Although the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) envisages the 20121 Census will be predominantly digital, it is seeking submissions for the provision of Data Capture and Recognition Software and/or scanning infrastructure for Paper Forms.

The ABS needs the solution to be ready in time for the Census Readiness Exercise test in August 2020.

According to the RFT, the ideal solution would be compatible with ABS’ existing Kodak i5850 scanners, but the ABS is open to other scanner recommendations.

This RFT follows PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Australia’s win in May to supply the digital services side of the Census after the outages that affected the 2016 Census website.

The ABS is partnering with IT provider PwC Australia to build and operate the 2021 Census Digital Service. This includes the online form, website and assistance to help people participate in the Census. The service will operate on the Amazon Web Services cloud platform.

At the time of PwC's win, then-acting ABS deputy statistician Chris Libreri said PwC will bring "a wealth of experience in managing and protecting sensitive personal information across the government, banking, superannuation and health sectors" to the 2021 Census.

“Keeping people’s information secure and confidential is the highest priority for the ABS. It was a key factor in the digital services selection process and a critical consideration in the design of Census activities,” Liberi said.