The new smartcard will replace three existing, but separate, access cards or tokens.

The tender, part of an agency-wide managed service contract spanning five years, also includes a performance-based extension on a two by two-year basis.

It covers card issuance, distribution, application support and lifecycle management for an estimated 28,000 cards initially and an additional 2800 cards annually for the life of the contract.

The agency has already released a tender for contactless readers for all Centrelink PCs and laptops.

It totals 31,000 scanners to be used in national and local support offices, call centres and customer centres as a requirement for staff to log into the network both on-site and remotely, along with another tender for the necessary back office and physical access system upgrades.