Lviv OVA plans to purchase building materials for the renovation of St. George's Cathedral at high prices, exceeding double the norm

The Capital Construction Department of the Lviv Regional Military Administration signed an agreement with Tim-Bud LLC for the restoration of the territory of the Cathedral of St. George.

According to the government procurement website Prozorro, the cost of the work is UAH 31.4 million. The contractor must complete the renovation by the end of 2024. The anti-corruption center NGL.media analyzed the estimate and reported that for the reconstruction of the cathedral courtyard they plan to purchase sandstone slabs at twice the price.

According to the technical specifications, “Tim-Bud” will equip the courtyard of the temple with sandstone slabs, repair and resurface the staircase. In addition, the contractor will repair utility networks.

“The cost of the sandstone slabs that will be used to pave the yard is at least twice as high. The cost of the slabs makes up a significant part of the repair cost - UAH 6.3 million. The estimate provides for the purchase of sandstone slabs 60 mm thick at 3800-4400 UAH/m² [depending on the size of the slab]. However, in specialized construction stores the same slabs cost 1400 – 1800 UAH/m2. As a result, the overpayment on sandstone slabs alone will be approximately UAH 3.3 million,” the investigators’ analysis says.

NGL.media journalists turned to the Lviv OVA for comment. However, the capital construction department refused to comment on the overpricing.

Let us note that Tim-Bud LLC is registered in Lviv. The head of the company is Tatyana Dubrovna. The entrepreneur is also a co-founder of the Lviv charitable foundation “Olanta Dobro”. Last year, 28-year-old director of the fund Ivan Palko tried to illegally take two people abroad through the Shlyakh system. Ivan Palko was detained by law enforcement officers.

NGL.media adds that this is the fourth attempt by the Lviv Public Educational Institution to restore the courtyard of the Jura Cathedral. In 2018, the cost of repairs amounted to 8.3 million. Then LOVA entered into an agreement with Enterprise Tourist LLC. The company spent only one million UAH in six months, and the deal was terminated. A new tender was announced in 2021. Then the cost of repairs amounted to 10.7 million UAH. The customer again entered into an agreement with Enterprise Tourist LLC. According to NGL.media, the company has repeatedly been involved in dysfunctional competition during auctions.

Enterprise Tourist LLC again missed the deadline for completing the work and at the end of 2022, LOVA terminated the contract. For the work performed, the contractor received UAH 1.8 million. The case is being investigated by the police, and the prosecutor's office reported suspicion of misappropriation of more than 2 million UAH to the director of Enterprise Tourist LLC, Vladimir Smalyukh.