The government is about to release the shortlist of five possible suppliers for its delayed ID card project.

The five remaining bidders are IBM, Fujitsu, CSC, Thales and EDS.

Originally eight companies - the above along with Accenture, BAE Systems and Steria - were listed. But Accenture, BAE Systems and Steria have all pulled out of the procurement process.

It is likely that CSC will miss out getting to the next stage, getting a framework deal, according to The Times. CSC has been struggling recently and cut a third of jobs from its infrastructure unit in October last year.

Framework deals will be signed next week - these allow the companies to make full bids for the multi-billion pound contract.

Because of Tory party gains, and their promise to scrap the project, costs are likely to rise even higher because bidding companies must factor in the risk that the project is cancelled. The Home Office promises us a press release at 11am - we'll update the story then.