Calling up digital ID cards on your smartphone – there is currently a bidding process that has caused a stir.
Longer test driving license decided
In mid-2019, the French arms company Thales is advertising on its website with an “ID revolution on the smartphone”. The armaments company, which had bought the security specialist Gemalto, promises authorities that with the “Gemalto ID Wallet” they will in future be able to “establish a closer connection with the citizens”. Gemalto was already under fire in 2015 because of a serious IT security vulnerability. At that time there were confirmed attacks by the NSA on Gemalto SIM cards.
Exactly this company, belonging to the armaments company that was involved in one of the largest corruption scandals in France, is said to have received the multi-million dollar contract for the technical implementation of a digital ID platform in Austria – only to lose it shortly afterwards as it is called. “In the industry one speaks of an opaque offer, unclear services and dumping prices”, the report reads.
Provider proceedings are still ongoing
The futurezone asked the Ministry of Economic Affairs and landed at the Federal Computing Center (BRZ), which was commissioned by the Ministry to create the digital ID platform. The BRZ has only confirmed that a corresponding award procedure is currently underway. However, this does not affect the electronic identity (E-ID), but only the platform for the use of digital IDs – such as driver's license or passport – on the smartphone.
In addition to Thales, the state printing company should also be in the running, according to the “press” report. This has also had a solution for an ID platform on the smartphone for a long time. However, the BRZ did not want to name the companies involved, as the proceedings are still ongoing. The fact that the French arms company Thales was in the running could not be officially confirmed or denied. What you could say, however, was that the first bidder did not win the bid and did not contest this decision. This is “stable”, it says from the BRZ.
Request for review and “normal procedure”
But what exactly happened? “The unanimous result of the bid evaluation was communicated to all bidders in accordance with the requirements of the Federal Procurement Act. A subsequent bidder submitted a request for review within the standstill period. As part of this review process, new information had to be assessed, which led to the exclusion of the prospective successful tenderer, ”says the BRZ. Daniela Feuersinger, press spokeswoman for the BRZ, told futurezone that this is a “completely normal procedure”, which is provided for in the corresponding award procedure. It was not possible to find out what the “new information” was actually about.
The digital office on the smartphone already exists.
Is everything on schedule?
The “press” report also states that the order is to have a volume of 35 million euros. That would be far more than the estimated cost of the GT of 18.5 million euros. The GTZ was also unable to provide any information on this due to the ongoing proceedings. The numbers were neither confirmed nor denied. However, the procedure should be completed “soon”. Then you can say more, they say. It is also on schedule, according to the BRZ.
According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the digital driver's license, the first of many in this area, should not be delayed. The digital driver's license was originally announced for “end of 2019”. When asked by futurezone, it was said that the change of government had intervened and that this was one of the reasons for the delay. A “pilot test” is to start in autumn 2021. The ministry promises to keep this schedule: “The digital driver's license will come this year.”
