Overpayment of 10 million was found at the construction of a school canteen in Tairove

In Odesa region, a school canteen with a shelter was ordered. The contract was awarded without bidding, and the overpayment for certain items can reach almost UAH 10 million.

This was reported by Nashi Hroshi.

The Tairova village council of Odesa district ordered the construction of a school cafeteria with a shelter from Euro-Style Group LLC for UAH 163.85 million. The work is to be completed by the end of 2027. The two-storey building will include a food unit for a kindergarten on the ground floor, a 90-seat dining room for a future primary school on the second floor, and a radiation shelter for 240 people in the underground floor. An above-ground warm passage from the kindergarten to the new building is also envisaged, funded from the local budget.

The project was developed by Ingeoproekt PE, and the expert report was issued by UK Expertiza LLC. The contract price includes UAH 2.14 million for risks and UAH 15.59 million for inflation.

According to media reports, when analyzing the estimate, experts found significantly inflated prices for building materials: steel rebar was included at 50-60 thousand UAH/t, while the market price is 33-34 thousand UAH/t; formwork panels - at 768 UAH/sq m instead of 462 UAH/sq m; concrete B25 M350 - at 4,628 UAH/cubic meter, while the average price is 3,357-4,089 UAH/cubic meter; polyethylene pipes - 4,920 UAH/m instead of 2,460 UAH/m. It is estimated that the overpayment could reach about UAH 10 million.

The estimate also calculates the average salary of a worker at UAH 18,570, while the average salary in the construction industry in Odesa is about UAH 25,500.

The contract was awarded without competition: no one else applied for the tender. To participate, it was necessary to provide a similar construction contract and confirm the availability of qualified engineers and workers.

According to YouControl, Euro-Style Group LLC from Nerubaiske, established in 2016, is owned by Denys Kovtun, who also runs the Black Sea Trading Company LLC and owns the designer Ingeoproekt together with Olha Shostenko. Since 2016, the contractor has received orders for more than UAH 273 million, and the designer - for UAH 8.88 million.

In 2024, the company was involved in criminal proceedings for misappropriation of budget funds during the execution of a contract for the overhaul of a simple shelter at Odesa School #91 under martial law. The investigation found that several controlled companies, including Euro-Style Group LLC, were involved in the tender procurement on pre-arranged terms.

In addition, the Odesa port ordered the thermal modernization of the motor depot for more than UAH 22 million, although some materials on the market cost half as much. The cheaper bidder was rejected due to formal deficiencies in the documentation, and the possible amount of overpayment may exceed UAH 1.5 million.

Анна Бальчінос