Computer and related services

Department of Foreign Affairs

Title attributed to the contract by the contracting authority: Request for Tender for the Incorporation of Biometrics in the Irish Passport. The purpose of this procurement is to select a contractor to analyse requirements, design, implement and possibly support the incorporation of biometrics in Irish passports. The Department of Foreign Affairs has decided to issue biometric passports in accordance with the technical specifications adopted by the ICAO of May 2003. In practice, this should ensure that Irish passports comply with the requirements of the US Visa Waiver Programme. Standardised, digitally-stored facial images will be used as the biometric identifier. The Department has also taken note of the EU Council Regulation on Standards for Security Features and Biometrics in Passports and Travel Documents of the Member States. The solution offered must also be capable of accommodating EU specifications in the future. The technology must be globally interoperable in the use of machine-assisted identity verification. The Department is prepared to consider a range of possible solutions, whether integral or additional/complementary to the existing Automated Passport System (APS). However, if the proposed solution requires modification to the current APS, the contractor will be expected to undertake any such modifications of the APS which are necessary to facilitate the production of biometrics in Irish passports, including software changes, production equipment enhancements and business process change. The selected contractor will be required to take responsibility for all aspects of the implementation, including the development of all software required to operate the system, the specification, supply, installation and configuration of the relevant software and any required hardware necessary to run the system, and all aspects of the integration or coupling, interface or other merging of processes of this solution with the Department's existing automated passport system. However, it can be assumed that an agreement exists between the Department and SDU, the company which manufactures the datapage currently used in the Irish passport, for the supply of the datapage with the microchip and antenna incorporated therein. Accordingly, this aspect does not form part of the current proposed procurement. It should be noted that there is scope for respondents to specify the microchip operating system which can be accommodated within the Irish datapage solution. The Department intends to award a separate contract in relation to support for the APS and the biometrics solution. A contract notice in respect of this procurement will be advertised in early 2006. However, pending the award of such a contract, the contractor should make provision for ongoing support and maintenance of the biometrics processes and indicate how this support and maintenance would operate in relation to the entire APS system The contract should be completed as quickly as possible. It will be a condition of the contract that the successful bidder carry out a proof of concept which will confirm the range of technologies to be used, and prove that the solution proposed will inter-operate with border control systems worldwide. It is a requirement that the digital image will be captured using photographs provided by passport applicants. The Department has issued guidelines to the public for quality and standards of photographs but would be prepared to consider revising this advice, or to consider introducing a scheme of accredited photographers for passport purposes if necessary. The contractor will be expected to consider any difficulties which arise in using these photographs for the production of digital images and to propose an effective solution, whether software, or revised standards or procedures for photographers, or a combination of all, before proceeding to the production stage. It is intended that production of biometric passports commence by mid-October 2006. The selected contractor will be expected to demonstrate significant experience in successfully managing projects of this size and complexity and have a proven capacity to manage and deliver significant change management programmes. The initial phase of this restricted procedure is intended to result in the selection of a list of between 5 and 8 suitable candidates to which the full request for tender document will issue. This contract notice does not constitute a detailed or final specification of requirements for the project. The information contained in this notice is supplied in order to provide interested parties with sufficient information to prepare their response document for the pre-qualification stage. The information contained herein will be superseded by the detailed requirements of the request for tender referred to above which will be issued in due course to the candidates selected from the pre-qualification stage. Please note that no further documentation or further information will issue to candidates entering the pre-qualification round of this restricted tendering procedure. Candidates should frame their responses in the pre-qualification round on the information requested in this contract notice. Further information relating to this notice may be available on the eTenders Web Site at http://www.etenders.gov.ie/Search/ Search_Switch.aspx?ID=16365.

Deadline
The time limit for receipt of tenders was 2005-12-19. The procurement was published on 2005-11-11.

Suppliers
The following suppliers are mentioned in award decisions or other procurement documents:

• • Bearing Point

Who?

• • Department of Foreign Affairs

What?

• • Software programming and consultancy services › Systems and technical consultancy services

Where?

• • Éire/Ireland