An early July ruling regarding the prohibition of certain telecommunications and surveillance equipment is expected to cost security integrators billions, while leaving them with only a few short weeks to comply.
Contractors wishing to do ongoing business with the federal government have been told to eliminate products from Chinese companies Hikvision and Dahua from their supply chains. The mandate was issued as part of an interim Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) from the Department of Defense (DOD), the General Services Administration (GSA), and NASA.
The regulation officially implements Part B of Section 889 of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, which prohibits federal agencies from forming contracts with firms and companies who utilize equipment from the aforementioned manufacturers in substantial, essential, or critical ways.
The initial ban of products from these companies was initiated last year in response to allegations of human-rights and snooping abuses.
The deadline to comply with the security ruling is Aug. 13, 2020, and also applies to those supplying tech produced by Chinese telecom companies Huawei, ZTE Corporation, and Hytera Technologies.
The Security Industry Association (SIA) has responded, requesting the rule – which could cost contractors more than $80 billion – be postponed, as frequent delays with its publishing has left precious little time to prepare and comply.
The association also raised a number of questions surrounding the workability of the security ruling, citing a number of key terms in need of more concrete definition.
Rest assured, Secom, LLC, has its finger on the pulse of the security industry at large, and we are keeping close tabs on the situation as it evolves. Keep your eye on our website for updates.
Secom provides services for several of the nation’s top defense contractors. We are UL 2050 certified, and one of a select few providers authorized to install SCIFs, secured containers, and closed areas in the interest of protecting classified military information.
Contact our team for any of your agency needs.