Unisys Client U.S. Customs and Border Protection Receives Multiple Honors for Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative

GSA and Excellence.Gov Awards Recognize Successful Implementation of RFID, Identity Management Solution to Increase Border Security

News provided by

Unisys

May 18, 2010, 08:00 ET

BLUE BELL, Pa., May 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) recently selected Unisys (NYSE: UIS) client U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) along with partner agencies as recipients of the 2010 Interagency Resources Management Conference (IRMCO) Team Award. The award was for successful cross-agency collaboration on border security management as part of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI).

Additionally, CBP received a 2010 Excellence.Gov Award for WHTI for significant improvements in mission delivery.

WHTI is the joint project of the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security that implemented a key 9/11 Commission recommendation to establish document requirements for travelers entering the United States who were previously exempt, including citizens of the U.S., Canada and Bermuda.

The initiative requires U.S. and Canadian citizens, age 16 and older to present a valid, acceptable travel document that denotes both identity and citizenship when entering the U.S. by land or sea.

WHTI enables CBP officers to assess risks much faster than with traditional border crossing assessment methods. It improves the flow of the traveling public and commercial traffic, while bolstering security and officer safety. The solution was delivered on time and on budget.

"Unisys congratulates CBP on these well-deserved awards," said Bob Bratt, managing partner, Homeland Security and Civilian Agencies, Unisys Federal Systems. "We are pleased that Unisys is a part of CBP's successes in working with other government agencies to strengthen border security and better serve the public, as well as being recognized as a 'game changer' in mission delivery."

The IRMCO Award is presented annually to a single individual and one team. These awards are given to those who have demonstrated exceptional ability to operate across organizational boundaries to improve government services to its citizens. Award ceremonies were held on April 12 at the annual IRMCO Conference in Cambridge, Md.

The Excellence.Gov Awards Program recognizes those federal programs – and their managers – who have achieved exceptional results in the management of IT to support the government's mission and serve citizens. The program was established by the American Council for Technology/Industry Advisory Council to recognize best practices in the federal government's management and use of IT.

WHTI was selected as one of the top five Excellence.Gov Award Winners for 2010 from among 20 finalists who were judged by a panel of government executives on four key criteria: efficiency in mission delivery, multiple stakeholder collaboration, leveraging technology and innovation and enhancing the customer experience. Award ceremonies were held April 29 in Washington, DC.

In January 2008, CBP awarded a contract to Unisys to design and implement the WHTI solution. The company also designed the IT architecture that integrates data from the various reading devices and cameras as well as external databases, delivering intelligence to CBP officers via a centralized dashboard.

About Unisys

Unisys is a worldwide information technology company. We provide a portfolio of IT services, software, and technology that solves critical problems for clients. We specialize in helping clients secure their operations, increase the efficiency and utilization of their data centers, enhance support to their end users and constituents, and modernize their enterprise applications. To provide these services and solutions, we bring together offerings and capabilities in outsourcing services, systems integration and consulting services, infrastructure services, maintenance services, and high-end server technology. With approximately 24,000 employees, Unisys serves commercial organizations and government agencies throughout the world. For more information, visit www.unisys.com.

RELEASE NO.: 0518/8969

Unisys is a registered trademark of Unisys Corporation. All other brands and products referenced herein are acknowledged to be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

SOURCE Unisys