The Department of the Treasury's Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) is seeking to procure six Universal Currency Authentication Sensor 3 (UCAS3) and six GemVision Currency Sensor (GVCS) sensors, along with maintenance services, for integration with their M8 machines located in Washington D.C. and the Western Currency Facility. This procurement is critical for ensuring the quality control and compliance of printed currency with Federal Reserve Board (FRB) standards, as the sensors are essential for analyzing currency and maintaining the integrity of the Bureau's mission to produce Federal Reserve Notes. The acquisition will be sole-sourced from Authentix, Inc., the exclusive developer and manufacturer of these sensors, under FAR 6.302-1, due to their proprietary nature and the lack of alternative sources. Interested parties can contact Jeremy Boggs at Jeremy.Boggs@bep.gov or Naweed Nezam at Naweed.Nezam@bep.gov for further information.

Justification and Approval (JOFOC) UCAS3  GVCS Sensors_Redacted.pdf

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) is seeking to procure six Universal Currency Authentication Sensor 3 (UCAS3) and six GemVision Currency Sensor (GVCS) sensors, along with maintenance, for integration with their M8 machines at facilities in Washington D.C. and Western Currency Facility. These sensors are critical for analyzing printed currency, quality control, and ensuring compliance with Federal Reserve Board (FRB) standards. The acquisition is being sole-sourced from Authentix, Inc., the proprietary developer and manufacturer of these sensors, under the authority of FAR 6.302-1, citing "Only One Responsible Source." Market research, including a SAM.gov notice, confirmed no other qualified sources. Authentix, Inc. holds exclusive intellectual property rights and is the sole entity capable of providing the required products and specialized services, which are not available on the open market and are mandated by the FRB for consistent currency testing. Future market research will be conducted to gauge availability of similar sensors for price comparison.

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) has a mission critical need for purchase and maintenance of six (6) UCAS3 and six (6) GVCS sensors, one scheduled mandated hardware and software upgrade, and additional software updates and or patches as mandated for the remained of the expected life-cycle of the sensors, in order to maintain the highly proprietary sensor which will  
be integrated with the M8 Machines.

There is a critical need to ensure the M8 machine and the UCAS3 and GVCS sensors operate daily to meet the Bureau’s mission to manufacture Federal Reserve Notes and other security products for the United States of America. These products are designed with advanced counterfeit deterrence features to ensure product integrity. BEP staff perform regular verification or validation of the sensors. Occasional issue requires telephonic or online technical support. The service plan shall include the Emergency maintenance of the sensors is necessary when verification or validation fails and there is no remote remedy. The sensors will be sent out for emergency maintenance on an as needed basis when failure occurs. The sensors will be installed on two M8 machines: one (1) at the Washington D.C. Facility (DCF) and one at the Western Currency Facility (WCF). There will be a total of six (6) UCAS3 sensors, three (3) at DCF and three (3) at the WCF, as well as six (6) GVCS sensors, with three (3) at DCF and three (3) at the WCF.

The Federal Reserve Board (FRB) equipment is a validation of the inspection/currency processes of the BEP’s output from the M8 machine. The BEP must mirror the sensor updates occurring at the FRB which can be called for at any time. These upgrades are mandated when BEP’s customer, the FRB, undergoes an upgrade. Thus, other upgrades and patches are expected to occur on the sensors on demand. By allowing the software upgrade and maintenance of the UCAS3 and GVCS sensors the BEP can meet its customers’ needs by testing printed currency in the same manner as the FRB. The upkeep of the UCAS3 and GVCS sensors is considered mission critical to the BEP.

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