Over 5 billion for roads: Contracts signed in Mykolaiv Oblast without funding

Between April and June 2026, the Infrastructure Restoration Service in the Mykolaiv region signed 20 contracts for routine road repairs with a total value of 5.2 billion hryvnias. The plan is to repair 194 kilometers of road surface.

This was reported by Nikcenter.

According to the publication, all work is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2026. However, there is currently no funding available for the projects—the contracts were signed with a so-called “zero” funding plan.

The “Autostrada Group of Companies” received the largest share of contracts, having signed five contracts worth 2.3 billion hryvnias. The company will repair sections of the T-15-07 Mykolaiv–Ochakiv–Chornomorska and T-15-06 Mykolaiv–Domanivka–Berezky highways.

Second place in terms of the volume of work went to Odesa-based Rostdorstroy LLC, which received ten contracts with a total value of 1.6 billion hryvnias. The company will carry out repairs primarily on the M-14, H-24, and P-81 highways.

Two other contractors—Techno-Bud-Center LLC and European Road Construction Company LLC—received contracts worth 880 million and 717 million hryvnias, respectively.

The most expensive project turned out to be the repair of the T-15-07 Mykolaiv–Ochakiv–Chornomorska highway, where the cost per kilometer is 37.3 million hryvnias. On the R-81 Kazanka–Snigurivka highway, this figure is 36.5 million hryvnias per kilometer. For the M-14 international highway, the cost of repairing one kilometer is estimated at 23.8 million hryvnias, and for the H-24 highway, at 24.7 million hryvnias.

According to Nikcenter, all procurements were formally conducted through open bidding; however, in 13 out of 20 tenders, there was only one bidder. Savings during procurement generally did not exceed 1–2% of the expected cost.

The only instance of competitive bidding was recorded during the procurement for the repair of a 10-kilometer section of the H-24 highway between Blahovishchenske and Mykolaiv.

The company “Avtomagistral-Pivden” offered a price 12 million hryvnias lower than expected, but its bid was rejected, and the contract was awarded to “European Road Construction Company” LLC.

As the publication notes, in the tender documentation, the Road Restoration Service set recommended prices for asphalt concrete mix and other key materials. As a result, the selling prices for asphalt, bitumen, and the crushed stone-sand mixture were virtually identical among all four contractors, and the cost of repairing one kilometer of road remained nearly the same.

The article also notes that although the contracts provide for 100% payment within five days after signing the certificates of completion, actual payment will be made only after funds are received from the chief administrator.

Specific tasks and deadlines for the work will be formalized in supplementary agreements after funding is received from the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine or international donors.

Ірина Глухова