Department of Revenue says IDEMIA contract extended while RFP is prepared; agency requests funds for equipment and postage

The Kansas Department of Revenue told the Senate Committee on Assessment and Taxation that its contract for driver's license and ID production with the vendor IDEMIA was extended for two years while the agency prepares a request for proposals (RFP) to test the market.

Secretary Mark Burkhart said the existing agreement with IDEMIA had been amended many times over the years and that the department planned an RFP to determine whether different vendors or in‑house changes could lower costs in the future. He said some of the equipment used for issuance was at the end of its useful life and that short‑term additional expenditures are therefore requested.

Committee materials include a supplemental request of $2,500,000 in FY26 for contractual services tied to initial implementation costs (production, postage and equipment updates for driver's licenses and IDs) and an enhancement request of $1,700,000 in FY27 for related contractual services. "That agreement was coming to an end... it was going to be just extended for another year to allow for an RFP to be issued," Burkhart said, describing the extension and immediate equipment needs.

Burkhart also said the department will prepare the RFP so the next administration can decide on longer‑term production arrangements; in the short term the extension and equipment replacements generate additional costs.

The committee did not vote on the funding requests during the session and asked the department to provide additional contract and cost details to staff for follow-up.

The department also noted that some production costs can be mitigated if IT work is absorbed by in‑house personnel, a strategy the agency said it will pursue when feasible.