Nepal approves IN Groupe for new 10M-record biometric ID system

Nepalese authorities have selected French identity firm IN Groupe for a new Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) with a capacity of 10 million biometric records through a government-to-government arrangement. The company has been a partner of the French government for more than five centuries.

The announcement comes as the license of the current ABIS in use is said to be nearing expiry with capacity left for just a few thousand data entries.

The Kathmandu Post reports that the process is a direct procurement that bypassed normal tender procedures, which is allowed by the country’s Public Procurement Act. The decision was approved by cabinet last month following recommendations of the Department of National Identity and Civil Registration.

The procurement is meant to secure the necessary software and hardware license to maintain and upgrade the capacity of Nepal’s national biometric infrastructure, which is critical for issuing national ID cards, passports, and managing voter registration.

“The price of the ABIS system will be finalized after the negotiation team concludes discussions and reaches an agreement. We have already communicated our decision to the company,” Krishna Poudel, director general of the department, is quoted as saying. The new procurement rate per record processed is the same as what Nepal paid for in 2019.

According to the Post, the existing ABIS license for the Nepal national ID card (NID) was originally supplied by Safran Identity & Security, whose identity documents business later became part of Idemia Smart Identity, acquired by IN Groupe last year. Idemia had been a long-standing partner of the Nepalese government for biometric passports, until two German firms took over the contract last year in a move that has been trailed by complaints about alleged procurement irregularities.

Nepal’s new ABIS procurement comes as the country is intensifying efforts to expand and modernize its identity infrastructure which it considers the backbone of its digital transformation drive. It is integrating the ID into a growing number of use cases, including a plan to make the credential acceptable for cross-border travel with India. The country has faced criticisms over huge loans incurred by the government for digital infrastructure projects.

A tender for Nepal’s National Identity Card Management Information System (NIDMIS) was cancelled in May with information that authorities had opted to handle the job internally.

Article Topics

ABIS - Automated Biometric Identification System  |  biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  government purchasing  |  IN Groupe  |  Nepal  |  procurement