Mykolaiv Oblast Education Department Overpaid Millions for Cheese: Prices Are Twice High

An agreement was signed in Mykolaiv region to supply cheese to educational institutions. The price of the products was overestimated by half.

This was reported by the publication Antikorruptionnyi Vymir with reference to the Prozorro public procurement system.

The Department of Education of the Pervomaisk City Council of Mykolaiv Oblast signed an agreement for the supply of cheese to educational institutions for 2025 without holding an open tender. The total value of the contract is UAH 5.1 million, although the prices for the products are significantly higher than market prices.

According to the terms of the contract, the department will purchase 18,768 kg of cottage cheese at a price of UAH 219/kg and 3,167 kg of hard cheese at UAH 336/kg. At the same time, the market value of cottage cheese with a fat content of 9% is about UAH 90/kg, and hard cheese with a fat content of 50% is UAH 172/kg. Thus, the overpayment reaches UAH 129 for each kilogram of fermented milk cheese and UAH 164 for hard cheese.

Screenshot: Prozorro

The supplier is Olga-Plus LLC, registered in 2015 in Pervomaisk. According to the analytical platform Clarity Project, the company is known for numerous contracts with budgetary institutions, mostly concluded without competition. The amount of such contracts is UAH 172.8 million, with a significant portion of orders coming from Mykolaiv and Odesa regions.

According to the Dozorro portal, the ties between Olga-Plus LLC and Myasnytskyi Dvir LLC, another "favorite" in public procurement, raise additional questions. According to the investigations, both companies are connected through their owners, who share the same surname, registration address and previously used the same phone number.

This situation once again draws attention to the problem of non-competitive procurement in the public sector, which can significantly overstate the costs of taxpayer funds.

Earlier in Mykolaiv, an agreement was concluded for the provision of school meals, with a possible prepayment of UAH 100 thousand. According to the contract, the supplier undertook to supply more than 70 thousand eggs by the end of 2024. At the same time, the purchase price exceeded market prices, which raised doubts about the rational use of budget funds.

In addition, equipment for natural science classrooms was purchased as part of a tender held by the Mykolaiv City Council's Education Department. The supplier was selected without a competitive auction. The total contract amount was over UAH 8 million.

Анна Бальчінос