[timun]

This is precisely what I'm getting at! The contract isn't just "creating a design, with a chip in it": it's manufacturing MILLIONS OF THEM. Go read the PDF I linked earlier; look at pages 49 through 52 for the mandatory requirements to meet the qualification to even bid on the contract:

(EDIT: copied the mandatory requirements here)

1. The Supplier must be the manufacturer of the Blank Travel Documents as required by Canada.
2. The Supplier must have the capability to design, develop, manufacture and assemble the ICAO compliant Canadian ePassport and other electronic and non-electronic Travel Documents.
3. The Supplier must have the capability to design, develop and implement an ICAO compliant Canadian ePassport Personalization System.
4. The Supplier must have experience in the implementation of an ICAO compliant ePassport PKI Solution.
5. The Supplier must have an existing facility or must be in the process of obtaining a facility within Canada to manufacture the ICAO compliant Canadian ePassport and other electronic and non-electronic Travel Documents as of the closing date of the ITQ.
6. The Supplier must be located in Canada or in a country which has a bilateral industrial security agreement with Canada. Currently, Canada’s Industrial Security Program has international bilateral industrial security instruments [...]
7. Canada will have two (2) central print centers with high-volume printers and several regional print sites with low-volume printers. The Supplier must be able to furnish the personalization equipment for a decentralised printing model with high-volume and low-volume solutions.
8. The Supplier must have the capacity to manufacture a high-volume of ePassport books containing laser engraveable polycarbonate data pages.