Water supply tender in Kherson region comes under criticism

A tender for the reconstruction of a main water supply system in Kherson region drew criticism for discriminatory requirements for participants. The customer demanded certified welders and a site manager, which are not required by law.

This is evidenced by data from the Prozorro electronic procurement system.

The Velyko Oleksandrivska settlement community of Kherson region announced a tender for the reconstruction of the main pressure water supply system between the village of Tverdomedove and the village of Bila Krynytsia. The expected cost of the works is over UAH 21 million, and the reconstruction should be completed by June 30, 2026.

SCREENSHOT: Prozorro

The customer was the Velyko Oleksandrivka village council. Funding was provided from the local budget and with the support of UNICEF. Bids will be accepted until September 3, 2025, and the electronic auction will take place on the same day.

However, the tender documents have already caused comments from participants due to the discriminatory requirements. In particular, the customer requires at least two plastic welders with certificates of qualification tests issued by the certification committee of welders. The participants point out that such a requirement contradicts current legislation, as the profession of "plastic welder" is not listed in the National Classifier of Ukraine and does not provide for mandatory certification through certification committees.

SCREEN SHOT: Prozorro

The tender also requires a site manager who has undergone special training and certification for the right to coordinate welding work according to several DBN and DSTU standards. Experts note that such requirements limit the range of potential participants, as the law does not require obtaining certification documents for this position.

In other words, according to the participants, the tender conditions actually discriminate against companies that have qualified personnel but cannot provide specific documents imposed by the customer.

In June, a company with a dubious reputation was awarded a new contract for road repairs in Kherson region worth more than sixty million hryvnias. The State Audit Service drew attention to this agreement. The audit was initiated to assess the reasonableness of the expected cost, the technical characteristics of the work, and the compliance of the tender conditions with the current legislation.

Анна Бальчінос