e-Tendering, e-Submissions, e-Fillings

The volume of web-based business interactions is ever-increasing in the drive to cut paper by moving to automated online services.

Common applications are e-Submissions or e-Filings, where end-users review and perhaps upload completed documents to a central service. Other example applications include form based systems such as online account management, online purchasing plus local government services and central services such as e-tax, and e-Procurements. e-Tendering is a growing part of public sector business and has some specific requirements.

The underlying requirement for all such applications is that the transaction or document offers proof of authenticity, data integrity and non-repudiation. In the paper world ink is used. In the new electronic age digital signatures meet these requirements and do it better than ink. The signing key must be unique to the signer, under their control and the act of signing must be performed wilfully by the end-user. Typically this means signing using just a standard Internet browser and a locally-held signing key on a smartcard or USB token, however there are other options discussed later.

For public procurement confidentiality is a growing requirement. Currently systems protect information within a tender application but there is often weak legal binding. Privacy is also a concern since privileged users may be able to access very sensitive data. Encryption therefore requires strong cryptography. The decryption of data or documents can now be controlled by a security server that logs the action. Advanced security requirements may insist that the central authority cannot decrypt the tender information until after the official tender opening date and time. Furthermore the decryption process may need to offer a properly authorised and fully auditable operation. Multiple members of a jury may need to agree before the decryption process is authorised.

When assessing tenders, all end-users signatures must be verified as part of determining that adequate trust exists. Within the EU it is entirely possible that the end-user’s qualified certificate may have been issued by any one of a large number of Certificate Authorities (CAs). Verifying the end-users’ digital signatures and assessing their quality and acceptability for the intended purpose can become a substantial challenge! Once successfully decrypted and verified, the application may need to securely archive the document and any verification process metadata within a secure archive system for long-term availability, either for regulatory and legal reasons or for dispute resolution purposes.

The benefits of e-submission process compared with a paper-based system include: