- Tender cancelled months ago
- 700 units tendered, expert comm. review underway
The Government is still assessing the requirement for 700 Power Distribution Units (PDUs) under the Sri Lanka Unique Digital Identity (SLUDI) project, months after an initial tender was floated and later cancelled, The Sunday Morning learns.
According to Ministry of Digital Economy Acting Secretary Waruna Sri Dhanapala, an expert committee has now reviewed the power distribution needs and a fresh tender will be called only if the equipment is found to be necessary and cost-effective.
He told The Sunday Morning that a new tender would be issued only if the equipment was deemed essential and economically viable.
The SLUDI project is a flagship Government initiative aimed at establishing a robust, inclusive, and secure digital identity system as a cornerstone of Sri Lanka’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI).
The project seeks to deliver a unified, citizen-centric platform that enables secure and interoperable digital interactions across Government and private services. The project is supported strategically by the Government of India along with domestic investment.
A few months ago, the Government called for tenders to procure 700 PDUs, each priced at approximately Rs. 72,517, with the total contract value estimated at over Rs. 50.7 million.
However, the tender was subsequently cancelled following concerns raised by multiple parties.
The Movement for People’s Struggle, represented by activist Wasantha Mudalige, lodged a complaint with the Bribery Commission alleging serious irregularities in the awarding process.
Mudalige claimed that a certain company had been selected as the supplier and alleged possible fraudulent activity surrounding the procurement of these units for Government offices.
Acting Secretary Dhanapala, however, maintained that the process was being handled transparently. He revealed that a site visit was being organised for shortlisted bidders to give them a clearer understanding of the project’s scope, describing it as a routine step in large-scale Government procurements.
He also rejected allegations that local companies were being overlooked in favour of Indian vendors.
According to Dhanapala, a separate, concurrent tender is underway to appoint a Sri Lankan Managed Service Provider (MSP). Under the project framework, the Indian partner will serve as the Master Systems Integrator (MSI), tasked with building the system, while the Sri Lankan MSP will take over daily management and maintenance once implementation is complete.
Despite two Fundamental Rights petitions filed against the project, Dhanapala stressed that the SLUDI’s rollout would proceed without disruption, as no stay orders had been issued by the courts.
He reiterated that the Government was within its legal rights to move forward with establishing the local mechanism for a national digital identity.
The Acting Secretary further stressed that the ultimate objective was to have a fully Sri Lankan-operated platform, even though initial funding and technical expertise was being provided by the Indian Government.