Construction of a shelter for Oleksandrivsk Lyceum in Mykolaiv region was awarded to a contractor with overpayments for the second time

A winner has been selected to build a shelter at a lyceum in Mykolaiv region, even though the previous contract with the same company had already been terminated. The contract may again be awarded to a company that has been repeatedly linked to overestimates.

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

In June 2025, the Department of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports of the Oleksandrivka Village Council announced a second tender for the construction of a new radiation shelter at the Taras Shevchenko Lyceum located in Oleksandrivka village, Voznesensk district, Mykolaiv region. The expected cost of the project was UAH 44.6 million, which was allocated from the local budget.

The tender documentation states that the storage facility should protect students and staff in the event of a radiation hazard. The facility will also be part of a large-scale program to modernize the region's educational infrastructure. The contract with the contractor was signed in 2023. At that time, the expected cost of the work was UAH 36 million, and the construction was planned to be completed by the end of 2024.

Screenshot: Prozorro

This is not the first attempt to find a contractor for the construction of the shelter: On November 29, 2024, repeated bidding was already announced with an expected cost of over UAH 31 million. Then, as now, the procurement concerned project adjustments, but it failed to be implemented.

Nevertheless, as of June 2025, the tender was announced again - with an updated value of over UAH 44 million. And this time, it is again a procurement with project adjustments. The Dream ecosystem states that the total cost of the facility is currently estimated at UAH 51.3 million. The anti-radiation shelter is designed for 860 people and should be equipped with all engineering systems: ventilation, water supply, sewerage, video surveillance, lighting, and heating. All this is to ensure a proper microclimate and compliance with sanitary and hygienic requirements.

The contract for the construction of the shelter was awarded to First Ukrainian Construction LLC. According to YouControl, the company was registered in 2022 with an authorized capital of UAH 1000. Its beneficiary is Serhii Viktorovych Tkachenko. Over two years of participation in public procurement, the company has signed contracts for more than UAH 195 million, mostly for the construction or repair of shelters in schools and hospitals. Journalistic investigations last year pointed to significant price overstatements in the estimates submitted by this company.

Screenshot: YouControl

Subsequently, the previous agreement with First Ukrainian Construction LLC was terminated. The payment under it amounted to just over UAH 20 million. However, in the new auction, which was to take place on June 30, only this company submitted a bid again. The price was reduced by only 892 thousand hryvnias from the expected one.

Meanwhile, in January 2024, the company was awarded another contract without competition - for the construction of a shelter for Lyceum No. 4 in Pivdenoukrainsk worth UAH 70.7 million. This is despite references to inflated prices in previous procurements.

Анна Бальчінос