In Artsyz, repair of maternity ward was ordered to a dubious company

Artsyz has selected a contractor to overhaul the hospital's maternity ward. The works worth more than UAH 19 million will be performed by a company whose activities have already attracted the attention of journalists.

Intent analyzed its experience in public procurement and possible corruption risks.

In November, the Artsyz City Council announced a tender for the overhaul of the maternity ward of the Artsyz Central Support Hospital. The expected cost of the work was UAH 19.36 million, and the contractor had to complete the reconstruction by January 31, 2027. The submission of proposals lasted until November 19, but only one company, Concept House Invest LLC, took part in the tender.

SCREENSHOT: Prozorro

According to YouControl, the company was registered in 2020 with a registered capital of UAH 50 thousand, the main activity is the construction of residential and non-residential buildings. The company's founder is Serhii Antonenko. The company has been operating in the public procurement market since its registration, and its main customers include local governments of Bolhrad, Izmail and Artsyz districts. In total, the company has already received more than UAH 36 million from public tenders, most of all in 2021, when its contracts exceeded UAH 12 million.

The firm was mentioned in journalistic investigations once - in the context of another company where Antonenko's co-founder is Arsen Shvaga. In 2014, the latter was the head of the district police department in Ivanivka, from where he was dismissed by the then head of the Odesa police, Georgiy Lortkipanidze. He also worked as an investigator in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi and ran a well-known Odesa real estate agency, Atlanta.

In 2018, he was detained for taking a bribe - at that time, he was the head of the Shevchenkivskyi Police Department of the Prymorskyi District of Odesa. The former police officer is currently on trial on suspicion of extortion and receiving $700 in undue advantage. According to media reports, Shvaga was also involved in the case of the theft of material evidence in the proceedings on the attack on activist Serhiy Sternenko - the phone of the perpetrator of the crime, which was later found during a search at Shvaga's place of residence.

SCREEN SHOT: YouControl

Shvaga's business partner Serhiy Antonenko works as a sole proprietor and is a co-owner of several companies. In general, Antonenko is associated with a number of legal entities, including NGOs and a consulting firm, and as a sole proprietor, he has 14 types of activities, mostly construction. According to public procurement data, he earned more than UAH 16 million as an individual entrepreneur in 2020-2024. The clients are the same as those who have concluded contracts with Concept House Invest. There are no open registers of enforcement proceedings or lawsuits against the company.

Despite the absence of formal violations, some of the business ties of the company and its founder are involved in cases related to corruption risks. The company will carry out repairs to the maternity ward worth more than UAH 19 million without competition - as the sole bidder.

The tender for the improvement of the territory of the Odesa Regional Clinical Hospital was also completed without competition - only one bidder, Berezivkaagroshlyakhbud LLC, came to the auction. The company is owned by a member of the Odesa Regional Council, Prince Khachatryan. This company has previously been investigated for unauthorized construction on the territory of the Chaika health center.

Анна Бальчінос