11 Billion Hryvnia in Contracts Go to Just Four Firms as Economy Ministry Struggles to Reform Procurement.

Journalist’s Take on the Investigation

According to Espreso.tv: Investigative journalist Maryna Danyliuk-Yarmolaieva has weighed in on a probe by the civic organization 'Nashi Groshi' (Our Money), which found that four companies secured three-quarters of all contracts worth 11 billion hryvnia. She points out that these firms—previously linked to large-scale embezzlement schemes—continue to win deals despite the Economy Ministry’s push to bring in new bidders.

State Procurement Market Dynamics

According to the data, the same four enterprises walked away with 75% of the tenders for that total amount. Danyliuk-Yarmolaieva notes that even after the Ministry of Economy approved measures to make it easier for competitive companies to participate, the situation has not improved.

'But the most interesting thing happened a week ago: our Ministry of Economy and Oleksiy Sobolev decided to ease the way for other competitive firms to enter.' - Maryna Danyliuk-Yarmolaieva

She also flagged the existence of 'not entirely fair entry rules into this game,' which points to a monopolized sector. Other companies were left with only 3 billion hryvnia in contracts, while the lion’s share once again went to those who had been active in the 'big construction' schemes before the war. This raises serious concerns about equal opportunities for all market participants.

The situation underscores how difficult it is to combat corruption and monopolization in Ukraine’s public procurement arena. Even as state authorities try to open the door to new players, entrenched interests continue to dominate a massive chunk of the market, threatening fair competition. Ensuring transparency and honest rules remains critical for the equitable use of budget funds and for driving economic growth. The issues raised by Danyliuk-Yarmolaieva could have major implications for the country’s ongoing reform efforts.