"People may be underestimating the logistical, technical and organizational challenges" involved in rolling out the cards, said David Troy, practice manager at Plano, Texas-based Electronic Data Systems Corp.

Even when PIV-compliant products do become available, considerable integration work will be required, said Neville Pattison, director of technology and government affairs at Axalto Inc., a smart-card manufacturer in Austin. "There's a lot of work to do and perhaps not enough time," he said

Some agencies have also been forced to hustle to find funding to meet the requirements of the unfunded program, said Manoj Srivastava, CEO of Infomosaic Inc., a Santa Clara, Calif.-based maker of a workflow software product for registering individuals to the PIV program.

"Some agencies have done nothing. Some have done a little," he said. "A lot of them are trying to do the minimum. There really is no money to push this forward."