350 million in half a year: what Odessa Municipal Electric Transport spent its funds on

In the first half of 2026, the Odesa transit operator made dozens of purchases—ranging from drinking water and office supplies to electricity and large-scale infrastructure repairs. An analysis showed that energy costs accounted for the largest share of expenses, while the remainder covered the company’s day-to-day operations and the renewal of its rolling stock. 

Intent analyzed the department’s largest purchases via the Zakupivli.pro platform. It is worth noting that the analysis is based on the expected cost of purchases, as the starting price may decrease during auctions.    

The beginning of the year was one of the most expensive periods. Among the largest procurements were electricity distribution services totaling 83.1 million hryvnias. In addition, the company announced a tender for security services worth 11.2 million hryvnias, although the tender was later canceled.

Significant funds were also allocated for spare parts for rolling stock—nearly 4.9 million hryvnias. Other purchases included drinking water, overhead contact line supports, financial statement audits, brake pads, telecommunications services, advertising materials, and software.

The total value of procurements announced in January exceeded 102 million hryvnias. The largest share was accounted for by expenditures on electricity and ensuring the uninterrupted operation of transportation infrastructure.

February set a record for the volume of announced procurements. It was then that the company announced the procurement of electricity worth nearly 228 million hryvnias. This is the largest tender among all those identified.

In addition, in February, the company purchased electricity from a supplier of last resort, road resurfacing services following work on tram tracks, maintenance of fire protection systems, office supplies, household goods, and landscaping services. The total value of February’s purchases amounted to approximately 244 million hryvnias. Over 90% of all expenditures went toward electricity, without which trams and trolleybuses cannot operate.

In March, the composition of procurement changed. Works and services related to infrastructure maintenance predominated. Among the largest purchases were services for GPS monitoring of vehicles and information displays totaling 1.34 million hryvnias, design work for the renovation of a dormitory building, sewer system cleaning, equipment maintenance, and fire monitoring services. In total, the company spent approximately 2.1 million hryvnias in March. This was one of the months with the lowest spending in the first half of the year.

In April, the main areas of spending were fuel and equipment purchases. The largest contracts were for diesel fuel at nearly 2.74 million hryvnias, vehicle insurance at over 431,000 hryvnias, vehicle technical inspections, and the purchase of GPS trackers. The company also procured laboratory testing of wastewater, gas services, and general supplies. The total amount of April’s purchases was at least 3.6 million hryvnias.

In May, general-purpose and technical purchases predominated. The company purchased insulating tape and cybersecurity software, conducted metrological inspections, and announced tenders for waste removal and the purchase of construction materials. 

The most expensive tender in June was for the purchase of transistor-pulse control systems to modernize Tatra T3 tram cars, costing nearly 16 million hryvnias. Tenders were also announced for the purchase of rollers worth 2.6 million hryvnias, fire safety equipment and services worth over 2.1 million hryvnias, as well as numerous purchases of household goods and repair services. In total, June’s procurements exceeded 22 million hryvnias.

In total, the municipal enterprise “Odessmiskelektrotrans” announced procurements worth at least 374.5 million hryvnias from January through June 2026.

Meanwhile, the municipalenterprise “Odessa City Heat Supply”spent over 100 million hryvnias on purchases during the first half of the year. The majority of the funds were allocated to fuel, cogeneration units, distributed generation facilities, and shelters for heating infrastructure.

Анна Бальчінос