Tender worth ₴4.6 million: a court in Mykolaiv is set to hear the case again regarding a possible collusion over the renovation of Bohoiavlenskyi Avenue

Repairs to a section of the road along Bogoyavlensky Avenue in 2023, archive photo by ‘NikVesti’

A court in Mykolaiv has resumed hearing the case concerning a possible bid-rigging scheme in the tender for the repair of a section of road along Bohoyavlenskyi Avenue. The contract, worth over 4.6 million hryvnias, was signed back in 2016, but the Antimonopoly Committee subsequently found evidence of ‘concerted action’ between the bidders.

This is stated in the ruling of the Commercial Court of Mykolaiv Region dated 16 March 2026, reports NikVesti.

Back in 2016, following the results of a tender, the City Council’s Department of Housing and Communal Services signed a contract with the company «Dorleader» (now «Liberton Star») for the major repair of a section of Bohoiavlenskyi Avenue — from Shyrokobalskyi Bridge to Shoseinyi Lane. At the time, its competitor was the private enterprise »PivdenDortech», but «Dorleader» won the contract by offering a lower price.

The Mykolaiv District Prosecutor’s Office has now taken the matter to court, seeking to have the contract for the repair of this section of the road declared invalid and to recover nearly 4.6 million hryvnias paid under the contract for the state.

In its claim, the prosecutor’s office refers to the decision of the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine dated 18 April 2023. It established that the companies «PivdenDortech» and «Liberton Star» engaged in «anti-competitive concerted actions» — that is, they effectively colluded to influence the outcome of the tender. Consequently, the procurement of road repair services took place «in the absence of competition», according to the prosecutor’s office.

«The conduct of «Liberton Star» and the Department of Housing and Communal Services during their participation in the tender is clearly incompatible with good faith and the principles of public procurement,» they added.

Proceedings in this case were suspended twice, as the court awaited the Supreme Court’s ruling in similar cases. This is standard practice: if there is a similar case, courts await the Supreme Court’s position so as not to issue a ruling that would subsequently contradict general practice.

After the Supreme Court issued its final ruling in a similar case in December 2025, the Commercial Court of Mykolaiv Region decided to resume proceedings. A preparatory hearing is scheduled for 14 April 2026.

It should be noted that the road repairs along Bohoiavlenskyi Avenue were carried out in stages. Previously, NikVesti reported that the Department of Housing and Communal Services had concluded a contract for the ongoing repair of a section of the road along Bohoiavlenskyi Avenue with the Vinnytsia-based company «Mego Ltd».

This firm was actively operating in the Kherson region. Subsequently, the publication «Nashi Hroshi» reported that «Mego LTD» is implicated in an investigation into the abuse of office by officials of the Kherson Regional State Administration and the state agency «Local Roads of Kherson Region». The company held a contract worth 280 million hryvnias from them for road repairs, which have partially deteriorated since the work was completed.

Meanwhile, the contractor Mego Ltd, which is carrying out routine repairs on Bohoiavlenskyi Avenue in the Korabelnyi district of Mykolaiv, has missed the deadlines for the work on several occasions.