E-passport tender cancelled with immediate effect

Colombo, May 31 (Daily Mirror) - The government has decided to cancel the procurement process for the controversial e-passport project with immediate effect, former Minister and current Member of Parliament Ajith Perera said.

He said that the Controller General of Immigration and Emigration, Chaminda Pathiraja, informed the relevant bidders of the decision via email on May 29, 2026.

“We hereby officially inform that the Cabinet has ordered the cancellation of the procurement process of the above-mentioned project with immediate effect,” the notification stated.

The tender, identified as DIE/PRO/PKI/2025, was titled “Issuance System and Relevant Public Key Infrastructure Components for the Personalisation of E-Passports for the Department of Immigration and Emigration, Sri Lanka.”

Bids for the project were called last year.

The procurement process came under review after four unsuccessful bidders lodged appeals with the Procurement Appeals Board (PAB) on January 2, 2026.

The appeals were heard on January 6, following which a set of recommendations was submitted to the relevant authorities for consideration.

In the May 29 letter, the Controller General also expressed appreciation to the participating bidders, stating that the Department of Immigration and Emigration sincerely valued the time, effort and resources invested in preparing and submitting bids.

“On behalf of the Department of Immigration and Emigration, we express our sincere appreciation for the time, effort and resources your organisation has expended in preparing and submitting your bid. We greatly appreciate your interest in partnering with our Department and contributing to this public procurement process,” the letter stated.

The cancellation marks a significant development in the long-delayed e-passport initiative, which has been the subject of controversy and scrutiny in recent months.