The Government of Poland is considering lodging a complaint with the European Union over an alleged irregularity in Sri Lanka’s e-passport personalisation tender process, after Polish Security Printing Works (PWPW) and several other international bidders were rejected without clear explanations.
According to reports, the tender—issued on April 27, 2025, for the Department of Immigration and Emigration of Sri Lanka—attracted eight international companies, including Veridos GmbH, Thales Finland, IN Group France, and IRIS Corporation Berhad. Despite submitting bids on time, PWPW and others were informed that they had not been selected, with Thales Finland ultimately awarded the contract.
PWPW representatives claim that after appealing the decision, the appeal board recommended a re-evaluation of their technical proposal, stating that the company had met the required qualifications. However, they allege that even after the review, their financial bid was not opened, raising concerns about the fairness and transparency of the process.
The company has since sought to raise the matter with Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, expressing concerns over the procurement procedure and calling for an independent technical evaluation committee to reassess the bids. The request was also supported by the Polish Embassy in New Delhi.
In a separate communication to Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala, PWPW reiterated that it had fully complied with all eligibility criteria and submitted a comprehensive proposal, rejecting the reasons given for its disqualification.
Despite these efforts, the company states that it is still awaiting an official response from the Sri Lankan authorities regarding its request for discussions.
The tender process has drawn further scrutiny as Thales Finland, in partnership with a local agent, had previously been selected under the former administration led by Tiran Alles for a passport supply project, which was later challenged in court over alleged procurement irregularities.
