Also included in the tender is design and distribution of the card.

The next two tenders for the access card will be released later this year (Q2 2007), including transaction delivery providers and IT Infrastructure.

The tender for the implementation of the card and key management system spans three years with the eventual winner evaluated on capability, experience and past performance, financial viability and corporate capacity, affordability and privacy compliance.

Closing date for this tender is March 14, 2007.

The key management system (KMS) includes the complete management of encryption keys, upgrading and deleting old keys and ensuring interoperability with the card management systems (CMS).