Fujitsu, the technology company implicated in the far-reaching Post Office scandal, has emerged as the preferred bidder for a new UK digital identity scheme.
The system, run by a non-profit endorsed by the Home Office, is intended for sensitive applications such as age-verification and voting.
The Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS) initiative previously focused on physical ID cards, but seeks to expand into smartphone-based digital IDs. The contract is expected to be worth £1 million.
Fujitsu's role would involve building the software necessary to verify users through apps or barcode scanners, The Register reported.
The decision to potentially award the contract to Fujitsu comes during a tumultuous time for the Japanese tech firm.
The company's involvement in the Post Office scandal, where faulty IT systems led to wrongful convictions of postmasters, prompted it to pause bids for government contracts.
Fujitsu told The Register that the PASS procurement process was already in motion when that decision was made.
"The tender process for this work started in May 2022 and Fujitsu submitted a bid in response to the tender in June 2022. Fujitsu were selected as preferred bidder in January 2023,” a Fujitsu spokesperson said.
“The tender process and being selected as preferred bidder pre-dated the guidelines that Fujitsu has put in place regarding bidding for new work with customers in the public sector."
Fujitsu is set to have received more than £3.4 billion through contracts running with Treasury-linked organisations since 2019 despite its role in the Post Office scandal.
Around £1.4 billion worth of deals have been awarded since the High Court ruled that numerous bugs and errors were in its Horizon software.
More than 700 Post Office branch managers were convicted after Fujitsu’s faulty accounting software Horizon made it look like money was missing from their shops.
After an ITV drama implanted the case in the public consciousness, Fujitsu said it had a “moral obligation” to compensate those prosecuted.
