The General Services Administration has announced that it
is issuing over 18,000 smart cards to associates and
contactors in its owned and leased facilities, initiating a
national, centralized credential management system that it
says will increase security at federal buildings.
The cards incorporate standard safeguards such as
holographs, ultraviolet light and micro printing to prevent
them from being duplicated.
Established and implemented through GSA’s public buildings
service, GSA’s common identification cards are intended
for use by all GSA associates nationwide and are
interoperable with smart cards issued by other federal
agencies such as the Department of State and the
Transportation Security Administration, said GSA.
“Improved security through increased control of access to
federal buildings is just the beginning of what these smart
cards can do,” said GSA Administrator Stephen A. Perry.
BearingPoint provided the smart cards, and Oberthur Cars
Systems is to serve as the central production center, a
first for government ID cards, said GSA, which plans to
issue additional cards to tenants in buildings it owns and
leases.
