UK tenders new biometric passport contract to include DTCs

The British Home Office is seeking suppliers for the delivery of end-to-end passport manufacturing and personalization. The tender includes potential requirements that reflect the digital future of travel as the sector and government embraces biometrics and new types of credentials.

The tender includes the secure design artwork, manufacturing and personalization of UK passports and related travel documents, specifically referring to Digital Travel Credentials. HM Passport Office (HMPO) issues around seven million passports every year as the sole provider of passports to British nationals worldwide.

The current contractor is Thales with the current agreement set to expire in 2029. The Home Office wants to replace that deal with a new contract, as the new agreement commences September 2027.

The current Thales contract covers Biometric Travel Documents (BTDs) for UK visas and immigration, including those issued to refugees and stateless individuals; UK passports and variants for Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories; official, diplomatic, emergency and temporary passports; and secure laminate for emergency and temporary passports.

The future contract may include personalization of travel documents including biometric and visual data; integration with HMPO systems and support for future transformation; disaster recovery and business continuity provisions, and secure design and manufacture of UK passports and variants. But two other potential requirements are more intriguing.

The tender says the future contract could include production of non-variant travel documents and “potential future products” with the latter exemplified as Passport Cards and Digital Travel Credentials. Additionally, it lists optional call-off provisions for crypto technologies and contingency solutions. The current contract was won by Thales back in 2018, before DTCs existed.

That contract was disputed at the time, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who was then shadow Brexit secretary said that “of course” a British company should supply the country’s passport.

The tender says SMEs are particularly suited for this contract, which it estimates to be worth between £200 million and £400 million ($267–$533.8 million) in total value. The contract duration is 10 years and one day — 1 September 2027 to 1 September 2037 — although this is an estimate and may be subject to change and possible extensions.

“The new contract will be procured through a competitive tender process and must ensure continuity of service, compliance with international passport standards, and support for future innovations,” the tender says.

For participants to express an interest they will need to register on the Home Office’s eSourcing portal JAGGAER. The primary delivery location for the contract is the United Kingdom while certain elements of the service may be delivered from offshore facilities, subject to compliance with security and regulatory standards.

More information on the tender can be found here.

Article Topics

biometric passport  |  digital ID  |  digital travel credentials  |  government purchasing  |  Home Office Biometrics (HOB)  |  tender  |  travel documents  |  UK