Three years after allegations of corruption stalled a huge contract for IBM, and created a huge scandal which reverberated through government and crippled public sector IT procurement (CI No 3,424), the Argentine government is ready to spend money again. But while ministers are now sure that corruption has been rooted out, critics believe that the massive new project it is about to embark on is on such a scale, and in such a sensitive area, that controversy of one kind or another is guaranteed. In March, the government announced its first major information technology contract since the IBM episode hit the headlines nearly three years ago. A consortium led by Siemens Nixdorf of Munich, Germany, will upgrade Argentina’s border control systems over the next six years. The contractors, sharing $700m, will produce and distribute new machine-readable, forgery-proof identification cards. Supporters of the project call it one step toward the country obtaining systems taken for granted in more developed nations. After years of complaints and abuse, Argentina’s forgery-plagued system of paper-based national identification cards is being replaced by a high-tech version that includes automated fingerprint authentication and machine- readable documents. Cynics may say that when it comes to systems for monitoring individuals, the Argentinians are second to none. In addition to building a central computer center for the Ministry of the Interior, the group will set up 62 data centers throughout the country automating the process of checking visas, identification papers and residence permits at more than 200 border crossings. An estimated 840,000 ID cards will be produced each month. They will also be used as well for modernizing electoral information. The central data processing department will be linked to government departments, police stations and border control authorities. Siemens IT Services SA of Buenos Aires will work with Printrak International and Imaging Automation of the United States on automated fingerprint identification, and with Boldt of Argentina and Gieseke & Devrient of Germany for the production of identification cards. A Spanish partner, Indra of Madrid, is expected to provide systems integration to electoral databases. The selection of Siemens over two other Argentine bidders and a team from Israel was based on technical ability and the lowest qualified bid. IBM did not bid for the contract.
Computer Business Review
