About us
See other news storiesID cards procurement process begins
9 August 2007
Procurement process marks first major steps towards a national ID card programme.
Procurement began this week in the national ID card programme, with publication of a notice in the Official Journal of the European Union inviting potential suppliers to get involved.
Notice sets the stage
The notice will pave the way for a contract - known as a 'framework agreement' - with some pre-qualified suppliers. The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) will then be able to procure what it needs from that group of suppliers once work gets underway on the identity system.
For this programme, IPS will need companies and agencies that provide a range of skills, services and supplies, in both the private and public sectors. The programme will involve large, complex and secure systems, which will need to be managed reliably.
The ultimate goal is to deliver a consistent, high-quality experience to the millions of people who will ultimately have and use ID cards.
A crucial part of the nation's identity infrastructure
Home Office minister Meg Hillier said every step of the process was important, as the National Identity Scheme will be a crucial part of the UK's infrastructure.
'It has become increasingly clear that the methods we have traditionally relied on to prove ID are outdated, inefficient, and open to abuse,' she said. 'That has to end, and that is why we are taking the scheme forward.'
She added, 'We are committed to introducing the scheme carefully and securely, minimising both cost and risk.'
Safeguarding identity
The programme will provide one mechanism to prove identity. It will end the current hodge-podge of methods in which people are identified through letters or bills sent to their houses, or by producing passports or bank account cards as forms of ID.
This vague and unpredictable system is unreliable, and easily defeated by criminals.
IPS Chief Executive James Hall said the agency had worked to include members of the public and representatives from businesses in the process of developing the ID cards programme, and their input had been used to shape plans for the ID cards system.
'The feedback has allowed us first to ensure that the legislation that underpins the scheme is right, and subsequently to refine our vision of how the scheme will be delivered,' he said.
The arguments for having an ID cards plan in place are compelling, he said, and the will to deliver such a system has not faltered.
Learn more
The strategic action plan for the National Identity Scheme (new window), published in December, sets out the basic timeline for the introduction of biometric immigration documents for foreign nationals in 2008, and identity cards for British citizens in 2009.
