Australian state seeks facial recognition supplier for driver’s license system

The driver’s license issuer in Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales, is seeking a “facial recognition solution” to ensure the integrity of its ID database with biometric deduplication and carry out biometric searches to support forensic investigations.

Transport for NSW (TfNSW) issued a request for proposals last week from suppliers for a contract to “(p)rovide, implement, configure, customise, test and support a Facial Recognition Solution that provides ‘1:1’ verification and ‘1:N’ (one-to-many) identification.”

The software is intended to maintain the integrity of the register and decrease the risk of fraud in the system. It is also meant provide information to NSW Police and other government agencies seeking to identify persons of interest, according to the RFP.

The facial recognition system must also work with facial recognition projects at the state and national levels, including the still-nascent National Driver License Facial Recognition Solution.

NSW’s face biometrics capabilities have long been supplied by NEC Australia, which won a contract in 2018, back when TfNSW was called the “New South Wales Roads and Maritime agency.” The contract was subsequently extended through mid-December, 2026, at an amended price tag of $15.5 million Australian (approximately US$10.2 million).

TfNSW will hold an online briefing for potential suppliers tomorrow, September 30.

Proposals are due by October 21 at 3:00pm local time, and a decision is expected by January 13, 2026.

Article Topics

Australia  |  biometric identification  |  deduplication  |  driver's license  |  facial recognition  |  identity document  |  New South Wales (NSW)  |  procurement  |  tender