Requirements for India’s national law enforcement face biometrics system updated to help domestic bids

The tender for a national biometric facial recognition system in India has been revised by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) to preclude the installation of any additional CCTV cameras or a direct connection of the system to existing CCTV cameras, The Economic Times reports.
A section in the previous request for proposal (RFP) included a functional requirement to capture images from a CCTV feed and issue an alert when a match is made to a blacklist. The new version instead requires “interfacing ability to analyse data on images/visuals on crime and criminals from various sources,” according to the report. A reference to managing a database of images collected from sources like police raids and newspaper articles has also been removed.
India does not have a legal framework in place for a new national law enforcement biometric system, and according to the Economic Times, no mention is made of plans for one in the RFP.
A speed test requirement has been altered to involve fewer test cases but longer video samples.
A gross revenue requirement has been halved to INR 500 million (roughly US$6.6 million), and startups with official status with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade are exempt from the turnover criteria. The NCRB has previously been accused of limiting the opportunity for domestic firms to participate in the project.
International bidders should still have an address in the country, have been tested in NIST’s FRVT at least once since 2016, and have performed at least three automated facial recognition system (AFRS) deployments with law enforcement or government agencies globally within the past ten years.
The new deadline, the ninth of the project so far, is August 6, 2020. A pre-bid conference with potential bidders in scheduled for July 13.
Article Topics
biometrics | criminal ID | facial recognition | government purchasing | India | police | rfp | video surveillance
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