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Australian Government Agency Asks For Bids On A Smart Card ID

Australian welfare agency Centrelink has asked for bids on a new smart card ID for its more than 26,000 employees. The chip card would replace a photo ID and two Vasco random number-generating tokens, one used for building access and the other for signing on to computer networks. The agency notes in its bid document that the government is developing a framework for a common ID card among agencies similar to the U.S. government employee ID program known as FIPS 201. Under that U.S. program, all of the more than 5 million civilian and military employees and many contractor personnel with regular access to government facilities must carry a common smart card ID. The bid document also noted that other Australian agencies may choose to buy smart card IDs from the successful bidder. Centrelink plans to select a winning bid in March and hopes to begin deployment in August. According to Australian press reports, this would be the first government agency in Australia to issue a smart card ID to its employees. (2006-11-29)