Sri Lanka digital identity project RFP issued

The National Institute for Smart Government (NISG) has issued a Request for Proposals on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka for a vendor to implement the Sri Lanka Unique Digital Identity (SL-UDI) system. NISG is a not-for-profit set up by the Government of India on the public-private partnership model and assists governments implementing smart governance, process reforms and digitalization.

Waruna Dhanapala, Secretary of Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Digitalisation, previously told Biometric Update, “As the MOSIP grant is from India, the expression of interest will be for an Indian supplier called by the Indian government.”

Sri Lanka will be leveraging the Modular Open-Source Identity Platform (MOSIP) with the expectation that the foundational ID platform for SL-UDI be built using the MOSIP platform. MOSIP is a foundational identification system designed for use by national governments to provide individuals with a unique identifier that can be used to increase and improve access to critical public and private services. Sri Lanka completed a pilot project through MOSIP in 2021.

There is an extensive ecosystem of MOSIP partners providing biometrics and other digital identity technologies, and the platform supports integrations with tools like OpenG2P for the delivery of public benefits, the eSignet identity verification platform and the Inji digital wallet. There are 37 system integrators currently listed in the MOSIP Marketplace.

According to the notice, tenders are invited from eligible, reputed, qualified bidders with sound technical and financial capabilities for implementation of a master systems integrator for the development, implementation, and maintenance of the Sri Lanka Unique Digital Identity Project.

Submission of pre-qualification bids is due August 8, 2025. The last date and time for submission of technical and financial bids is October 8.

The full RFP download can be found at the National Institute for Smart Government website. The tender documents include: details on the bidding procedure, a schedule of requirements along with annexures, and a draft contract.

Joint Project Management Committee

Earlier this month the Joint Project Management Committee (JPMC) held its meeting overseeing the project’s progress, with participation from representatives of the Sri Lankan government, the Indian High Commission, and other stakeholders, Eranga Weeraratne, Sri Lanka’s Deputy Minister of Digital Economy, said.

India is liable for procuring the master systems integrator, who will integrate the MOSIP platform with various devices, including biometric and registration hardware. This integrator’s role will be critical during the system installation phase, before any citizen data is stored. The Sri Lankan government will also be seeking a locally managed service provider to take over operations once the integrator’s role is accomplished.

Minister Weeraratne also informed that the digital ID sandbox is expected to launch within the next month. This initiative will allow public and private sector software developers and institutions to cooperate with the open digital ID platform, nurturing innovation and boosting user experience in digital services.

The goal is to issue the first digital ID within a year, Weeraratne said.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital identity  |  India  |  MOSIP (Modular Open Source Identity Platform)  |  National Institute for Smart Government (NISG)  |  rfp  |  SL-UDI (Sri Lanka Unique Digital Identity)  |  Sri Lanka  |  tender