Following an unsuccessful tender in March 2026, JSC "Ukraine Decarbonization Fund" decided not to revise the terms but to select a single participant through a negotiated procedure. Thus, without a competitive bidding process and without the opportunity for other suppliers to participate, a single company was awarded the 192 million hryvnia contract. A complaint regarding a possible violation of tender procedures has already been filed with the Fund.
This was reported on the Antikor portal.
The sole winner
The tender in question was organized on March 2, 2026. The goal was to find a contractor to supply 40,000 natural gas consumption data transmission devices. The bidding failed on the first attempt because there were no participants at all.
However, instead of revising the terms and restarting the tender, the Decarbonization Fund decided to proceed via a negotiated procedure. Thus, without any alternative bids, competitors, or a split of the procurement, GridVi LLC was declared the winner. The contract amount was 192 million UAH.
Who will receive the funds?
Antikor shared some details about the winner. The founders of the company are Samvel Akobyan and Daniil Privalov. However, 50% of the winning company has been transferred to “RIO” LLC, whose beneficiary is former prosecutor Andriy Stepanchenko.
The procurement procedure, payment approval, winner selection, and actual state funding passes through a whole vertical: Vice Prime Minister for Reconstruction – Oleksiy Kuleba, Head of the State Agency for Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving – Hanna Zamazayeva, CEO of JSC “DFU” – Olesya Mishchenko.
Uncontested decisions did not end at the auction itself. As reported on the anti-corruption portal, all devices are being transferred to “Gas Distribution Networks of Ukraine” LLC, which is linked to Oleksiy Chernyshov and Oleksandr Kalyna. In 21 regions, the company’s branches also signed contracts with subcontractors without any competition.
Double profit
The devices for which the state paid 192 million UAH are being integrated into the gas distribution system, but not as free assets for citizens. In essence, they become a part of a commercial model.
“Management of the gas distribution networks sells these meters to end users or includes them in tariff and service payments. The source of funding is the state budget, but the revenue is generated within this structure. The state pays for the purchase once, after which the asset is effectively resold, generating profit not for the budget,” Antikor writes.
It has become known that a complaint regarding this 192 million UAH tender has already been submitted to regulatory authorities. The requirements include:
- to carry out an inspection of the observance of public procurement legislation during the tender conducted by JSC "Decarbonization Fund of Ukraine" (EDRPOU 38519070);
- to determine the reasons for the lack of participants and the presence of discriminatory requirements in the tender documentation;
- to verify how the expected procurement cost of 192,000,000 UAH was formed and its compliance with market prices;
- to audit the performance of the contract and the delivery of 40,000 devices in practice.
The Decarbonization Fund was established back in 2012 to improve energy efficiency, encourage the reduction of carbon emissions, and promote the transition to renewable energy. The fund is funded by an environmental tax on CO2 emissions and assistance from international partners.
