Bangladesh’s Ministry of Home Affairs has asked US border-security company Securiport to submit a detailed technical and financial proposal for an automated border-control system combining biometric identity checks, passenger information and security watchlists.
A letter from Senior Secretary Manzur Morshed Chowdhury to Securiport chief executive Enrique Segura sets an October 22 deadline for the proposal. The request advances a preliminary procurement process for a system intended to screen travelers entering and leaving the country.
The proposed platform would bring together an Advance Passenger Information System, which receives traveler details before arrival, and passenger name records containing booking information. It would also use biometric verification, checks against Interpol and domestic watchlists, and analytics for electronic visa and travel-authorization processes.
Securiport initially submitted a proposal in July. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs subsequently approved pursuing direct procurement in September, and the ministry convened a steering committee meeting later that month. Three evaluation committees have been formed to examine the technical requirements, fees and proposed agreement.
The technical group has nine members, while the fee committee has seven and the agreement committee has nine. Their work covers the supplier’s capabilities, comparisons with charges in other countries, service-level commitments and performance indicators. Legal, financial and data-governance terms are also part of the assessment.
Officials are examining government ownership and local hosting of data, cybersecurity controls, intellectual property, software continuity and technology transfer. Risk-sharing arrangements and an exit strategy are among the proposed contract issues. The current process concerns evaluating and negotiating the system, rather than an awarded nationwide deployment.
Securiport already supplies biometric border technology internationally. It previously arranged to integrate Iris ID’s contactless iris readers into gates and kiosks used at airports, seaports and other checkpoints.
The company also partnered with Integrated Biometrics on fingerprint capture for mobile devices, gates and self-service kiosks. That work included fingerprint template aggregation and feedback designed to guide travelers during capture.
The requested proposal must give the evaluation committees a basis for assessing both the passenger-screening functions and the operating agreement. The ministry’s review encompasses the ongoing operation of the platform as well as its initial technical delivery.
Sources: The Business Standard
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
