Govt. defends handpicking German firm for US$35M e-ID card contract

Mar 16, 2023 News

– former Auditor General insists contract in breach of procurement laws

Kaieteur News – Amid growing concerns about the Government of Guyana (GoG) recent decision to sole-source a German-based company to produce an integrated electronic national identification card that will be costing taxpayers US$35 million – the Ministry of Finance (MOF) on Wednesday issued a statement defending the contract.

The Finance Ministry claimed that the contract was awarded in accordance to the Laws of Guyana and added that the company Veridos Identity Solutions is “an internationally reputable group.” The contract for the Single Electronic Identification System and cards that will be issued to Guyanese was signed last Friday at State House located in Georgetown.

President Irfaan Ali as well as Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d), Mark Phillips; Senior Minister within the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh and Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar attended the signing ceremony.

President Ali said that the Single Electronic Identification System being developed for Guyana will not only enhance the ease of transactions but will be one of the most technologically advanced. He said that too that the cards will be compliant with 18013-5 of the ISO Standard and will be accepted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for international travel.

President Irfaan Ali and other officials at the contract signing on Friday (Department of Public Information photo)

On the heels of the contract being awarded, Former Auditor General and Stabroek News Columnist, Anand Goolsaran, in his Monday column stated that while sole-sourcing is catered for under national emergencies and national security, the awarding of the contract facilitated by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, does not qualify. In fact, he contended that while the sole-sourcing section of the Act was used, the justification is flawed because the project cannot be classified as being one of national security.

Also, the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA), in a recent statement said that the signing of the agreement to operationalise e-governance in Guyana, without the framework legislation covering Data Protection being in place, is reckless in the extreme. The body said that given the haste, absence of public consultation and threats to the integrity of personal information, not to mention the seeming illegality of sole-sourcing the project, it is calling for the project to be paused and submitted to Parliament.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Finance Ministry claimed that, “Contrary to the false assertion made by the GHRA, the contract in question was awarded in full conformity with the Laws of Guyana including the procurement laws.”  The ministry continued: “Additionally, the company who will be developing the solution for Guyana is a highly regarded supplier of items of this nature internationally, and its shareholding comprises two major entities operating in the secure printing industry worldwide, Giesecke & Devrient and Bundesdruckerei GmbH, both of whom have unchallengeable longstanding reputations globally.”

According to the statement, the Government maintains that the contract with Veridos was lawfully executed, adding that the project is intended to deliver a product that will transform citizen experience in Guyana with the introduction of the integrated electronic national identification card. It was stated that once introduced, the card will enable citizens to interact with all government agencies and many private sector entities using this single unique and secure identifier, and will vastly improve the efficiency of service delivery to citizens.

Promoting e-governance

At the signing last week, President Ali said that the card’s capabilities are also in keeping with his Government’s commitment to promote eGovernance to improve the productivity of businesses and the delivery of Government services through the introduction of eHealth, eEducation, eSecurity, eAgriculture, electronic permit, and license processing among other areas.

He noted that the enhancement is necessary because there is an immediate need to implement a robust national identity management system that focuses on the integration of identification services across government agencies, security, ease of use, and acquisition of IDs.

The President added, “This ID system would improve access to all citizen-centric Government services and benefit the citizens, private sector and Government alike. This will bring us in line with solutions used by the most developed economies, and position Guyana to be a competitive sphere in a world that is advancing drastically along a technological landscape.”

The system, and the cards by extension, according to the President, will also allow for the issuance of work permits and resident identification. “E-ID systems promote the idea of one citizen, one identity by assigning a unique national registration number to each citizen for use by all Government agencies,” Ali noted.

The Head-of-State also noted that in addition to improving Government services, the system will also benefit the private sector. He continued, “So, the cost of doing business, the effectiveness, the competitiveness, the efficiency all improved as a result of this technology.” Moreover, President Ali also stated that the system will adhere to the highest level of international standards.

According to him, “The system allows the capture of individuals’ biographical and biometric information based on international standards and stores it to provide identity-based services to individuals and other Government offices. The ID and resident cards are laser engraved, black and white technology with secure, pre-printed designs and devices for a state-of-the-art polycarbonate document, which includes a chip that can integrate a variety of services to the individual.”

The President said the system and software will be tailored for Guyana and will include implementation services, training of administrators and operators, local help desk support and 60 months of support and maintenance. The project is expected to have a 12-month implementation period.

• Anand Goolsaran, e-ID card, Government of Guyana (GoG), Mark Phillips, Ministry of Finance