French biometrics firm Idemia’s U.S. avatar, Idemia I&S North America, has been awarded a contract by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for the next generation Credential Authentication Technology (CAT).

The contract ceiling is $128 million with a period of performance over seven years, Idemia said in a statement.

CAT is utilized by the TSA to ensure ID authentication and confirm boarding pass and Secure Flight pre-screening status at the airport security checkpoint, says Idemia. CAT is currently being utilized at approximately 200 airport locations nationwide. The next generation CAT, CAT 2, enhances security screening and enables a touchless experience through biometric technology that includes face match and acceptance of digital identity credentials, like Mobile ID.

Idemia I&S North America has been an authorized TSA PreCheck enrollment provider since 2013, processing enrollments for over 17 million travelers to date, according to the company.

Incidentally, Advent, the parent company of Idemia launched the sale of the company in March this year.

[Image courtesy: TSA]