In a statement, he said the selected contractor has already installed the required machinery at the Werahera premises of the Department of Motor Traffic, with preparatory work now in its final stages ahead of the restart of operations.
He explained that the procurement process was carried out in line with public procurement regulations to ensure transparency and technical compliance, particularly given the security significance of vehicle number plates.
The initial procurement process for vehicle number plate printing in 2024 was cancelled due to a lack of bids, after which a fresh tender was issued in March 2025 with four bidders participating. Technical evaluations were carried out by the University of Moratuwa and later re-examined by the Industrial Technology Institute following appeals, in line with directions from the Procurement Appeals Board. The Department of Motor Traffic said the multi-stage process was conducted to ensure transparency and accountability. The contract was subsequently awarded to South Asian Technologies (Pvt) Ltd for five years, signed in March 2026, with printing operations scheduled to begin within three months, ahead of the planned start on or before June 10, 2026.
