Contract tendered for biometric registration kits, back-end hardware in DRC

Biometrics providers are invited to bid on a contract for biometric registration and identification hardware and software for use by a public institution in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The tender process is being run by Belgian Development Agency Enabel. The contract is for the supply and installation of computers and 10 servers, including 5 for a disaster recovery system, as well as biometric scanners, delivered in three lots.

Specifically, the tender is for biometric registration kits, complete with hardware and software, to continue adding entries with signatures, fingerprints and face biometrics to the DRC’s existing database. The fingerprint scanners should have 500 DPI and conform to FBI Appendix F image quality standards. The fingerprint system should be capable of identifying previously registered individuals, and interoperable with different sensors.

The exact specifications required are enumerated in the tender documents.

Offers are due by January 28. The contract is slated to begin on February 17, 2025 and run for 18 months.

Bidders with five or more years of experience setting up servers, working with Windows server, or planning and installing backup systems are sought, as well as those with at least five years of experience “in the implementation of biometric systems for large projects scale (population registration, access control, identity verification).”

Price is heavily factored in the selection criteria, but hardware scalability and value-adding innovation will also be factored into the first lot, for the servers.

Enable is supporting the contract in furtherance of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, including 16.9, which targets universal identification by 2030.

The DRC recently contracted Singapore-based IT services management company Trident to build a national digital government system, and also cancelled a contract to set up a national ID system and issue biometric ID cards, which had been held by Afritech with Idemia as a subcontractor.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometric enrollment  |  biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  Democratic Republic of Congo  |  digital identity  |  Enable  |  SDG 16.9  |  tender