National ID System Upgrade Approved for PPP

The Investment Coordination Committee-Cabinet Committee (ICC-CC) approved the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) P2.48-billion public-private partnership (PPP) project to upgrade and operate the National ID system, the PSA said. The Philippine Digital National Identity project was approved by the ICC-CC on Sept. 9 and will now proceed to a comparative challenge, the PSA said in a statement on Monday. According to an invitation to interested parties issued on Tuesday, the PSA solicited proposals for the financing, upgrade, systems transformation, operation and maintenance of the National ID system. Tender documents will be issued starting Oct. 12, while a pre-bid conference is scheduled for Nov. 9. The deadline for submitting proposals and opening the technical proposals is Jan. 11, while the financial proposals of qualified bidders will be opened on Feb. 8, the PSA said. The project was initiated via an unsolicited proposal by Unisys Public Sector Services Corp., which has been granted original proponent status. It will be structured as a build-transfer-operate project with a 20-year concession period, following a six-month transition period. The winning concessionaire will finance and upgrade the system, transfer the assets to the PSA, and operate and maintain the system. The concessionaire will earn revenue from the project and pay the PSA a share. The project covers National ID registration, card production and authentication, as well as the integration of private-sector users and the operation of the system’s key information and communications technology infrastructure. “Through this partnership, we can harness the expertise and resources of the private sector while ensuring that the National ID remains firmly anchored in its public purpose — to provide Filipinos with a trusted and convenient means of proof of identity to access critical services,” National Statistician Claire Dennis S. Mapa said. The PSA said the project is aimed at improving National ID registration and authentication services. — Justine Irish D. Tabile