A company suspected of corruption is bidding to renovate a high school in the Odesa region

Contractors—who were the only bidders in the tender—could receive nearly 20 million hryvnias to renovate the grounds of the Khlibodar Lyceum in the Odesa region. The company continues to win government contracts despite being implicated in criminal cases and facing complaints regarding the cost of its work.

The Center for Public Investigations analyzed the procurement process and the activities of the firm bidding on the multimillion-hryvnia contract.

The Department of Capital Construction and Road Infrastructure of the Odesa Regional State Administration announced a tender for the reconstruction of the schoolyard and fence at the Khlibodar Lyceum in the Odesa district. The regional budget plans to allocate 19.09 million hryvnias for the project, and the work is scheduled to be completed by the end of January 2027.

<picture></picture>SCREENSHOT: Prozorro

The procurement took place without competition. The sole participant was SPK “Flagman” LLC, which offered to perform the work for 19.08 million hryvnias—just 10,000 hryvnias less than the estimated cost. The company’s documents are currently under review by the contracting authority.

According to the YouControl analytical system, the company has been in operation since 2017 and is owned by Dmytro Furman. Since it began participating in public procurement, the company has secured contracts worth more than 526 million hryvnias.

Its main clients include departments of the Odesa City Council, the Odesa Regional State Administration, the municipal enterprise “City Roads,” and the Avangardivka Village Council.

<picture></picture>SCREENSHOT: YouControl

At the same time, the company’s activities have repeatedly been the subject of journalistic investigations and scrutiny by law enforcement agencies. In particular, the publication “Nashi Hroshi” reported on inflated prices for construction materials in the cost estimates for certain contracts.

The company is also mentioned in several criminal cases. One of them involves an investigation by the Economic Security Bureau into possible tax evasion by a number of construction companies. Documents and business transactions involving SPK “Flagman” LLC appear in the case files.

<picture></picture>SCREENSHOT: YouControl

Another case relates to the development of the Walk of Fame at the cemetery in Avangard. Investigators are examining the possible inclusion of false information in official documents during the execution of a contract between the municipal enterprise “Avangardkomunservice” and a contractor.

According to the investigation, in 2022 the company received nearly 2.5 million hryvnias for cemetery improvements, after which the funds were paid out in full. During the investigation, law enforcement officials applied to the court for a search warrant, as the documentation necessary for the forensic examination had not been provided in response to their requests.

<picture></picture>SCREENSHOT: YouControl

Another case involves the construction of the Walk of Fame at the cemetery in Avangard. Investigators are examining whether false information was entered into official documents during the execution of the contract between the municipal enterprise “Avangardkomunservice” and the contractor. The court authorized a search of the company’s office in Khlibodarsky to seize documents that may be relevant to the investigation.

Despite being implicated in criminal cases and facing objections to certain cost estimates, the company remains an active participant in public procurement in the Odesa region.

Additionally, in the village of Kamyanske in the Odesa region, there are plans to build a radiation shelter for a high school at a cost of over 38 million hryvnias using European Union funds. The contract was awarded without a competitive bidding process to a company that has been implicated in investigations into alleged price inflation and schemes involving Energoatom.

Анна Бальчінос