The cost of a shelter in Mykolaiv region has decreased three times due to changes in the contract

The cost of building a school shelter in Mykolaiv region was reduced three times due to the exposure of inflated prices in the scandalous contractor's estimate. Despite repeated tenders, the company remains the only bidder and continues to receive contracts with questionable value.

This was reported by Nikcenter.

The cost of the contract for the construction of a school shelter in Mykolaiv region has decreased three times. The equipment that was overpriced by 30 times disappeared from the estimate of the contract with the scandalous contractor.

This happened because the parties agreed on the day of signing the contract to reduce the purchase price from UAH 43.7 million to UAH 14.1 million. As before, the First Ukrainian Construction Company submitted its documents 15 minutes after the tender started and remained the only participant.

The journalists checked the prices of basic construction materials after the announcement of the intention to conclude the contract. Overpayments in the estimate exceeded UAH 7 million. The most noticeable was the overestimation of the cost of the grounding kit - it cost UAH 147,980, which is 30 times more than the manufacturer's price.

After the publicity, the construction project was revised. The Education Department of the Oleksandrivka Village Council reported on Prozorro that the procurement volume had been reduced to reflect the actual costs of the customer.

The new estimates excluded a number of items, including grounding kits, shelter furniture, a lift, and a pumping station. The amount of steel rebar and heavy concrete was reduced. However, the price of these materials, which is higher than the market price, remained unchanged.

In June 2025, the Department of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports of the Oleksandrivka Village Council announced a second tender for the construction of a new radiation shelter at the Taras Shevchenko Lyceum in Oleksandrivka, Voznesensk district. The expected cost of the project was UAH 44.6 million, and the funds were allocated from the local budget.

The contract with the contractor was signed in 2023. At that time, the cost of the work was estimated at 36 million, and the construction was planned to be completed by the end of 2024. This is not the first attempt to find a contractor: On November 29, 2024, repeated bidding was announced with an expected amount of over UAH 31 million.

The contractor was First Ukrainian Construction LLC, which, according to YouControl, was registered in 2022 with a registered capital of UAH 1000. The company's beneficiary is Serhii Tkachenko. Over the two years of its participation in public procurement, the company has signed contracts for almost 240 million hryvnias, mostly for the construction or repair of shelters in schools and hospitals. Last year, journalists revealed significant price overstatements in their estimates.

The previous agreement with First Ukrainian Construction LLC was terminated after paying just over UAH 20 million. At the auction on June 30, this company was the only bidder and offered a price that was only 892 thousand hryvnias lower than expected.

Анна Бальчінос