Border Agency plans £36.4m biometric collection contract

The Home Office agency has advertised for a single contractor to provide booths which are secure and private where overseas nationals can register for biometric residence permits by having fingerprints and a photo taken. The successful bidder will also be expected to provide services to the public, as well as scanning and sending documents and dealing with payments from applicants. Equipment to video record each applicant, back office ICT systems to collate and transmit enrolment data and document scanning will be delivered under the deal. A tender notice in the Official Journal of the European Union says the contract will be available to other government departments and agencies, including the Home Office and the Identity and Passport Service. The last government's plans for the National Identity Scheme would have required British citizens applying for or renewing a passport to be fingerprinted, as well as being photographed, at similar booths to those being ordered by the UK Border Agency. The current government cancelled the plan for fingerprint biometric passports, although the scope of this contract would appear to provide facilities to take biometrics from other groups. The supplier could also be asked to provide a mobile service for the enrolment at hospitals or homes of people with medical conditions that prevent attendance them attending one of the booths. The contract will be awarded for an initial four years, but could be extended by two more years.