Almaty Digitalisation Department allocated KZT 357.8 million for the development of a city application with artificial intelligence. Only 25 calendar days are envisaged for the completion of the work. FBK examined the tender documentation and found that potential suppliers questioned the timelines and certain requirements of the tender.
APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT IN 25 DAYS
According to the technical specification of the procurement, the contractor must create an application for Android and iOS, an AI assistant in three languages, a CRM system and 17 functional modules.
Through the platform, residents will be able to contact government bodies, use housing and utility services, call a taxi, buy tickets, book hotels and make appointments with the akim.
Five days are allocated for agreeing the requirements and architecture. A working version of the application must be ready by day 15. The remaining ten days are envisaged for integrations, testing and handover of the product to the customer.
At the same time, the full list of systems to be connected is not defined in advance. Integration timelines are agreed separately with partners.
On 1 October, SARҚU LLP drew attention to this. The company noted that connection to government systems depends on the provision of access, documentation and approvals that the contractor does not control.
On 5 October, the digitalisation department rejected the comment and refused to extend the work deadline.
Thus, the contractor must complete the work within 25 calendar days from the date of registration of the contract, but no later than 31 December 2026. At the same time, part of the work depends on third-party organisations. It is unclear from the customer's clarifications how the acceptance of the application will proceed if the necessary connections are not completed on time.
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
SARҚU LLP also drew attention to the structure of the platform and the mandatory use of PHP/Laravel, PostgreSQL and Flutter.
According to the company, the combination of specific requirements and a short deadline may indicate the existence of a ready-made software product.
The customer rejected the assumption. The digitalisation department stated that the requirements were formed based on the needs of the city, and the chosen technologies ensure the maintenance of the application.
A detailed technical specification in itself does not indicate violations. However, it is unknown whether all components will be developed from scratch.
ALMATY HAS ALREADY PRESENTED SIMILAR APPLICATIONS
In February 2024, the Almaty akimat presented the Almaty City App project, which unites city services. Olzhas Zhanabek, who headed the digitalisation department at that time, reported plans to launch the application by the end of 2024.
In April 2025, former Almaty akim Yerbolat Dosayev reported on the development of a SuperApp jointly with the company Onay.
Through the application, it was planned to sell tickets, book excursions and provide city services. By July 2025, it was envisaged to connect 113 cultural and sports facilities.
Now the akimat is again procuring a similar platform for KZT 357.8 million.
At the same time, it is unknown whether the previous projects have been completed, how much was spent on them and whether their results are being used in the new development.
REQUIREMENTS FOR CONTRACTORS
In the discussion of the procurement, AK-Audit LLP questioned the qualification requirements.
For one information security specialist, the possession of three international certificates at once was envisaged: CISSP, CGEIT and CRISC.
After the comments, the customer removed the mandatory year of experience, changed the education requirements for the business analyst and allowed the combining of certain positions. The certificate requirements remained.
A SIMILAR STORY WITH AN APPLICATION IN TARAZ
An anonymous FBK source compared the Almaty procurement with the case of the development of the Open Akimat system in Taraz.
In 2022, a court found the head of the contractor company and the director of the akimat's media centre guilty of embezzling KZT 58.5 million. Both received seven years' imprisonment. The verdict entered into force.
