XTec and Computer Literacy protest EDS's HSPD-12 contract
GSA accepts EDS’s $66 million bid, but rivals say the company failed to use approved partners; Gemalto plays a key role
That was quick. Just days after we reported that EDS had won the massive GSA HSPD-12 contract that had once belonged to Lockheed Martin, two of the six other bidding companies have lodged a formal protest. According to Miami-based XTec and the Computer Literacy Team, EDS’s winning $66.3 million bid — a bid that should save GSA $40 million over the life of the contract — “didn’t include a vendor approved to provide e-personalization and graphical personalization services,” Washington Technology reported. This contracting requirement demands that the vendor have GSA-approved partners for printing the HSPD-12 compliant cards and public-key infrastructure certificates. Not coincidentaly, Computer Literacy Team partner Gemalto is the only company so-approved for both products. EDS had no comment.
