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26 AUTOMATED FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION SYSTEMS

1.12.6 CHAPTER 7 BUYING AN AFIS SYSTEM:
THE BASIC DOCUMENTS NEEDED

If the reader is considering the purchase of an AFIS system, or an upgrade to
an existing system, Chapter 7 will be useful. Written by Peter T. Higgins, who
also contributed to the history of IAFIS in Chapter 2, and Kathleen M. Higgins,
this chapter speaks to the process and documentation of AFSI development.
For most prospective buyers, acquiring an AFIS system is a once-in–a-lifetime
event, while for vendors, it is just another sale. Knowing the questions to ask
and the process to follow puts the buyer in a more comfortable position with
the vendor and will reduce the opportunities for misunderstanding that can
easily arise in such a large and complex acquisition.

1.12.7 CHAPTER 8 STANDARDS AND INTEROPERABILITY
The standards that allow AFIS systems to communicate did not appear out of
thin air. Rather, as discussed in Chapter 8, they developed as AFIS vendors
developed competing but not interactive systems. Standards developed by the
National Institute of Standards and Technology as well as by the FBI provide
uniformity in transmission, image compression and decompression, etc. Tables
in the chapter provide some of the standards currently in use.
This chapter includes a case study in which the issue of hit rate is discussed.
When one AFIS manager reports a latent print identification rate of 35%, and
another reports a rate of only 10%, they may be comparing apples to oranges.
This chapter describes why this happens and what it will take to get all agen-
cies to report uniformly.

1.12.8 CHAPTER 9 CONTRACTUAL ISSUES REGARDING THE PURCHASE
OF AN AUTOMATED FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM
All the intentions and promises regarding the purchase of an AFIS system will
ultimately be expressed in a contract. Government agencies are under partic-
ular scrutiny to ensure that their contract with the AFIS vendor meets applica-
ble state and federal regulations while delivering the AFIS system on time and
on budget. In terms easy to understand by managers and attorneys, Chapter 9,
written by Senior Attorney Lisa K. Fox, outlines the steps for a request for infor-
mation (RFI), a request for proposals (RFP), and the competitive procurement
versus noncompetitive procurement process. Time spent developing a com-
plete and thorough understanding of system requirements and translating
those concepts into a contract will result in a document that, once signed,
becomes the basis for system development.