In 2024, the Mykolaiv City Council, with the support of the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative (EUACI), successfully implemented a pilot project at transforming procurement processes. The improvements focused on the Capital Construction Department and the Housing and Communal Services Department.
The updates to the procurement processes included modifications to tender documents and requirements for participants and led to more competition and saved budget funds.
Currently, the EUACI is working with the NGO Centre for Public Monitoring and Research to implement Mykolaiv’s best practices in other partner cities.
Why is it important?
The procurement of various types of works and materials traditionally faces significant corruption risks. These risks often stem from insufficient justification of needs, a lack of standardised approaches to contractor selection, and challenges in determining the cost of work.
New internal procedures in key departments of city councils will enhance the level of transparency in procurement. This, in turn, will ensure the most efficient use of budget funds, which are essentially taxes paid by citizens’.
The team of procurement experts works in three cities – Zhytomyr, Chervonohrad and Chernivtsi – focusing on the departments that are the largest customers of repair and construction services:
🔹 Capital Construction and Investment Department of Chervonohrad City Council.
🔹 Department of Infrastructure and Improvement of Chernivtsi City Council.
🔹 Capital Construction Department of Zhytomyr City Council.
In the first stage, the experts analysed procurements from January 2023 to June 2024. In total, they checked 69 procurements in Chervonohrad, 208 in Zhytomyr and 521 in Chernivtsi.
☑️ During the visits to these cities in August 2024, the consultants presented the results of the analysis, identified risks, and provided practical recommendations for risk mitigation. In addition, in each city, experts conducted training sessions for procurement staff covering the new requirements and approaches to procurement.
Looking ahead, the NGO Centre for Public Monitoring and Research plans to analyse the internal procurement procedures of contracting authorities and prepare final recommendations.
