WASHINGTON--As federal agencies ready themselves for the Oct. 27 compliance deadline for HSPD-12, the government's identity standard initiative, officials at each agency have taken a hard look at their existing access control and employee identification systems to determine how best to meet the guidelines.

For one agency, changing its security technology to meet the new federal guidelines, which call for a smart card-enabled credential that will grant federal employees and contractors access to all federal facilities and networks, has proven to be only one part of the puzzle.

Officials at the Department of Health and Human Services, the second largest government agency, tackled the problem of preparing its 4,400 buildings and more than 68,000 employees for the new standards by starting at the foundation of HSPD-12 -- by vetting its own background screening processes and fine-tuning non-equipment related issues.

"Our intent was to build a foundation so the house wouldn't crumble once we implemented the technology side," said Mario Morales, director of the HSPD-12 program office for DHHS.

That foundation included clarifying the level of background checks necessary for each position so screening wouldn't be duplicated, and the migration to an electronic fingerprint and background application for government clearance, Morales said. The department has also implemented a training program that will school human resource and contracting officers on how to classify the sensitivity of different positions within the agency as well as other security awareness training for physical security specialists.

Among the different operating units, which include such entities as the Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the National Institutes of Health, DHHS has more than 100 different cards in use.

"In attacking the problem, we also had to figure how to be interoperable amongst ourselves," Morales said.

The agency has also developed a technological solution to the HSPD-12's common platform -- it has a tri-interface reader that allows for a temporary, but compliant solution.