Publicsector sector news
Identity cards looking shakey
19/6/2009The Home Office has announced that the new contract to produce identity cards for UK citizens will no longer be awarded this autumn and will be delayed until 2010.
There are now serious doubts about the future of identity cards as the Conservatives, favourites to win the next election, have pledged to scrap the contract. Shadow home secretary Chris Grayling has already warned the five suppliers pitching for the National Identity Scheme that a Conservative government would abolish the contract. Fujitsu, IBM and Thales have been shortlisted for the card-production deal.
The Home Office has denied that it has reacted to Grayling's move, but did not commit itself to awarding the contract until the existing one for small-scale schemes expires next year.
Commentators have suggested that new Home Secretary Alan Johnson is much cooler about the project than his predecessors. He has requested a review of the scheme and therefore a delay in awarding further contracts.
Experts say there may also be potential for savings by coordinating card delivery through the new contract for passport production recently won by De la Rue. Philippe Martin, a senior analyst at Kable, says "Apart from the production of the plastic card, other elements such as the delivery and public key infrastructure could be rolled out within the existing passport production contract, as opposed to running two completely separate contracts."
