The tender for the restoration of ‘Okhmatdyt’ was won by a company that offered one of the highest prices

The tender for the restoration of the Kyiv children’s hospital “Okhmatdyt,” which was damaged during the massive shelling of the capital on July 8, was won by a company that offered one of the highest prices.

This has sparked widespread discussion on social media.

The “Okhmatdyt” Charitable Foundation selected the company “Bud-Technology LLC,” registered in Zaporizhzhia, as the winner of the competition to restore the hospital building. The cost of the proposal, excluding VAT, is 307,447,003 hryvnias (almost 7 million euros). Donations collected by the “Okhmatdyt – Healthy Childhood” Charitable Foundation will be used to pay for this project. The amount collected in the foundation’s account is 378,665,380 hryvnias (more than 8.5 million euros).

Out of 14 participants in the competition, “Bud-Technology’s” offer was the third most expensive. Ten other participants proposed to carry out the work significantly cheaper: from 42 to 286 million hryvnias (945 thousand to 6 million 441 thousand euros). However, the customer did not negotiate with any of them and did not explain their decision, according to media reports.

Moreover, the customer ignored some problems with the winning bid. For example, “Bud-Technology” only specified the rental of the following construction equipment: a Kamaz crane, a MAN with a manipulator, and a JCB excavator. None of these machines can be used for facade installation above the second floor.

Health Minister Viktor Lyashko reacted to the scandal on Facebook, stating that law enforcement agencies would additionally review the tender. According to Lyashko, the contract with the tender winner has not yet been signed. The minister wrote that due to the public outcry caused by the selection of the tender winner, “Okhmatdyt” will hold a briefing together with the hospital’s management and its charitable foundation.