Government agency signs contract with Experian to gain access for three years to software platform that can provide data from a range of sources in real time or in batches
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has signed a multimillion-pound deal for online identity-checking services provided by Experian.
Newly published procurement information reveals that the Swansea-based agency entered into an initial two-year contract with the credit-reference agency on 1 August. The engagement – which can be extended by a further 12 months – covers the provision of the company’s Identity Authenticate service. Up to £2.4m could be spent via the deal.
According to details on the government’s Digital Marketplace platform, the service to be delivered by the credit firm, “checks an individual’s identity and address details by confirming that they exist within Experian’s bureau and that there is no evidence contradicting that the owner of these details is the person presenting them”.
Related content
- DVLA review looks to deliver digitisation
- ‘Challenge and support’ – how the DVLA’s outgoing chair has helped drive digital transformation
- ‘Not in our DNA’ – DVLA chief reveals agency’s struggles to enable remote access during pandemic
In addition to credit references, the service – which can provide results via real-time searches or in batches – taps into a range information sources, including ONS data, electoral records, and the telephone directory.
Experian claims that the private cloud-hosted platform provides a “full results audit trail” and offers clients “sanctions and enforcement screening”, as well as the ability to align to anti-money laundering activities.
The deal is the latest- and largest – of a series of contracts awarded to the company by the DVLA, in recent years. This includes a £1.2m deal for authentication services signed in 2017 and a £1.3m agreement awarded last year and covering the delivery of a “quick address system”.
Operating as an executive agency of the Department for Transport, the DVLA is responsible for managing the national database of records of 50 million drivers and 40 million vehicles. The organisation also oversees the collection of about £7bn each year in Vehicle Excise Duty.
