The multi-purpose electronic card, the first of its kind in the world, is expected to be issued to every individual in Bahrain by the end of next year. The Smart Card will comprise the passport, ID card, the CPR card, the driving licence, the health file, the education file and the user's fingerprints.
The bids were opened at a meeting chaired by Minister of State and Tender Board chairman Dr Abdulhussain Ali Mirza, at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre.
Tenders were so complicated that there were wide differences in prices, which ranged from BD1.4 million to BD19m, Dr Mirza told the GDN.
"It does not mean that companies which quoted the lowest price would be awarded the contract," he noted.
"Smart Card is an extremely important project for Bahrain. Price, therefore, is not the only criteria for selecting a company responsible for producing the cards.
"Technology, quality, execution time and many other technical factors would be taken into consideration."
All tender documents, said Dr Mirza, would now be sent to the Central Informatics Organisation (CIO), which is the government body responsible for implementing the project.
The contract is expected to be awarded by early next year to the company which meets all technical specifications and requirements.
CIO Smart Card project manager Shaikh Salman bin Mohammed Al Khalifa said the tenders were very complicated as many factors were involved. The company selected must provide a total solution, using the most advanced technology, he said.
"Smart Card is a living card and factors like production, technology, chips used and security features are all involved in the contract," said Shaikh Salman.
Referring to the vast difference in prices quoted, he said some companies could have made the mistake of not realising that they could take advantage of the e-government infrastructure already in place.
"Some of the big companies have quoted lower prices, while small companies have submitted higher bids," said Shaikh Salman.
"Others must have added huge consultancy charges. We shall now make a detailed study and hope to select a company in the first quarter of 2004."
Tenderer's name and the prices quoted are the following:
- International Agencies: BD1,542,344;
- Hitech: BD1,444,905;
- United Commercial Agencies: BD2,233,818;
- Gulf Card: BD3,552,921 (option 1) and BD5,662,371 (option 2);
- International Information Technology: BD1,099,822;
- Unitag: BD6,837,825;
- Canar Trading: BD2,255,620;
- TCG- ME: BD14,600,000;
- Almoayyed Group: BD2,021,516 (option 1) and BD2,184,099 (option 2);
- LSS Technology: BD4,045,400;
- Almoayyed Computers: BD1,774,250;
- Al Nadeam Information: BD8,232,918;
- Fakhro Electronics: BD3,357,544;
- Bin Hindi Informatics: BD2,265,695;
- Al Hayat Group: BD18,972,184;
- Arabian Network Information: BD3,695,412;
- Computer World: BD2,609,396;
- Software Technology : BD3,917,196; and
- A.A'al Safety: BD2,780,541.
Malaysia and Finland have issued Smart Cards to their citizens, but they have incorporated only limited features.
In the Gulf, Oman and the UAE have signed agreements to introduce Smart Cards.
"We hope we shall be the first to implement such a project in the Gulf, and ours will be one of the most advanced of its kind in the world," said Shaikh Salman.
"The card has been designed to adapt to all changes that occur in the information or data throughout the life of a person, as it is issued to a new born as well as an adult."
The most important characteristic of the card is the fact that only the owner of the card can use it, since information will not be available unless the fingerprint of the person matches the one in the card's memory.
Quelle: Gulf Daily News, 20.11.2003
