CJIS Biometric Algorithm RFI QA.xlsx
XLSX spreadsheet 16 KB Posted
- Solicitation number
- CJIS_Bio_Algorithm_MR_RFI3
About this file
This file is a Questions and Answers document for the FBI's CJIS Biometric Algorithm Request for Information (RFI No. 3). The document addresses vendor inquiries regarding the submission deadline, algorithm requirements, cloud infrastructure, system performance metrics, and evaluation criteria for biometric matching solutions intended for integration into the Next Generation Identification (NGI) system.
Key clarifications provided include: the submission deadline was extended to July 14, 2026, at noon ET; vendors may rely on previously submitted algorithms to NIST without resubmission; any FedRAMP High-certified cloud service provider is acceptable; peak transaction volumes will not be specified, though vendors may reference NGI fact sheets for current processing statistics; projected repository growth is approximately 5% annually; the Latent Case Management System is intended for FBI personnel only; specific gallery granularity details will not be provided, allowing vendors to make stated assumptions; the RFI is purely for market research with no guarantee of a subsequent solicitation being single-award or multiple-award; this is not a security assessment or acquisition action; and cloud hosting fees are excluded from pricing as the requirement is for software delivery, not SaaS. The RFI explicitly addresses concerns regarding foreign-developed AI/ML models, stating that while documentation of model provenance and training data origin is not mandated, vendors may include such information at their discretion to add meaningful context.
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Sheet1
| CJIS Biometric Algorithm RFI Q&A | |
| Question | Answer |
| Would the government consider a 30-day extension of the final RFI submission deadline (from June 30, 2026 to July 31, 2026) to allow additional time to respond to the scope and complexity of the requirements, including multiple biometric modalities (e.g., fingerprint, facial recognition, iris, and tattoo)? | The submission deadline has been extended two weeks and is now set to close 07/14/2026 at Noon ET. |
| If a vendor has already submitted its current algorithm to NIST and no updated algorithm version exists when the FBI issues a request for NIST testing, may the vendor rely on the previously submitted algorithm and its associated NIST evaluation results? Alternatively, does the FBI require a resubmission of the identical algorithm for a new NIST evaluation cycle? | A new submission to NIST of an algorithm already tested is not necessary for FBI consideration. |
| Would the government specify which GovCloud cloud service providers (CSPs) are acceptable? | The government is interested in any cloud providers that are certified FedRamp High. |
| No gallery size, search volumes, and peak concurrent transactions are provided. If the current number is not available, would the government share the projected number or volumetric? | Gallery sizes and average search volumes per month were provided in the RFI. |
| Response time is necessary in order to provide the infrastructure sizing. Please provide the response time requirement for each biometric modality. | Vendors are requested to provide response times benchmarked by NIST testing, or other reputable testing conducted. |
| Beyond the average monthly search volumes provided (e.g., 5.2 million fingerprint searches), what peak transaction volumes must the system support while maintaining its 99.95% uptime? | Peak volumes will not be provided at this time. Vendors may review current processing stats on the NGI Fact Sheet via following link (https://le.fbi.gov/science-and-lab/biometrics-and-fingerprints/biometrics/next-generation-identification-ngi) |
| Can the government provide a data dictionary or schema for current NGI records to better inform the "force" migration techniques needed to resolve error records without data loss? | The scale of incoming data has resulted in occasional inconsistencies. To ensure operational reliability, the system must permit forced enrollment in cases where required fields cannot be populated. |
| What are the projected growth percentages for each repository over the next five to ten years that the vendor should use for capacity planning? | Projected growth is approximately 5% per year. |
| Would the government elaborate on the context of potential hard errors in the migration? | The scale of incoming data has resulted in occasional inconsistencies. To ensure operational reliability, the system must permit forced enrollment in cases where required fields cannot be populated. |
| Would the government clarify the intended user base for the Latent Case Management System, such as the FBI Crime Lab, CJIS, or local law enforcement agencies? | The intended user base for the LCMS will be FBI personnel only. |
| To better assess hardware sizing requirements, can the following |
additional information be provided:
● Total tenprint records used in latent gallery?
● Total finger images in all tenprint records used in latent gallery?
● Do all tenprint records in the latent gallery have slaps and rolled prints? If not, please provide a breakdown of types of records.
● Total UCN count?
● Is it the FBI’s desire that all probe templates search the full gallery? If
| no, please share the desired subsetting? | Granularity will not be provided at this time. Vendors are free to leverage the gallery sizes quoted in the RFI and state any assumptions in their response. |
| Does the FBI intend to utilize the market research gathered from this RFI | |
| to facilitate the issuance of a single-award or multiple-award RFP? | The FBI is conducting this RFI solely to assess market capabilities and gather information that may inform future acquisition strategies. At this time, no determination has been made regarding whether any subsequent solicitation would be issued as a single‑award or multiple‑award requirement. Participation in this RFI is for market research purposes only and does not guarantee that a solicitation will be released. |
| Please clarify the scope of this requirement. Specifically: |
1. Does the requirement apply solely to the final software compilation and integration process, or does it also extend to the development, training, tuning, validation, and testing of biometric algorithms and AI/ML models incorporated into the NGI solution?
2. For AI/ML-based biometric capabilities, does the FBI require offerors to document the provenance, custody, and geographic location of model development activities, training data, nationalities, and training infrastructure used to create the algorithms delivered to the government?
3. Does the FBI intend to evaluate risks associated with foreign-developed or foreign-trained AI models, including potential adversarial manipulation, data poisoning, undisclosed training data sources, model bias, or other forms of foreign influence that could impact the integrity, security, or performance of the NGI system?
4. Are offerors expected to provide auditability, traceability, or attestation regarding the origin of training datasets, model development environments, and model training activities used in
| biometric matching algorithms proposed for NGI? | The current FBI notice is not a solicitation, not a security assessment, and not an acquisition action; therefore there are no evaluations associated. It is strictly a market research Request for Information (RFI) intended to understand the state of commercially available biometric algorithms and to inform long‑term planning for the NGI system. While the RFI does not mandate this degree of detail, vendors may include it at their discretion if it adds meaningful context. The RFI explicitly requests information related to Company Ownership/Structure and Secure Build and Compilation Facility. | |
| In the “Licensing With all Costs” paragraph of the RFI, the Government is asking for “support and maintenance terms.” However, the Price List does not have entries where the annual support and maintenance fees can be entered. Would you please advise where such entries would be made? | Entries can be added to the "Other" section. | |
| If the solution is cloud based, should the offerors assume that cloud hosting fees are excluded from this pricing and cloud infrastructure is Government Furnished Equipment (GFE)? | This is an RFI for software provided, not SaaS; therefore cloud hosting fees are excluded. |
File details come from the government source that posted it. Updated .