fedpol invites bids for key e-ID software module
fedpol is looking for a provider to supply a product for the online verification of the identity of persons applying for the state e-ID envisaged in the draft e-ID Act. The provider should be able to supply a proven software module for the automated verification of a person’s identity and provide support with integrating the module into the overall system. The product must be able to check that it is dealing with a real person (liveness check) and to match their facial image with existing reference images (face image verification), as well as read Swiss ID documents and verify their authenticity. The product will include a software development kit (SDK) for integrating the software into the ‹federal wallet›. A manual verification component is also required in the product, which will be used by staff at the State Identity Service (SID) at fedpol for quality assurance and in cases of automatic verification that are unclear.
The call for tenders was published today on www.simap.ch. The full tender documentation can only be obtained after signing a confidentiality agreement; only companies with demonstrable capabilities will be admitted. This hurdle is being erected for security reasons, as the tender documents contain sensitive information.
Interested companies have 60 days to submit their bids. These will be evaluated as follows: the first step is to assess whether the bidder is financially and technically capable of fulfilling the criteria. For example, a minimum annual turnover of CHF 5 million over the last 3 years (see eligibility criteria) and an integration concept (see technical specifications) are required. A bidder must fulfil all the participation conditions, suitability criteria and technical specifications in order to be shortlisted. In a second step, the bids are evaluated according to ten award criteria. These have different weights. The contract will be awarded in two phases: technical requirements (seven award criteria with a total weighting of 57%) and price (20% weighting) are evaluated first. The three best bidders will then be invited to take part in performance and quality tests (23% weighting). The contract is expected to be awarded for the best overall offer in a year's time.
The draft E-ID Act stipulates that the Confederation will operate the trust infrastructure and fedpol will be responsible for issuing the e-ID. A team of more than 80 people is already busy with the preparatory work and will develop the majority of the system components. In cases where standard products are available on the market, these will be used. In order to fulfil the political demand to bring the E-ID Act into force and to start issuing E-IDs as soon as possible, the invitation to tender must be issued now.