Idemia contract for SA’s biometric driver’s licenses prompts request for investigation

Idemia is facing further scrutiny in South Africa. A new request from transport minister Barbara Creecy asks the country’s auditor-general (AG) to investigate the tender process for the biometric driver’s license program – the contract for which Idemia was awarded last week.

The French firm was selected for the driver’s license contract from among five bidders, the other four being from Ren-Form Corporate Print Media, NEC XON, Muhlbauer ID Services and Gemalto Altron Fintech Southern Africa, a report from ITWeb says. But the choice has caused several observers to raise red flags, following a bit of a messy disentanglement with South Africa’s airport authority late last month.

Although the company has since confirmed that it may well re-engage with Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) on a contract to provide biometric e-gates at its travel hubs, the cancellation of its original contract came with allegations of insider influence – notably from Idemia’s original local partner, InfoVerge.

Creecy’s request to the AG asks it to broaden its existing investigation to look at “whether supply chain management prescripts were followed to the letter; whether the specs for the project included adequate measures to protect the safety of personal data, given the sensitivity of information and security features involved in this project; and the implications of the procurement process in light of Idemia’s recently-canceled ACSA contract.”

The minister also takes aim at Idemia’s technical capacity and affordability, looking for the AG to ask “whether other South African service providers tendered, including service providers contracted by the Government Printing Works, and why they were not selected; as well as whether chosen bidder Idemia is the most affordable option.”

South Africa’s new smart driver’s license is to include security features including biometric data, holograms and watermarks. The program is also intended to expedite production timelines for licenses.

The government announcement of Idemia’s successful bid says, “considering the cost drivers of producing the driving license and the risk of fraud and corruption, the new driving license will continue to be manufactured centrally.”

“Idemia is expected to enter into  a service level agreement with the department in due course before commencing with its work to put in place the infrastructure and systems.”

The company has been contacted for comment, and this story will be updated when a response is received.

Idemia also recently lost a multi-million dollar contract in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), when the country canceled a $697 million contract to set up a biometric national identity system and deliver ID cards.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  driver's license  |  government purchasing  |  IDEMIA  |  identity document  |  South Africa  |  tender