Request for Information - Biometric Matching Algorithm

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a Special Notice seeking market research on biometric matching algorithms through its Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division. The notice focuses on gathering information about algorithms for four specific biometric categories: tenprint, latent fingerprint, face, and iris. These algorithms will support three distinct modalities: fingerprint, face, and iris, which are intended to inform the FBI's strategic business decisions related to their existing Next Generation Identification (NGI) System algorithms. This market research represents a critical step for the FBI in evaluating current commercial biometric matching technologies. The Special Notice is explicitly a request for information and not a formal solicitation for contract awards.

Participating vendors must submit their algorithms to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) biometric vendor testing platforms by January 31, 2025. After NIST testing, vendors are required to send a four-page confirmation notice to the FBI, which must include comprehensive company details such as point of contact information, CAGE Code, DUNS number, Unique ID, and specific details about submitted algorithms. The notice should be emailed directly to designated FBI contacts Andy Stickley and Teala Watkins. There are no explicit set-aside requirements, suggesting the opportunity is open to a broad range of industry participants with relevant biometric matching algorithm capabilities. The FBI plans to use the collected information and NIST test results to develop subsequent Requests for Information with more refined benchmarks, potentially including criteria around accuracy, performance, compatibility, and pricing for these advanced biometric technologies.