to support 24/7 operations, field staff, and complex scheduling across police, fire, airports, and municipal departments.

Issuing bodies include state cooperative purchasing vehicles, county governments, cities, and special-purpose districts. Sourcewell, the State of Minnesota's local government cooperative, issued RFP #061626 in May 2026 for law enforcement equipment on behalf of multiple Washington counties (Franklin, Grant, Grays Harbor, Chelan, and Yakima) with responses due June 16, 2026; the resulting contract will serve thousands of governmental agencies, higher education institutions, school districts, and tribal governments nationwide and in Canada. The City of Meriden, Connecticut issued RFP026-11 in August 2025 for a time-and-attendance software solution with integrated biometric clocks supporting 200 seasonal and 150 regular employees across seven departments, with proposals due September 4, 2025. Sacramento County's Department of Airports released RFB #2026-RFB-0028 in March 2026 for a Hirsch Electronics access-control system upgrade including hardware, software, and services, with bids due April 3, 2026. Activity spans Washington state, Connecticut, and California, with cooperative purchasing extending the geographic and jurisdictional reach significantly beyond individual issuing bodies.