How the state overpays UAH 1.7 billion on construction - column by Maksym Shkil

Why the Restoration Service rejects the lowest price offer for the construction of a water pipeline in the Mykolaiv region
The construction of a water pipeline in Mykolaiv is an example of how the state overpays more than UAH 1 billion for just one facility due to corruption.

For a long time, residents of the Mykolaiv region have been without high-quality drinking water. To solve this issue, it is necessary to build a water pipeline from Novaya Odessa to the Zhovtnevy reservoir.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave an instruction to immediately begin work and complete the construction of the water pipeline by June 1, 2025 back in August of this year.

The customer for construction was the Mykolaiv Region Restoration Service, which divided the facility into 3 sections. 2 months after the President's instruction, in the second half of October 2024, the Service sent out requests for commercial proposals from contracting organizations for the construction of a water pipeline, the expected purchase cost of which was determined by the customer at UAH 8.3 billion.

Autostrada gave the lowest price for 3 sections - an initial discount of 500 million UAH and then reduced the price by more than 20% to 1.7 billion!

It should be noted that on the twentieth of October, the customer of the procurement - the Restoration Service in the Mykolaiv region - had already sent letters agreeing with the contracting organizations on 3 sections of the water supply system at the price of the expected cost, i.e. 8.3 billion UAH, which confirmed the fact that such a price is acceptable for the customer!

After our company made the first discount of 500 million and sent a corresponding letter to Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba, the head of the Restoration Agency Serhiy Sukhomlyn and the head of the Restoration Service of the Mykolaiv region Oleksandr Antoshchuk, the cheapest offer of "Autostrada" was not accepted, and letters were sent to the contractors who offered a price of 8.3 billion, so that they made the same reduction as "Autostrada".

When I learned that information about our discount was "leaked" to competitors and that they were planning to conclude agreements not with us, I personally delved into the prices and gave instructions to provide a discount of UAH 1.7 billion, which is more than 20% of the purchase price.

Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba, the head of the Recovery Agency Serhiy Sukhomlyn and the head of the recovery service Oleksandr Antoshchuk were informed about this by corresponding letters.

As of today, the contract with our company has not been concluded. The prices are adjusted to our commercial offer, which is an indisputable fact of lobbying the interests of other contracting organizations. by the head and officials of the recovery service in the Mykolaiv region.

We will not remain silent. We are waiting for the conclusion of the contract and personnel decisions regarding officials of the Recovery Service in the Mykolaiv region, otherwise this will be evidence that such actions are accepted by the head of the Recovery Agency, Serhiy Sukhomlyn, and Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba.