As the Airports Company South Africa’s (Acsa) next-generation biometric passenger facilitation solution faces turbulence, French technology company Idemia says it remains optimistic about the project which is designed to streamline and secure the passenger experience.
Idemia won part of the R380-million tender to modernise South African airports with the biometric passenger facilitation solution, but the contract came to a screeching halt when Acsa terminated the award.
Just as phase 1 of the project was nearing completion, according to Idemia, Acsa decided to terminate the contract, ci-ting prima facie evidence of irregularities and wrongdoing in relation to the project.
Acsa announced on Tuesday that it terminated the contract in compliance with the service level agreement’s 60-day notice period, enabling Idemia to finalise ongoing work.
“The biometric and digital identity technology project remains key to Acsa’s short- to medium-term strategy to ensure a seamless and efficient customer experience connecting passengers to their next destinations, opportunities, and goals. As such, the company intends to pursue the project in the near future,” the agency said in a statement.
Despite the setback, Idemia said it was optimistic about future opportunities for Acsa to re-procure this advanced solution, which aimed to benefit both local and international travellers by enhancing security and customer satisfaction.
Company spokesperson Alice Ferre said Idemia, which operates in more than 180 countries reaffirmed its dedication to working with Acsa and other key stakeholders to advance technological solutions that promote safety and efficiency within the travel and transportation sectors.
Sunday World reported in June that a black empowerment company, Infoverge Solutions, had applied for a court order to review and set aside Acsa’s decision to award part of a R380-million tender to Idemia South Africa.
In August 2023, international companies partnered with local small businesses to win the three-phase tender, which aimed to automate border control with biometric and facial recognition systems.
Idemia initially included Infoverge as an empowerment partner in phase 1 of the project but later terminated the teaming agreement.
On June 7, Infoverge petitioned the Pretoria High Court to annul the tender award.
Infoverge claimed that Idemia specifically relied on its status as a 100% black-owned exempt micro-enterprise to make its bid compliant with Acsa’s request for proposal, and as a result, it should set aside the award.
In February, ITweb reported that there were accusations against Idemia for holding dual roles as referee and player on the same contract.
The memorandum of agreement between Acsa and Idemia prior to the RFP allegedly gave Idemia an unfair advantage over other bidders.
In the media report, Acsa also acknowledged that its officials and representatives attended workshops hosted by Idemia but denied that Idemia had influenced the bid specifications.
