French defence systems engineering firm
Thaleshas won the first contract for the
UK'sNational
Identity Scheme.
Under the terms of the deal - signed today - Thales will work
with the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) to design, build, test
and operate the technology that will deliver the National Identity
Register and support the issuing of identity cards from the second
half of 2009, an IPS spokesman said,
The four-year contract is worth £18m. Another contractor, yet to
be named, will manufacture the cards.
"This contract award follows a procurement exercise using the
NIS Strategic Supplier Group framework arrangement awarded in May
2008," said the IPS spokesman.
Thales, formerly Thomson-CSF, bought British defence electronics
manufacturer Racal in June 2000. Later that year, it signed a
transatlantic co-operation deal with US defence electronics firm
Raytheon.
Last month, Thales bought UK-based encryption company nCipher
for £50.7m. Thales UK is now the UK's second-biggest defence
contractor, with 10,000 employees at 60 locations. The French state
and Alcatel Lucent own 27.2% and 20.9% of Thales, respectively.