Productive Business Solutions (PBS) Barbados, a subsidiary of the Musson Group of Companies, has been awarded the contract by the Government of Barbados to provide services for the country’s new digital ID and national ID card replacement project.

In making the announcement, Michael Lewis, PBS group chief operating officer for the Caribbean, said that the deal, which spans three years of negotiations, is a major transformational initiative of the Government of Barbados and will be executed by the country’s Ministry of Innovation Science and Smart Technology (MIST).

He noted that on completion of the project the Digital Identity System will provide user authentication in online transactions and facilitate the signing of documents electronically. The system will also facilitate the secure electronic transfer of information for a range of activities such as e-commerce, Internet banking and e-communications.

“It will use new smart card technology (plastic cards with embedded computer chips), as well as mobile phone technology to enhance the security and integrity of Barbados’ National ID system and support a wide range of public and private sector services,” he said.

Under the contract signed back in August by MIST, PBS Barbados will supply software, ID cards, printers and its professional services which is expected to benefit some 300,000 residents of Barbados. The project is to be completed by December this year.

“In 2019, a PBS Jamaica-led consortium was also awarded a contract for the provision of Data Centre Hardware, software, public key infrastructure (PKI), and the National Identification System (NIDS) solution to be implemented in Jamaica over five years,” a recent news release noted.