Thales awarded early UK ID card contract

The UK’s Identity and Passport Service (IPS) has announced that Thales has been awarded a four year contract to support it in delivering the early releases of the National Identity Scheme (NIS).

Thales will work with IPS to design, build, test and operate the technology that will deliver the National Identity Register and support the issuing of Identity Cards from the second half of 2009.

As announced in May, another contractor will be responsible for the manufacture of the physical cards.

This contract award follows a procurement exercise using the NIS Strategic Supplier Group framework arrangement, awarded in May 2008. The value of the contract is £18 million, IPS said.