CSC unveils U.S. Visit bid lineup

• By Wilson P. Dizard III
• Feb 06, 2004

Computer Sciences Corp. today took the wraps off its 50-company bidding team for the U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator System integration contract, which the Homeland Security Department plans to award early this summer. EDS Corp. and Northrop Grumman Corp. are CSC's biggest partners.

CSC, which submitted its bid Jan. 22, is competing with teams led by Accenture LLP and Lockheed Martin Corp. for the U.S. Visit contract.

Ben Gianni, CSC vice president for homeland security, told reporters this morning that his team, known as the Freedom Alliance, has many members already working for DHS on U.S. Visit or other programs.

About $80 million to $100 million is at stake, CSC said. The U.S. Visit program as a whole has a fiscal 2004 budget of $364 million provided by Congress. The administration's budget request asked for $380 million in fiscal 2005.

Besides EDS and Northrop Grumman, major team members include:

Anteon International Corp. of Fairfax, Va., which has contracted with the State Department and DHS to support the federal Border Crossing Identification Card

Arinc Inc. of Annapolis, a company owned by airlines that Gianni called familiar with the airport environment where many U.S. Visit systems will be deployed

Bechtel Corp. of San Francisco, an engineering contractor with long experience in complex construction projects around the world

Center for Naval Analysis of Chicago

Creative Information Technology Inc. of Arlington, Va., which contracts with State's consular arm

Cubic Defense Applications of San Diego, a manufacturer of public-transit tollbooth and fare systems that could be used to process passengers

General Dynamics Corp., which provides information analysis and systems support to DHS

Infoglide Software Corp. of Austin, Texas, which makes risk-assessment systems

Motorola Inc., which Gianni cited for its experience in wireless and law enforcement systems

Orkand Corp. of Falls Church, Va., a State systems contractor

TransCore Inc. of Hummelstown, Pa., which makes tollbooth systems for processing vehicles.

'We're bringing the industry's best and brightest to this opportunity,' said Tim Sheahan, president of CSC's enforcement, security and intelligence organization.