Government selects Deloitte for development of digital identity app

Deloitte has been chosen by the Government’s Digital Service to launch a mobile identity app for accessing government services. The project aims to offer a secure one-stop-shop for a range of public services across multiple departments.

As governments around the world continue to digitalise services, identity verification systems are becoming increasingly important. To help ensure that the data of citizens remains safe, while access remains simple and user-friendly, states are regularly turning to the consulting industry for guidance.

In 2021, for example, the Scottish Government tasked consultancy Scott Logic with overseeing the installation of secure sign-in for end users for its online services. This included an attribute store, integration with credential providers and integration with service customers.

Now, as the UK Government continues its own digital journey, it has tapped Big Four consultancy Deloitte to launch a new identification app. The UK’s Government Digital Service (GDS) has asked Deloitte to help roll out a mobile system which allows citizens to prove who they are when accessing government services.

For context, this seems similar in concept to the DigiD system which the Dutch Government rolled out decades ago. The identity management platform allows government agencies of the Netherlands, including the Tax and Customs Administration, to verify the identity of Dutch residents on the internet.

Tied to the Dutch national identification number, the system has been mandatory when submitting tax forms electronically since 2006, and by 2015 it was used for 200 million authentications by 12 million citizens.

In the case of Deloitte’s work, however, releases insist that this new identity verification solution will leverage the near-field communication technology embedded in most smartphones. This will also support mobile payments and scanning of documents containing biometric chips, such as passports. Meanwhile, the finished product may also incorporate some other forms of biometric authentication, such as facial or fingerprint recognition.

The two-year contract is reportedly worth £4.8 million, and forms a part of the wider One Login programme.

The hefty contract win comes after it was found Deloitte’s sales to UK Government grew by 55% in the financial year of 2021 compared to 2020, seeing revenue in this segment rocket to £665 million. That is not without some controversy.

Among Deloitte’s activities for the UK Government, it has been a prominent beneficiary of the UK Covid-19 response – in particular winning lucrative contracts with the Department of Health and Social Care’s beleaguered Track and Trace programme.