Procurement by Kyiv Metro

Since the beginning of the year, the Kyiv Metro has been at the center of several scandals; the most high-profile one was the case with Viktor Brahinskyi, the chief of the metro. After the investigation by Bihus.Info, which revealed illegal money fraud and misappropriation of public funds for the construction of the metro, Brahinskyi resigned. This case once again drew attention to the sensitive topic of the Kyiv Metro condition, especially given the numerous repairs that complicate the lives of the city’s residents.

We have analyzed what Kyiv Metro procured from 2021 to July 2024 to understand how the priorities of the enterprise have changed and what it has spent the most money on. Of course, we dug deep in the procurement of repairs and construction of the metro.

Procurement and priorities

According to the BI Prozorro public analytics module, in 2021-2024, the metro conducted more than 2,000 procurement transactions with an expected value of more than UAH 19 billion. However, the current amount under contracts concluded as a result is less than UAH 3.6 billion, and more than a quarter of competitive procurement was unsuccessful.

In 2021, the metro concluded contracts for UAH 537 million; in 2022, this amount increased to UAH 546 million; and in 2023, the total amount under contracts reached UAH 1.4 billion. In the first six months of 2024, the Kyiv Metro has already concluded agreements worth UAH 1 billion.

The procurement of various electrical and lighting equipment was the most successful, with the amount under contracts reaching UAH 1.2 billion. In addition, contracts for construction works and current repairs were concluded for UAH 740.7 million. More than half of this amount accounts for repairs between Demiivska and Lybidska stations.

The interactive infographic below indicates what Kyiv Metro has spent the most money on in the past four years.

2021: The main costs were spent on transport and auxiliary equipment. In particular, that year, the metro purchased rails for UAH 57 million from SOTA Ukraine LLC. However, due to the beginning of the full-scale war, the contractor was paid less than UAH 10 million. In the same way, the contract for parts to train cars was paid only partially.

2022-2023: Top expenses include electrical equipment, hardware, equipment, and materials, as well as lighting equipment. A lot of money was spent on ensuring the uninterrupted operation of all services in the event of a power outage.

2024: The main focus is on construction works and repairs.

5 most expensive completed procurement transactions in the past four years

This year, the company concluded the most expensive agreement with LLC GC Autostrada “for the repairs of the main line tunnel between Demiivska and Lybidska stations. This is the same tunnel that got flooded at the end of 2023. The cost of the transaction reached UAH 445 million. But it can be overtaken by the contract for the construction of the metro in the Vynohradar district when it is finally signed.

The procurement of equipment for autonomous power supply comes second, third, and fourth. The Metro purchased racks for uninterruptible power supply, necessary to ensure the normal operation of metro stations as shelters in the event of a complete power outage. The contracts were awarded to the Bulgarian company S END S Engineering EOOD. This year, the company received orders for EUR 6.5 million; last year, the sum reached EUR 5.3 million, and in 2022, it amounted to EUR 4 million.

The last procurement transaction in the top five by cost features a set of electronic equipment to ensure the backup of critical services RKOez-04.11/22 for EUR 2.9 million. Last year, the contract was awarded to the Slovenian Company Riko d.o.o.

Peculiar procurement transactions by Kyiv Metro

In 2023, the enterprise spent UAH 190 million on transport services to move the metro cars that Poland had given us. In March, as a result of open bidding with features, it concluded an agreement with Budintekhno LLC for the transportation of six cars from the Warsaw Metro to the Kyiv Metro for UAH 17 million, but the contract was terminated by mutual agreement of the parties. Subsequently, Kyiv-based Porto Trade LLC was awarded three times. In April, the company received an order for the transportation of 18 cars by supertractors from Warsaw to Kyiv; the July order indicated the transportation of another 18 wagons, and the September one featured another 24.

UAH 107 million more has been spent on IT services over the past four years. In particular, for the maintenance of the automated fare payment system, which was introduced in 2017, the ME Main Information and Computing Center will receive more than UAH 95 million.

This is a system for paying for travel in the metro, which in particular allows paying with a transport card.

Lybidska-Demiivska tunnel. When?

By the end of September, LLC GC Autostrada is to repair the tunnel of the blue metro line between the stations Demiivska and Lybidska.  The metro suspended traffic between these stations on December 8, 2023, due to the emergency condition of the tunnel. The KSCA explained that there was a danger of collapse. Passengers published videos of the tunnel being filled with water.

At first, Autostrada GC had to prepare the tunnel for repair for UAH 21.2 million, then another agreement was signed with the company for additional works worth UAH 20.1 million. Both agreements were to be financed at the expense the metro’s own funds.

This April, the Kyiv City State Administration allocated UAH 393.54 million from the city budget, so the metro terminated previous agreements without payment. On April 30, without using Prozorro, it signed a new agreement with Autostrada GC for major repairs to the tunnel for UAH 445.49 million. The justification of why this company was chosen indicates that the metro turned to several companies for proposals, and Autostrada GC offered the lowest price and the shortest terms—5 months.

The works will be financed from the city budget (UAH 385 million) and the metro’s own funds (UAH 61 million).

In June, Maksym Shkil, the owner of the Autostrada Group of Companies, announced on Facebook that the company had already completed the dismantling of the emergency section of the tunnel and began to strengthen parts of the old tunnel. Work is being carried out around the clock, seven days a week. In response to the comments, Shkil also said that the company was trying to complete the work by the end of August to launch the traffic and, in September, continue with amenities.

A line to Vynohradar: contractor finally chosen

The first agreement for the construction of a line in the direction of the Vynohradar microdistrict was concluded in November 2018. Kyivmetrobud OJSC was awarded a contract amounting to UAH 5.98 billion. In the course of three years, the company was supposed to build sections of the Syretsko-Pecherska metro line from the Syrets station to the Vynohradar residential area with an electric depot in the Podilskyi district. A section from the Syrets station to the Prospekt Pravdy station was planned to be built with two stations (Mostytska and Prospekt Pravdy) and a branch to the Vynohradar station (the first stage of construction).

However, the opening of new stations was postponed twice, and to date, none of them have been built.

In the spring of 2023, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko predicted that the Vynohradar metro would likely open in 2024. But in December, it became known that due to the failure to meet the construction deadlines, the Kyiv Metro terminated the contract with Kyivmetrobud. The contractor received UAH 4 billion for the construction of the stations, taking into account the advance payment, which the contractor must return.

In May, the metro announced a new tender to adjust the construction of the section from the Syrets station to the Vynohradar residential area. The expected cost of the procurement transaction is UAH 13.9 billion, and the works are to be completed by the end of 2026.

The tender was suspended twice due to complaints from Miskbud Invest Construction and Transportation Enterprise LLC and New House LLC regarding discriminatory conditions and violations in the tender documentation. Currently, the procuring entity has published an intention to conclude an agreement with LLC GC Autostrada, which offered to perform work for UAH 13.78 billion. This is the same company that is now repairing the metro line towards Teremky station.

Repairs between Taras Shevchenko and Pochaina stations: the traffic will not be suspended

In late 2023, the metro and KB TEPLOENERHOAVTOMATYKA concluded an agreement to adjust the tunnel repair project between Taras Shevchenko and Pochaina stations for UAH 13.7 million. However, in March, the contractor reported that another section of the tunnel needed major repairs. The cost of the project in May increased by UAH 5.9 million. The company must complete the adjustment work by the end of the year.

The tunnel between Taras Shevchenko and Pochaina stations was built in the 1980s and needs major repairs. The design and estimate documentation, which is currently being developed, will determine how exactly the works will be carried out, how much they will cost, and how long they will take.

Currently, the tunnel between the stations is operating as usual. In response to a request, the metro reported that it did not plan to close it.

Ghost stations

The construction of the Troyeshchyna metro began to be discussed back in the 1980s. In 1992, Kyivproekt announced that 16 stations were planned. Many Kyiv mayors promised to implement this project, but none of them has yet managed to. In October 2021, the construction officially became indefinite.

Earlier, the Kyiv City State Administration planned to build the Podilsko-Vyhurivska metro line from the Ring Road to the Vyhurivshchyna-Troyeshchyna residential area from 2018 to 2025. However, these dates were removed by the order of the Kyiv City State Administration, and instead, it indicated that the metro was planned to be built in five stages.

Another lengthy construction in Kyiv, the Podilskyi Bridge, which will once be included in the metro line, is planned to be opened for car traffic in early autumn.

Another unfinished station of the Kyiv metro is Lvivska Brama, located on the green branch between Zoloti Vorota and Lukyanivska stations. Its construction had started back in 1991, but after 5 years of work, it was suspended. The problem is that the issue of allocating a land plot for the construction of halls and exits at the Lvivska Brama station has not yet been resolved. In early 2022, the metro conducted a procurement transaction for the development of the exit construction project and the arrangement of the station. However, it was canceled due to the beginning of the full-scale invasion. At that time, the exit was planned to be built at the corner of Kudryavska and Sichovykh Striltsiv streets. The metro reported that there was no funding for this object.

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This publication was prepared with the financial support of the European Union. Its content is the sole responsibility of Transparency International Ukraine and does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.