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Which governments have awarded contracts to companies for digital ID or e‑ID in the last five years?
Executive summary
Available reporting shows multiple governments awarded contracts for digital ID / e‑ID solutions in the last five years, including the United States (DHS contracts to startups), Estonia and Costa Rica (contracts to Net Group and Korea’s state printer), Armenia (contract for biometric passports and ID cards), and the UK (multiple reported contracts and bidders). Examples and contract details are reported in DHS announcements and industry press (e.g., DHS awards to six startups [1]; Net Group and Costa Rica awards [2]; Armenia contract to IDEMIA consortium [3]; UK contracting coverage and bidders including Fujitsu and consultancies [2] [4]).
1. U.S. — Federal experimentation and small contracts, industry push
The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate publicly awarded development contracts to six startups — Credence ID, Hushmesh, Netis d.o.o., Procivis, SpruceID, and Ubiqu — to identify, develop and implement privacy‑enhancing digital wallet technologies tied to government credentials (including e‑IDs) [1]. The DHS announcement lists specific award amounts (for example, $187,285 to Procivis) and frames these as partnerships to meet DHS mission needs around travel, immigration and credentialing [1]. This shows the U.S. federal government is funding small‑to‑medium development contracts rather than a single monolithic federal e‑ID vendor within the last five years [1].
2. Estonia and Costa Rica — Vendors supplying digital ID infrastructure
Industry reporting notes Net Group won a contract in Estonia and Korea’s state printer won work in Costa Rica to support digital identity rollouts and apps [2]. Biometric and app rollouts in countries like Estonia are often vendor‑driven procurements; the Biometric Update article explicitly cites those awards and connects them to national rollout efforts [2]. The report treats these as concrete procurement actions taken by national authorities in the recent period [2].
3. Armenia — Biometric passports and ID cards awarded to a French consortium
An identity‑industry digest reports that Armenia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs awarded a contract to a French consortium led by IDEMIA Smart Identity and A.C.I. Technology to produce biometric passports and ID cards, with production starting in the second half of 2026 [3]. The announcement frames the project as public‑private modernization of Armenia’s national ID system and biometric infrastructure [3].
4. United Kingdom — large programme, multiple contractors and controversy
Multiple sources cover UK government activity: reporting indicates the UK’s Government Digital Service has been central to One Login/digital ID efforts and that substantial budgets and contracts have been allocated to industry firms; separate coverage mentions Fujitsu being linked to a UK ID contract and lists consultancies and systems integrators (Deloitte, PA Consulting, BAE Systems, Capgemini, Accenture) as recipients of related government digital‑ID or platform contracts [5] [2] [4]. Industry pieces also flag controversy and procurement sensitivity — for example, Fujitsu’s reported role despite prior scandals [2] and large projected cost figures associated with One Login [5]. These sources show active procurement and discussion about multiple contracts rather than a single clear vendor dominating all work [5] [2] [4].
5. Wider picture — many governments and continuing procurement, but specifics vary
Several overview sources document rapid global uptake and many national programmes — analytics and industry briefs claim over 100 countries are implementing or developing digital ID systems and large numbers of digital identities have been issued globally — but those broader figures and some headlines in that reporting come from aggregation pieces rather than original procurement notices [6] [7]. Trade and policy pieces emphasise national programmes in the US, EU and UK and note interoperability work among peer countries [8] [9] [10]. These sources indicate procurement activity is widespread but often fragmented by country, use case, and vendor type [8] [9].
6. What these sources do not show (limits and gaps)
Available sources in your packet do not provide a comprehensive, single list of every government that awarded a digital‑ID contract in the last five years; they report illustrative examples and headline procurements (not a full inventory) [1] [2] [3] [5]. Detailed contract values, procurement dates, and full vendor lists for many national programmes are not contained in these excerpts; where money figures appear (e.g., One Login budgets, DHS award amounts) they are cited in specific pieces rather than in an exhaustive ledger [5] [1].
7. How to use this reporting — next steps for verification
To build an authoritative list you should consult procurement notices and official government tender portals for each country (not provided here) and cross‑check vendor press releases and freedom‑of‑information or government statements. The DHS press release and the industry reports above are reliable starting points for specific examples (U.S. DHS awards [1]; Estonia/Costa Rica vendor awards [2]; Armenia passport/ID contract [3]; UK programme and contractor names [5] [2] [4]).