As reported in the Public Procurement Bulletin, on December 26, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine signed an agreement with JSC KP VTI for passport production services. The deal amounted to UAH 6.95 million.
Of this amount, UAH 3,440,000 will be allocated for a "software and hardware kit" necessary for the implementation of diplomatic and service passports with an implanted contactless electronic device. UAH 3,510,000 will also be allocated for the production of 102 similar kits for issuing Ukrainian citizen international passports, also with an implanted chip.
The bidding process was conducted through a negotiated procedure. The exact contents of these passport production kits are not disclosed. The technical aspects of the manufacturing process are also not disclosed.
As a reminder, KP VTI is part of the EDAPS consortium. This consortium won the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' contract to develop a passport issuance system in an open tender in 2011, offering its services for just 150 hryvnias. Since then, EDAPS has earned millions of hryvnias annually through non-competitive bidding.
Earlier, media reported that Interior Minister Avakov made a statement stating that the state-owned printing plant "Ukraine" will now produce all necessary products for the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The EDAPS consortium will no longer be involved in producing biometric passports for Ukrainians. According to Arsen Avakov, the cost of producing a new biometric passport within 20 days will be 518 hryvnias. Under the expedited procedure, the price will increase to 775 hryvnias, and the production time will be reduced to 7 days. The state-owned enterprise "Document" will produce a passport for an additional 253 hryvnias if a Ukrainian citizen does not have the time to independently prepare the necessary documents.
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