Executive Director of National ID Management Center (NIDMC) Tulasi Prasad Gautam said a significant number of international companies meeting the specifications would be able to participate in the bidding. He also claimed that the bidding process would be competitive unlike what was reported in the media. [break]
Gautam said that the government designed tender specification in such a way that the security features of the cards would not be destroyed within a few years after its distribution. "The use of high-tech security features and durable cards have been given a due emphasis as the combination of personalization center, card materials, security features, secure printing technology and biometrics verification based on information technology will play important role in this," he said.
Issuing a press statement, Gautam said the tender specifications prepared with international consultant were finalized with the concurrence of Asian Development Bank in Kathmandu and its headquarters in Manila. He said that NIDMC had already responded to 164 questions raised by prospective bidders over tender specifications.
NIDMC has also refuted reports that the deadline of the tender submission was extended with some foul intention. "The deadline was extended for a total four weeks in two separate times after over a dozen companies participating in the bidding asked for extension of the deadline for four to ten weeks saying they needed additional time for preparing the documents for international bidding," Gautam said.
The NIDMC had first announced global tender on April 29 with a 45-day deadline. The deadline was later extended for another 15 days and the 15-day extension for the project expired on June 28.
The government´s multi-million dollar project to distribute biometric national ID cards courted controversy after nearly a dozen aspiring international bidders lodged complaints that the tender specifications were manipulated to suit the interests of one specific company. They claimed that only one company will be in the fray if the specifications were not amended.
An internal investigation by MoHA suspended a technical official involved in the manipulation of the specifications and also made amendments to some of the specifications made in the original tender invitation. However, there are still concerns that the amendments have made the database management system and biometrics, also known as Automated Fingerprint Identification System, vulnerable.
Related story
Army awards tender for boots to party failing criteria
