Philippines- Electronic Passport (e-Passport) Project

5 11 2008

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) will release the terms of reference (TOR) for the final bidding of the USD 54 Million (PHP 2.5-billion) electronic passport (e-passport) project, which is expected to be implemented by the third quarter of 2008.

The TOR, which serves as the basis for the second bidding process, will be given to short bidders within this month. Majority of the bidders are European companies. DFA expects the final bidding to be finished this November and the contract to be awarded to the winning bidder by December 2007. DFA and BSP officials have already checked the readiness of the four Europebased private firms to implement the e-passport project.

Among these firms are Alma Viva, the supplier of Italian passports; GND Company; FCO Company of Belgium; and Bundesdruckerei, a supplier of passports to the German government since 1987.

The actual implementation of the project will take place within six to nine months after the awarding of the contract.

The DFA will start issuing e-passports to all regular applicants, particularly to first-time holders of a Philippine passport. It is also set to launch the pilot testing issuance of the new passport, which has distinct security features, in Hong Kong on Sept. 22-23.

The implementation of the electronic passport project as a “major landmark” after the Philippine government launched two years ahead of the April 1, 2010 deadline imposed by the International Civil Aviation Office (ICAO) to upgrade the passport system among all its member-countries.

The DFA forged an interim agreement with French company Hologram Industries (HI) that “provides the necessary hardware, software, technical training, and support for the issuance of these passports at no cost to the Philippine government.

Project Status/Update Pipeline
Project Location PHILIPPINES
Expected Completion Date Sep 2008
Project Value USD 54000000 ( 54 Million ) ( Currency Converter )
Project Sector Information Technology (IT)

Contacts
DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS (DFA)
2330 Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City Philippines 1300
PHILIPPINES
Tel : 63-834-3000, 834-4000
Website : http://www.dfa.gov.ph/

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