Thursday, November 29, 2012

News on TWIC - Enroll Your Own contact info and Help Desk staffing



We were advised by the Coast Guard that there should be a substantial amount of newly trained people working at the TSA TWIC HelpDesk by next week and that TSA anticipates this will assist with the delays currently being experienced when contacting the HelpDesk.

The following information concerning  establishing mobile enrollment and activation services has been posted on the TSA TWIC FAQ website, http://www.tsa.gov/stakeholders/transportation-worker-identification-credential-twic.

Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) – Mobile Enrollment and Activation Services
 As the first TWICs approach their expiration date, TSA has been contacted by a number of stakeholders interested in establishing mobile enrollment and activation services at their facilities. TSA understands the flexibility that mobile enrollment and activation services provide, not only for TWIC renewals, but for the recently started Extended Expiration Date (EED) TWIC. TWIC enrollment services will soon transition to a new contractor, MorphoTrust, under a Universal Enrollment Services (UES) contract. The UES contract will include enhanced mobile enrollment services, Enroll Your Own (EYO), and bulk payment arrangements. 

During the transition period from TWIC to UES, the TWIC contractor, Lockheed Martin, will offer mobile enrollment and activation services to companies or entities interested in receiving on-site TWIC services and bulk payment options. Requesting organizations will be responsible for funding the costs associated with a mobile enrollment operation. Please contact Stephen Foster, Lockheed Martin TWIC Operations Manager, at (703)663-5105 or Stephen.l.foster@lmco.com to inquire about mobile enrollment arrangements. 

In addition, TSA is working to provide systematic bulk payment and submission options for those wishing to use the EED option. It is anticipated that this service will be offered in late November of this year. The intent of this service is to allow an organization to complete a bulk payment and submission process for EED TWICs. Lockheed Martin will also offer mobile activation services for those utilizing this option. Requesting organizations will be responsible for funding the costs associated with the mobile activation, although the bulk payment and submission of EED requests will be offered at no cost. 

TSA recommends that companies or entities assess their needs for mobile services and try to schedule them only during periods leading up to a large number of TWIC expirations. By doing so, we will have time to assess EED demand and its impact on TWIC renewals, and develop a clearer picture on the TWIC to UES transition schedule.