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United States · biometric border control · watch lists

Homeland Advanced Recognition Technology (HART)

Under review Status as of 19 October 2026 · Funding type: State budget

HART is meant to replace IDENT, the DHS biometric database managed by OBIM 2. Defense Daily reported on 26 February 2018 that Northrop Grumman received a 42-month, USD 95 million contract as developer and integrator after a protest 2. GAO reported on 12 September 2023 that the programme had breached its schedule twice and its costs once, that the 2022 rebaseline added USD 354 million and 33 months, and that no completion date was planned 1. GAO found privacy gaps and made nine recommendations 1. ID Tech reported that Congress had sought an internal DHS audit 3. Programme status after September 2023 was not confirmed.

Key terms

Buyer
DHS Office of Biometric Identity Management (OBIM)
Vendor
Northrop Grumman (systems developer and integrator)
Vendor based in
Not confirmed
Signed
Award announced 26 February 2018 after a protest. OBIM first selected Northrop Grumman in September 2017, as reported
Duration
42 months (initial development contract, as reported)
Value
USD 95 million initial contract (reported 26 February 2018). GAO found the 2022 rebaseline raised estimated programme costs by USD 354 million (12 September 2023)
Funding
state budget
Procurement route
Not published
System ownership
DHS
Data terms
Not published

Audits, courts, parliament and regulators

  1. 12 September 2023: GAO-23-105959 found a second schedule breach and first cost breach in 2020, initial capability moved from 31 December 2020 to 30 September 2023, a USD 354 million cost increase, and only five of 12 selected OMB privacy requirements fully met. GAO made nine recommendations and DHS accepted them 1
  2. April 2023: Programme officials told GAO a third rebaseline was needed, citing software defects and performance issues 1
  3. Early 2023: Congress asked DHS to perform an internal audit, citing mismanagement and failure to reach initial operating capacity, as reported by ID Tech 3

Sources

  1. U.S. Government Accountability Office: GAO-23-105959, Biometric Identity System: DHS Needs to Address Significant Shortcomings in Program Management and Privacy (12 September 2023)
  2. Defense Daily: Northrop Grumman Receives $95 Million Award For New DHS Biometric Database (26 February 2018)
  3. ID Tech: US Government Accountability Office Holds HART to Account (Again) (13 September 2023)

Fields marked "Not published" or "Not confirmed" could not be established from an official or reliable source. If you hold a document that fills a gap or corrects an entry, write to editor@bordercontracts.org. Last checked 19 October 2026.

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