Agency criticized for blocking Indian firms from national biometric facial recognition system tender
The conditions contained in a tender for India’s Automated Facial Recognition System (AFRS) make it practically impossible for local firms to qualify, instead restricting it to larger multinational companies, The Quint reports.
The RFP was issued by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) earlier in the month. Attendees of a pre-bid conference organized by the agency suggested that standards, experience, and certification requirements will rule out most Indian companies, and an executive of a prospective bidder told The Quint that it is surprising Indian startups would be blocked, given the government’s claimed emphasis on their importance.
Companies bidding are expected to have an annual turnover of at least one billion rupees (US$15 million) in each of the three last fiscal years, with positive net worth in each, and have successfully completed at least three AFRS installations with databases of at least a million entries in the past ten years. They must also employ at least 50 full time computer professionals, and make an Earnest Money Deposit of four million rupees ($60,000). Past experience is weighted at nearly 30 percent of the evaluation.
Attendees of the event suggested that the best algorithm should be prioritized, and requested details on the experience requirements, such as whether details covered by strong non-disclosure agreements would need to be shared. Some also complained about the use of NIST standards, and preference for vendors that have participated in NIST’s FRVT.
NCRB Deputy Director A. Mohan Krishna responded to the latter feedback that the requirement is meant to ensure system interoperability.
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![The Indian Railway’s telecom arm RailTel has re-floated a tender for a CCTV network with biometric facial recognition after the previous attempt was killed in February amid allegations of conflict of interest and problems with the tender procedure, India’s The Wire[https://thewire.in/government/raliways-cctv-project-new-tender] reports. The new tender is the fourth attempt to contract the project. A tender process for the Rs 10 billion (US$137.7 million) contract was launched last year, and brought bids from eight major companies to equip rail stations and coaches with the cameras[https://www.biometricupdate.com/201811/cctv-network-with-facial-recognition-coming-to-indian-rail-system], but others left out of the project applied pressure, and the third attempt was cancelled. The new tender has a wider scope, and a total price tag estimated closer to Rs 15 billion ($210 million), a senior RailTel official told The Wire. The bidding document has been amended to make the process more competitive, with broader qualifying criteria. “Since the basket is a larger one this time, we are expecting more players to join the race. After due diligence, scrutiny and technical evaluation, contracts will be awarded,” the official says. IP cameras featuring facial recognition, motion detection, quick review and intrusion detection capabilities. They will record footage, and also be monitored by security personnel from the Railway Protection Force and Government Railway Police. More than 50 rail stations already have CCTV surveillance systems, and RailTel has budgeted Rs 3 billion ($43 million) to extend CCTV coverage to 11,000 trains and 8,000 stations during the current fiscal year.](https://d1sr9z1pdl3mb7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/29132211/indian-railway-stations-150x150.jpg)
Article Topics
biometrics | facial recognition | India | NIST | rfp | standards | tender | video surveillance
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