ACSA Embroiled in Legal Battle Over R380 Million Biometric System Tender

The Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) is currently wrapped in a legal tussle regarding the awarding of a substantial biometric system contract. Despite the encircling controversy, ACSA has made it clear that it stands by its decision and defends the integrity of its procurement processes.

Responding to allegations brought forward by its contracted Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) partner, InfoVerge, ACSA maintains that its method of selecting IDEMIA for the R380 million biometric system was thoroughly above board. The project concerned the implementation of a Biometric Movement Control System (BMCS) essential for modernizing airport security and operations.

ACSA disclosed that the project's groundwork had been a year in the making before public tenders were solicited. This preparation was to ensure detailed specifications for a system that demanded high technical sophistication. The subsequent contract to IDEMIA, a French/South African entity, stipulated that at least 30% of the contract value was to be subcontracted to a local, black-owned company in keeping with South Africa's BEE initiatives.

InfoVerge initially had fulfilled this criterion through a teaming agreement with IDEMIA. Things took a turn when the partnership soured, leading to an impasse that ACSA attempted to mediate. Despite efforts, an agreement wasn’t reached, propelling InfoVerge to pursue legal avenues to halt the implementation of the tender, directly challenging ACSA's decision-making process.

While no formal allegation tarnishes ACSA's tender procedure, the impasse has thrown ACSA into the eye of the storm, with InfoVerge demanding the cessation of the contract until the legal proceedings reach a conclusion.

The BMCS itself, recently implemented at King Shaka International Airport, hasn't been free of issues. Post-implementation challenges are said to have caused long queues and delays—an inconvenience ACSA has acknowledged and for which they have rendered an apology. The Border Management Agency's technical team is actively working to rectify the situation to minimize disruptions as much as possible.

The legal battle between InfoVerge and IDEMIA, with ACSA inextricably linked, remains ongoing. The outcome of this case could have broad implications, not only for ACSA's current biometric system upgrade but also for future procurement decisions and BEE partnerships in the vast landscape of South African infrastructure projects.