‘Good Enough’ – But is it Really?

Governments today face a myriad of challenges when determining the optimum approach for issuing a new identity document. To this end, the incorporation of advanced technologies to address the increasing counterfeit threat is critical. 

Unfortunately, many governments choose to use a low-priced, technically acceptable (LPTA) model for their acquisition process. This may also bias their thought process towards wholly digital solutions so as to ‘dematerialise’ the document with the perception that this reduces cost, if only to them.

LPTA is a good method for acquisition of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) items, but it places a significant constraint on the level of security offered in identity documents – which, obviously, are not COTS. Essentially, the LPTA model drives bidders to offer just the baseline requirement to achieve the lowest cost – consequently, removing advanced security features from their proposed solutions. The result is a substandard document that is far easier for counterfeiters to simulate.