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The circumstances in which the contract for the notoriously underused ‘COVIDsafe’ app, which detected two cases of the virus but cost millions, will become subject to an inquiry into government contracting and a former Coalition minister.<\/p>\n
App developer Delv was a client of the Canberra firm lobbying on government contracts with links to former minister Stuart Robert and later won $7.5 million to make the app.<\/p>\n
Government Services Minister Bill Shorten said government agencies had been put on notice over the “lobbying scandal” focusing on contracts awarded to Synergy 360 clients in areas of the government overseen by Mr Robert.<\/p>\n
The app made international headlines after being branded as a failure, came via a department Mr Robert then oversaw and only after additional costs of $5 million<\/a> were added.<\/p>\n But on Sunday a spokesman for the MP said it was the agency that had decided on the contract.<\/p>\n “Mr Robert completely rejects the assertions noting all government departments, including the [digital transformation agency], conduct independent procurement processes,” a spokesman said.<\/p>\n Mr Robert reportedly helped arrange meetings<\/a> for the firm\u2019s clients, met one client and even gave its CEO advice on making a political donation.<\/p>\n And Delv, the company developing the controversial COVID app, was reportedly paying a $20,000 weekly retainer in 2019.<\/p>\n “What if any contracts were awarded to Synergy 360 clients in areas of responsibility of Minister Roberts, including, but not limited to, Delv, Adobe, Infosys and Salesforce?” Mr Shorten said in parliament.<\/p>\n But Delv did not respond to a request for comment on Sunday.<\/p>\n Its app was decommissioned after being labelled a \u201ccolossal waste\u201d and finding only two cases not detected otherwise despite its seven million downloads.<\/p>\n On Sunday the Synergy 360 CEO denied any link to the COVID app but did not deny that the COVIDSafe developer had been a client.<\/p>\n It was recently revealed Delv was overpaid by $400,000 for the work, a case of apparent human error uncovered by the Australian National Audit Office, which recently audited contracting procedures in the agency.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Mr Robert, who reportedly met another Synergy client, multinational Infosys, has told parliament he had “zero involvement” in awarding contracts as a minister.<\/p>\n He jointly announced its launch and would defend the app\u2019s uptake and usefulness.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/thenewdaily.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/1655017859-bill-shorten-insiders-NDIS.jpg?resize=350%2C363\")
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