Today DWP has announced that 8 of the bidders from the Invitation to Tender in May have been successful and are forming the framework of Identity Provider (IdP) services to Universal Credit.
This is the first instance of the cross-government approach to identity assurance being adopted by a major programme so it's an important milestone for us in GDS as well as for Universal Credit.
Stepping Up A Gear
This is where the whole Identity Assurance programme steps up a gear. We have put in place the forum for exchanging ideas between interested suppliers to the broader market through the Open Identity Exchange (OIX) – we have good practice guides and privacy principles drafted and we’re reaching out beyond central government to understand the needs and opportunities for Local Authorities and the wider public sector. As of today, we have a group of suppliers with whom we can work out the practical issues of becoming operational as IdPs.
Clearly there is plenty of intensive work to be done immediately to hook up services to the developing Universal Credit platform. By working with these 8 suppliers through OIX working groups, we will exploit the benefits of collaborative working and share outcomes, as far as possible, with the broader market.
This is the start of a huge learning experience for suppliers to a new market, for us in GDS and for the government departments who also need IDA and are watching this development keenly to see how it will work for them.
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