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The first requests for tender will hit the market next week, with others coming out until early next year. The department will brief industry in Canberra next Tuesday.
Biometrics to enable "robust identity management practices" are top of the agenda for a department that has been embarrassed by unlawful detentions and deportations this year. The department mistakenly identified people as non-Australian citizens, thanks in part to inadequate identification systems.
A total of 201 wrongful detention cases have been referred to enquiries.
But the department is refusing to back off its current procurement strategy while it digests the Palmer findings.
Immigration announced 19 Sept. it would spend a total of $600 million on IT over the next five years, $500 million of which was ongoing spending.
As part of its so-called Global Systems Environment the department plans to set up contracts for desktop, email, remote access and LAN services, along with a contract for the development of secure gateway services. The department will also put out a contract for voice, WAN and videoconferencing, and will also replace border infrastructure.
The proposed tenders cover a range of contracts nearing completion.
