News - E-government Unit issues Request for Information on
E-government Unit issues Request for Information on online authentication
3 November 2003
The E-government Unit of the State Services Commission is seeking information from vendors and industry stakeholders to inform the design of an all-of-government approach to online authentication.
"The Government gave the go-ahead in June to begin the design of an all-of-government approach to online authentication" said Bethia Gibson, Acting Director of the E-government Unit. "We are now at the stage where we need to gather specific information from industry experts."
"Up until now we have been working closely with key agencies and other stakeholders, including some of the groups that gave us feedback on the E-government Unit's earlier policy work relating to authentication. To date we have deliberately focussed on conceptual and process design, and this design work has got a good response so far. Now it is time to start looking at technology and to factor in the next level of detail."
The Request for Information will be advertised from today in relevant publications and online at http://www.e.govt.nz/authentication/rfi.html. Industry input during this Request for Information phase will be used by the Commission to refine its design work and as input into a business case to present to the Government for its consideration next year.
Online authentication is already used by a number of government agencies delivering sophisticated services over the Internet. A number of other agencies are planning to provide transactional services that need online authentication.
"Online authentication is all about making sure those services go to the right person when they choose the convenience of dealing with government online. It's a two-way process. Agencies need to be sure they are dealing with a genuine person and people need to know they are dealing with a genuine agency" Bethia Gibson said.
"People want one way of dealing with government online that they can trust. That message came through strongly from the public consultation earlier in the year and that is what we have set out to design."
"Whether ultimately the design work proposes a central infrastructure, or standards that agencies will use to implement authentication solutions as needed, we are well on the way to developing a whole-of-government approach," Bethia Gibson said.
Responses to the RFI are being sought by 1 December 2003. If, next year, the Government decides to proceed with implementing a centralised infrastructure for all-of-government authentication, then an RFP process will follow.
For more information on online authentication visit: http://www.e-government.govt.nz/authentication/.
