A person involved in a conspiracy case may be awarded a contract for catering for preschoolers in Mykolaiv

In Mykolaiv, a municipal enterprise that has been involved in investigations and criminal cases is applying for a new contract worth more than 70 million to organize meals in kindergartens. The company was accused of abuses during martial law and possible damage to the budget.

This was reported by the Center for Public Investigations with reference to the Prozorro procurement system.

In early May, the Education Department of Mykolaiv City Council announced a tender for catering services in the city's kindergartens and a specialized school for visually impaired children. The expected value of the procurement was UAH 71.8 million. The supplier was to provide children with a balanced diet in accordance with government regulations and an approved menu.

The auction was to be held on May 18, but only one bidder submitted its proposal, and it is currently awaiting a decision on the contract. It was the Municipal Production Enterprise for the Organization of Catering in Educational Institutions.

Screenshot: Prozorro

The CPR decided to find out whether the enterprise had any "pitfalls" in its activities. Thus, according to the YouControl analytical system, the company was registered in 2000 with a registered capital of over UAH 581 thousand in Mykolaiv. The company's founder is Mykolaiv City Council. The company has repeatedly been the subject of journalistic investigations and even criminal cases.

According to the ruling of the Mykolaiv Court of Appeal, since March 2022, military officials, acting intentionally and in collusion with representatives of public and private companies, have been abusing their official position during martial law.

In particular, during the procurement of catering services for military units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Mykolaiv and Kherson regions (contract with S-Rostok LLC) and for terrorist defense units in Mykolaiv. Under these contracts, the customer was the executive committee of the Mykolaiv City Council, and the contractor was the Municipal Production Enterprise for Catering in Educational Institutions. Officials did not properly fulfill the terms of the contracts, which led to serious consequences and caused significant losses to the state budget.

Screenshot: YouControl

The company earned more than UAH 1 billion from public tenders. The media have repeatedly reported that the company overcharges for contracts and holds tenders without competition.

Earlier, Mykolaiv signed a contract for the organization of school meals, providing for a possible prepayment of UAH 100,000. This raised doubts about the reasonableness of the cost, given the real market prices.

Анна Бальчінос