The Government Printing Works (GPW), under mandate from the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), called for expressions of interest (EOI) from manufacturers able to produce the blank cards required for the printing of the new smart identity (ID) cards.

The GPW, which was responsible for printing the replacement smart cards, is looking for a supplier or manufacturer of pure polycarbonate substrate blank cards in ID-1 format and ready for personalisation by laser engraving technology.

This followed the DHA’s promise of sourcing the materials relating to the printing of the card from local companies, as it replaced all existing green, barcode ID books with smart ID cards.

For security and efficiency purposes, the department would develop, own, roll-out and maintain the new integrated system and smart card IDs project itself.

The DHA said earlier this year it would be ready to introduce the first of the new smart ID cards to all first-time applicants by December and would start recalling older ID books within the next 18 months to two years.

The smart system, which would capture the biometric and biographic details of all South Africans and foreign nationals, would enable paperless, efficient and accurate online capturing through a ‘live capture’ system, effectively eliminating manual processes and the likelihood of fraud and error.

The closing date for EOI registration was October 8.