Contract worth 135 million in Kherson region awarded to person involved in NABU case

Vysokopillya has finally selected a contractor for a large-scale reconstruction of the administrative building of the village council into a modern family medicine outpatient clinic. Despite complaints and inspections by the Antimonopoly Committee, the company suspected of embezzlement won.

This was reported by Intent with reference to the Prozorro procurement system.

In early August, the Department of Territorial Development of the Kherson Regional Military Administration announced a tender for the reconstruction of the property complex of the administrative building of the Vysokopil village council.

The goal of the project is to convert the building into a modern outpatient clinic for general family medicine. The expected cost of the work was UAH 135.22 million, and the funding is provided under the Ukraine Facility program from the European Union.

However, on August 13, Avtomagistral-Zakhid filed a complaint against the procurement. The company challenged the requirement of the tender documents regarding the financial capacity of the participants: the average annual turnover over the last year had to be at least 60% of the expected cost of the reconstruction, i.e. over UAH 81 million. According to the applicant, this condition effectively cuts off small and medium-sized enterprises that could perform the work but do not have a large turnover due to martial law.

Due to the Department's refusal to amend the tender documentation, the company filed a complaint with the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine. On August 26, the AMCU accepted the complaint for consideration, and on September 3, it ruled in favor of the complainant. As a result of the review, the customer was obliged to adjust the tender documents, eliminating discriminatory conditions and ensuring equal opportunities for all potential bidders.

The tender for the reconstruction ended on September 28, and Global Build Engineering LLC was selected as the winner with a bid of UAH 135.12 million. The reconstruction is scheduled to be completed by December 25, 2026. The notice of intent to conclude the contract was published on October 1.

According to YouControl, Global Build Engineering LLC was founded in 2017 with an authorized capital of UAH 10 million. The company has already won government contracts worth almost UAH 1.6 billion and has repeatedly come under scrutiny from law enforcement and journalists.

In 2024, the High Anti-Corruption Court ordered the NABU to investigate possible embezzlement of budget funds during the construction of a protective structure at the Vysokopilska school, where Global Build Engineering was a contractor. The criminal proceedings are about possible misappropriation of property with the participation of Kherson Regional State Administration officials. The company began actively developing regional contracts in late 2023, including one of the largest contracts worth UAH 280 million for the construction of fortifications.

Despite its dubious history, the company continues to receive new government contracts, including for infrastructure facilities in the frontline areas of Kherson region.

The newly created consortium was also entrusted with the repair of the lyceum's canteen in the Dariivka community. The contract was awarded without a tender, despite the dubious reputation of the founders and their links to previously scandalous tenders.

Анна Бальчінос