South African security industry regulator issues facial recognition tender

The South African Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSiRA) has issued a new facial recognition tender as part of its digital infrastructure upgrade.

As part of the Department of Police, the agency’s primary objective is to regulate the private security industry. Security agencies working in the country must apply for PSiRA verification to receive their certificates and become legal security service providers.

The introduction of the new facial recognition tool aims to boost the verification of citizenship for South African applicants. Previously, applicants could apply by using their fingerprints. The introduction of facial recognition will help the regulator cross-check applicants through systems from the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) and the Integrated Justice System (IJS) for citizenship verification.

According to the tender, the bidders must include post-implementation support, training, and system handover after 24 months. The project requires an Agile development approach.

PSiRA will hold a compulsory online briefing session on January 21st, 2025. The deadline for submitting the bids is February 3rd, 2025.

Article Topics

biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  facial recognition  |  Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSiRA)  |  South Africa  |  tender