Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2009/06/25/steria_passports_bpo/
Steria wins passport processing deal
Hops on the ID conveyor belt
Posted in Channel, 25th June 2009 09:40 GMT
Steria is to take on a number of business processing services for the Identity and Passport Service (IPS).
It has won a contract with CSC to provide business process outsourcing services for passport applications, including the data verification and validation processes.
Steria said this will complement the technology platform to be introduced by CSC.
It will be responsible for receiving and opening passport applications, making validation checks, ensuring fees are correct and that the appropriate parts of the forms are filled, before passing them to the IPS. A spokesperson for Steria said all the work will be done in the UK.
Its services may also be used for the provisioning of identity cards, although doubts remain over whether this part of the scheme will go through. There have been indications that the card production contract may not be awarded until after the next general election; the Conservative Party has said if it wins it will abandon the plans for the identity card.
Jim Vincent, head of Steria's central government practice, said: "Our extensive work with public service bodies such as the NHS puts us in a great position to share Steria expertise with other branches of central government. The IPS provides a valuable service to British citizens, so we are very pleased to work with CSC on this project."
Phillipe Martin, a senior analyst with Kable, commented: "CSC has a £285m deal and the BPO element must be a big part of it. Steria will handle the staff-heavy parts of the scheme such as enrolment and checking."
This article was originally published at Kable.
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