5 Indian firms shortlisted for Sri Lanka digital ID contract

The five systems operators shortlisted for Sri Lanka Unique Digital ID by the National Institute of Smart Government in India will be arriving in the island nation next week, top officials said.

Infosys Ltd, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd,  Protean e-Gov Technologies Ltd, RailTel Corporation of India Ltd. and Bharat Electronics Ltd. have qualified as bidders after the Pre-qualification round called by the National Institute for Smart Government (NISG) to appoint a Master System Integrator (MSI) for development, Implementation and Maintenance of the Unique Digital Identity (SL-UDI) project in the country.

This was in response to the tender reference no. NISG/SLUDI 2025 was issued by NISG in September.

NISG announced that some companies have passed the verification of their pre-qualification documents and are now shortlisted for the next step, which is the techno-commercial bidding stage. Their visit to Sri Lanka must be covered by their own expenses.

The Ministry of Digital Economy of Sri Lanka and the Information and Communication Technology Agency have started the process of selecting and procuring a local Managed Service Provider. This provider will manage and operate the Sri Lanka Unique Digital Identity platform.

The Sri Lankan Managed Services Provider (MSP) will take over the SL-UDI system shortly after it has successfully passed authorization and security testing, according to the ministry.

The first phase of implementing the system will be handled under the terms of a grant provided by the Government of India (MOSIP), with a Master Systems Integrator managing the project until it is handed over to the MSP. The Sri Lankan MSP is expected to be chosen by the end of December 2025, allowing the MSP to gain expertise and understanding of the system while working closely with the MSI for six months.

This phase will ensure a systematic transfer of knowledge and a seamless shift to the local MSP. The operational success of the SLUDI system will largely depend on the MSP’s performance, making their role critical within Sri Lanka’s digital environment.

Sri Lanka plans to launch the first digital ID card by the third quarter of next year, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated in his budget speech last week.

Sri Lanka digital ID launch by Q3 2026: President

Article Topics

digital ID  |  digital identity  |  India  |  procurement  |  SL-UDI  |  Sri Lanka