Electoral commission, Immigration extend outsourcing deals

The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) and Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (DIMA) have both extended existing contracts with CSC under deals that could eventually yield AU$112 million in new business for the outsourcing heavyweight.

CSC said the AEC had extended its deal for the provision of mainframe services for one year, with an option for another, while DIMA had extended CSC's mainframe and midrange services for its border protection systems by two years, with an option for another two.

Outsourcing arrangements at both agencies date back to 1998 as part of the government's Cluster 3 outsourcing contract. DIMA previously extended its CSC contract for four years in 2002.

CSC said if all options were exercised on both contract extensions, the total value would be AU$112 million.

Also set to notch a contract win with DIMA is Unisys.

Should advanced negotiations with DIMA result in the two parties signing a contract, Unisys will deliver biometrics at airports and detention centres for immigration officials to authenticate identity using facial images and fingerprints under the department's AU$50 million biometric security program.

Data will be stored in a central database known as the Identity Services Repository.

Detention centres will be the first to roll out the technology.

A four year contract is expected to be signed by "the middle of next month", according to a statement by Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, Andrew Robb.

The Unisys announcement follows DIMA's open tender for the biometrics solution in November last year.