Swish Data wins USCIS "AI Gateway (LASSO)" contract worth about $1.4M — a federal contract (USAspending)
A roughly $1.4 million federal contract under which USCIS, the immigration arm of the Department of Homeland Security, engaged Swish Data Corporation to provide an "AI gateway (LASSO)" so staff can interact securely and efficiently with AI products.
Contract key facts
- RecipientSWISH DATA CORPORATION
- Contract value$1,400,597 (≈$1.4M)
- Awarding agencyDepartment of Homeland Security
- Awarding sub-agencyU.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
- Award typeDELIVERY ORDER
- Period of performance2025-09-15 〜 2026-09-16
- Contract ID (PIID)70SBUR25F00000214
Contract scope (original)
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) GATEWAY (LASSO) WILL BE USED TO ENSURE SECURE AND EFFICIENT INTERACTION WITH AI PRODUCTS. POP 9/1/25-8/30/26
Key points
- The buyer is USCIS (under DHS), the awardee is Swish Data Corporation, and the value is $1,400,597.
- The subject is an "AI gateway (LASSO)" for staff to interact securely and efficiently with AI products.
- An AI gateway is a single point of access and control through which AI usage is routed.
- It is an investment in the layer that governs how AI is used, rather than in AI features themselves.
- Specific functionality and post-deployment outcomes are not stated in the source text.
- What is bought is not AI capability but a governance platform consolidating access to several AI products.
1An AI gateway as a single point of control
An "AI gateway" refers to a single point of access and control placed between an organization's users and the various AI products they use, whether internal or external. Routing usage through one place makes it easier to see who is using which AI and how, and to enforce rules around the handling of sensitive information.
This contract introduces such an arrangement under the project name "LASSO," and the source text describes its role as ensuring staff can interact with AI products securely and efficiently.
2Why an immigration agency invests in control
What makes this award notable is that USCIS, an agency handling the sensitive work of immigration adjudication, is investing not in AI features as such but in the control layer that governs how AI is used. As generative AI spreads, government agencies face both hopes for greater efficiency and concerns about data leakage and inappropriate use.
A platform that consolidates the point of access is the kind of foundation that lets an organization apply consistent oversight across the board against such concerns.
3AI governance as a procurement category
Viewed more broadly, this sits among the concrete procurements behind the federal government's push on AI governance — the organizational effort to control how AI is used. Unlike a contract to deploy an individual AI tool, it is spending on a shared foundation for handling multiple AI products safely.
The specific functionality and any outcomes after deployment are not stated in the source text, so the description here is limited to what can be confirmed.
4A contract that adds a tool, and one that binds tools together
What this contract buys is not AI capability. It is the platform governing how AI is used.
With generative AI in wide use, agencies hold both an expectation of efficiency and a concern about leakage and inappropriate use. That USCIS, carrying the sensitive work of immigration adjudication, invests in governance rather than in AI capability itself is what marks this contract. Specific functions and results after deployment do not appear in the source.
Why it matters
This award illustrates agencies directing budget toward a shared foundation for handling multiple AI products safely. Because the spending targets a consolidated, governed point of access rather than a standalone AI tool, it offers a useful reference point for organizations weighing similar procurements and for suppliers working in AI governance.
FAQ
What is an "AI gateway"?
What specifically will this gateway enable?
Who awarded this contract?
Sources (primary)
This article is an independent organization based on the U.S. official spending data below. Verify the exact, latest details with the official source.
- USAspending (award details)
- Contract ID (PIID):70SBUR25F00000214