WFI supplies handheld RFID readers to Department of Defense

Sept. 7, 2005
SAN DIEGO, 7 Sept. 2005. Wireless Facilities, Inc. (WFI) announced today that the Logistics and RFID Solutions sector of its Government Services Division has been awarded an additional Blanket Purchase Agreement to provide multi-protocol handheld RFID readers to U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) agencies.

SAN DIEGO, 7 Sept. 2005. Wireless Facilities, Inc. (WFI) announced today that the Logistics and RFID Solutions sector of its Government Services Division has been awarded an additional Blanket Purchase Agreement to provide multi-protocol handheld RFID readers to U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) agencies.

This is the fourth blanket purchase order for DoD RFID that WFI has won. BPAs are awarded by the Army Contracting Agency Information Technology, E-Commerce and Commercial Contracting Center (ITEC4) in groups according to service or equipment. By virtue of being awarded a BPA, a company becomes one of a select few who may act as an authorized supplier of RFID equipment or services to DoD agencies.

WFI has already won the Group 2 BPA for fixed RFID readers, the Group 3 BPA for RFID printers, and Group 4 BPA for technical engineering services as part of the Sytex/Lockheed Martin Team. The engineering and technical services provided by WFI includes all phases of RFID project implementation including requirements analysis, RFID engineering, product selection, system development, test, installation and integration. The four BPAs awarded to WFI Government Services, Inc. enable the company to provide a range of RFID equipment and technical/integration services to various DoD agencies.

"We are very pleased to be awarded another BPA, this time for handheld RFID scanners," stated Steve Roth, president of WFI Government Services, Inc. "RFID solutions are driving the automation of 'hands-free' supply chain management, however there will always be a need for exception-based scanning using handheld RFID devices. Portable handheld readers deliver a truly mobile RFID solution. They allow the user to bring the read/write device to the tagged object, rather than moving tagged objects passed a fixed reader. Providing handheld devices capable of reading any type tag including the next generation of tag, Gen 2, will be key in the success of the DoD as it strives to provide mobility to the soldier."

"In combination with our 4 Group wins, WFI can now leverage our enterprise integration and in-transit visibility expertise to assist the Department of Defense in accelerating implementation of passive RFID systems," DeMarco concluded.

WFI Government Services, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company, with offices and project locations throughout the United States. Areas of expertise in this division of the company include technical resources consulting, logistics and RFID solutions, homeland security and public safety applications and communications technology services.

"RFID solutions are playing an increasingly larger role within the DoD for supply chain and logistics management, and we are happy to be one of the selected few providers of an array of RFID services and equipment to the DoD," commented Eric DeMarco, president and CEO of WFI. "Winning all four of the blanket purchase orders for RFID technology that we bid on is a significant achievement. These wins allow WFI to offer a full range of RFID capabilities to the Department of Defense and they place the company in a favorable position to further expand our work with the federal government."

Headquartered in San Diego, WFI is an independent provider of systems engineering, network services and technical outsourcing for the world's largest wireless carriers, enterprise customers and for government agencies. The company provides the design, deployment, integration, and the overall management of wired and wireless networks which deliver voice and data communication, and which support advanced security systems. WFI has performed work in over 100 countries since its founding in 1994. For more information, see www.wfinet.com.

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