Tech firm wins $23m DFES contract

The Western Australian tech firm behind the G2G Pass has won a $23 million contract to develop a new and improved Emergency WA platform for the Department of Fire and Emergency Services.

Genvis was awarded the $22.9 million contract to replace DFES’ Emergency WA in order to deliver “faster, more personalised and predictive emergency information”, according to the state government’s contract and tenders’ website.

The West Leederville-based tech firm will build a communications module alongside public facing website and mobile app, which are also expected to enhance emergency response through two-way communication and intelligence gathering.

A DFES spokesperson said the new functionality would be added in a phased approach, including an app, translated warnings, the ability to set watch zones, integration with in-home and wearable smart devices, and new accessibility features.

They said the department was partnering with locally based public safety technology provider Genvis to deliver the new and improved Emergency WA.

"Emergency WA has been a trusted official source of accurate and timely emergency information since 2016, helping people impacted by emergencies to make decisions to keep themselves and their families safe," the spokesperson said.

"The multi-year project will deliver innovative improvements to Emergency WA, including nationally consistent warnings through the Australian Warning System.

"The new platform is capable of delivering faster, more personalised and targeted warnings during emergencies."

Genvis was founded by Kirstin Butcher and specialises in building software for public safety, namely when it built the state’s G2G suite of applications.

The Genvis-built G2G Pass border management solution was used to manage all travel into WA, and the G2G Now app allowed more than 150,000 people quarantine at home from September 2020.

Former WA Police deputy commissioner and former vaccine commander Gary Dreibergs joined the Genvis team in 2022 after resigning from the public sector, having previously dealt with the firm.

In December, Genvis announced it will launch a pilot program in collaboration with 14 service providers in January to test the new personal safety app, called Milli.

The innovative technology solution is expected to enable streamlined communication between FDV victim-survivors and case workers, keeping the people accessing services safe while allowing service providers and government agencies to coordinate activities, share data and deliver support services.

The DFES spokesperson said as the high-risk summer period continued, Western Australians were urged to seek official emergency information from Emergency WA and be prepared to act in the event of an emergency.

"While improvements will be happening in the background, there will be no major changes to the Emergency WA website during this bushfire and cyclone season," they said.