Directorate cancels biometric passport contract

In a breach of contractual specifications, the devices purchased within the scope of the project fail to insert digital photos on passports. The contract for the project was signed in July 2007 and was scheduled to be completed by the end of this year.

The directorate launched an international tender for new passports compatible with EU norms in 2007. Six firms submitted bids by the deadline, April 6, 2007. A joint venture, Kunt Elektronik from Turkey and IRIS Technologies from Malaysia, won the bid with an offer of TL 10.5 million. The winner was supposed to deliver all hardware and devices to the Security Directorate by January 2009; however, the delivery was delayed for three months. The directorate imposed a fine determined by the terms of the contract signed with the winner because of its failure to comply with contractual requirements.

The contract signed with the joint venture included four phases: the contractor was to deliver and install the hardware and devices that would constitute the computer infrastructure in the first phase, and the devices were to be tested in the second phase. A commission tasked by the security directorate undertook the testing. The directorate found serious flaws with the operation of the devices and that the devices failed to insert digital photos on the passports properly. Directorate sources also noted that the optical devices failed to read biometric passports, adding that this constitutes a breach under the contract.

Considering these failures, the directorate cancelled the contract. Reports indicate that the directorate has made a total payment of TL 2.5 million to the winner so far and that the contractor has installed the passport infrastructure in 81 provincial security offices.

A new tender will be held immediately to make sure that biometric passports are delivered to passport-holders because Turkey has made commitments to various international bodies on this issue. Turkish authorities had previously assured EU officials that the use of biometric passports would be launched in 2010.