Wipro, HCL lowest bidders for UID project?

BANGALORE, INDIA: The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has issued the request for quotation (RFQ) for its first IT contract for application development services, according to a CNBC-TV18 report. The authority is likely to issue two more RFQs by next month, it added.

Forty-two vendors have submitted their bids for the unique ID project, headed by former Infosys co-chairman Nandan Nilekani. The bids range between Rs 500 crore to Rs 725 crore, and Wipro and HCL are among the lowest bidders, while Capgemini, Infosys, Polaris and IBM are among the highest bidders, it added.

When contacted by CIOL, a Wipro spokesperson questioned the veracity of the report calling it false. Furthermore it informed that Wipro Consulting Service (WCS), the consulting arm of Wipro Technologies, was asked to prepare the UID report and it recommended to establish a separate division as UIDAI.

Meanwhile, speaking to CIOL, Ramanath L, vice president and business head - India and Middle East, WCS, said WCS has been doing a lot of projects with the government.

“It was the WCS team along with a few core people from the government that prepared a report on UID and our report had recommended the Planning Commission to set up a separate authority for this and it should not be under any ministry. It is now called UIDAI, headed by Nandan Nilekani, who is taking it forward,” he said.

Almost a year back, WCS had submitted the report that defined the possible role and power of UID. The report mentioned about case studies of the countries, the pitfalls, database of the citizen from 'cradle to grave'. The number would be the proof of his nationality and identity.

Ramnath added that Wipro was the only consulting player working with the government at that point of time. He said, “WCS's role ends with the initial report of implementation. At present, there are 12-14 consulting working and final bidding part is independent of this.

Interestingly, earlier, when the BJP-led government was in power, formed, around February 2001, TCS had given the go-ahead for the MNIC project. Named as Project NISHAN (National Identification System Home Affairs Network) by TCS, the project was estimated to cost Rs 4000 crore over the next 10 years, excluding the cost of establishment, management, fiber connectivity, and the cost of capital.

Another government project undertaken by WCS is the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority of India. The division has been working for last two years over this project.

“WCS offers Business Advisory, IT consulting and Risk and Compliance services designed to improve business performance, drive operational efficiency and maximize ROI. With experts based in Western Europe, North America, India, Asia Pacific and the Middle East, our integrated Consulting, IT, BPO and Product Engineering services combine the benefits of expert proximity with global leverage to provide technology edge and speed to our clients' strategic programs,” Ramanath said.