Conclusions and recommendations
1. The Identity and Passport Service successfully
delivered the ePassport project to time, cost and quality standards.
The roll out of the first generation of ePassports offers an example
of successful project management and procurement to others contemplating
introducing a new service or improving an existing one. The Office
of Government Commerce should promulgate the lessons learnt from
this project across government.
2. The introduction of second generation ePassports
from 2009 will present greater technical and logistical challenges
than the introduction of first generation ePassports.
To achieve the successful roll out of these and other planned
initiatives, the Identity and Passport Service should review demand
forecasts, consider cost implications and prepare and test contingency
plans in readiness for the introduction of second generation ePassports
in 2009.
3. To meet the external deadline for staying
within the US Visa Waiver programme, the Agency accepted a manufacturer's
guarantee of only two years for the chip, which is contained within
a ten year passport. Passport holders
have expressed concerns about the accuracy of the contents of
the chip and its durability. The Identity and Passport Service
should:
- increase the publicity given
to the existence of electronic readers in Identity and Passport
Service offices so that passport holders can see for themselves
the data held on their passport chip.
- publish information on its website on the durability
of the chip, including guidance on how to best protect it, the
circumstances in which the passport holder would have to pay for
a replacement passport, and when the agency would provide a replacement
free of charge.
4. Anti-fraud measures account for almost
a third of the adult passport fee, but there is a lack of data
on their relative effectiveness.
The Identity and Passport Service should establish measures to
assess the relative cost effectiveness of anti-fraud initiatives
funded from passport fees, such as facial recognition systems,
Authentication by Interview, and biographical information checks.
5. The agency used an exemption from procurement
rules to amend the existing contract for passport production rather
than holding a competition; and did not assess the impact of ePassports
on users or other government departments prior to their introduction.
Major enhancements are planned to the UK passport, border security
and visa processes over the next five years. To reduce costs and
improve value for money, the Identity and Passport Service should:
- let contracts on a competitive
basis or, where competition is not possible, take alternative
steps to secure value for money, for example by using a 'should-cost'
model to determine a fair contract value;
- carry out Regulatory Impact Assessments for each
project to identify the likely impact on applicants and other
parts of government;
- determine the mix of skills required and whether
civil servants, temporary staff or consultants are the best way
to meet the business need, and plan ahead so that consultants
are not employed for lack of time and resources to recruit permanent
staff.
6. Under current Home Office plans, a UK citizen
with a valid ePassport will also need to purchase a UK national
identity card although the two documents will contain broadly
similar data. Synergies
in the production of the two documents should be reflected in
the combined fee for an ePassport and identity card. The Identity
and Passport Service should, as the identity card project progresses,
identify and eliminate areas of overlap with ePassports in order
to reduce the combined purchase price of an ePassport and identity
card. The Home Office needs to explain the underlying rationale
as to why citizens need an identity card as well an ePassport,
particularly as the ePassport offers broader utility in terms
of global travel.
7. The Identity and Passport Service worked
well with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office during this project
but less well with the Border and Immigration Agency.
The planned introduction of second generation ePassports and identity
cards make effective joint working important in reducing costs,
securing efficiency savings and improving passport and border
security. The Identity and Passport Service should:
- procure ePassport production
equipment, supplies and technical expertise jointly with the Foreign
and Commonwealth Office and the Border and Immigration Agency;
and
- work with the Border and Immigration Agency to
monitor the effect of the introduction of electronic travel documents
on travellers, airlines and airports, and establish joint contingency
plans to remedy any undue delays and inconvenience to the travelling
public, while maintaining border security.
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