The 19-million contact center in Odesa was never launched

In Odesa, as part of the “Digital.Odesa” program, 19 million 600 thousand hryvnias were allocated for eight initiatives related to the operation of a unified contact center for residents. However, in 2024, no cash expenditures were made for any of them.

This was reported by the Center for Public Investigations, which analyzed the Odesa City Military Administration’s report on the program’s implementation.

The program involved the creation and development of a service through which residents were to receive consultations and contact city services via a single, toll-free short number.

The program included specific measures to operate a contact center for various areas. In particular, these included the mayor’s hotline, consultations on administrative services, utility companies, social services, urban improvement, advertising, and the consumer market.

The total amount allocated for these eight measures is 19 million 600 thousand hryvnias.

At the same time, the 2024 budget allocated funds for only two of the eight measures—a total of 700,000 hryvnias. However, the actual cash expenditures for these measures also amounted to zero hryvnias.

Thus, in the first year of the program’s implementation, the city did not spend any funds on the creation and development of the planned unified contact center.

Also, in 2024, Odesa did not spend a single hryvnia on the implementation of e-tickets in public transportation, even though 52.1 million hryvnias had been allocated for this project under the “Digital.Odesa” program. And the programitself, originally planned for 2024–2026, was extended through 2029

Андрій Колісніченко