Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University came under the spotlight due to another scandal related to the purchase of products for cadets. This time, without conducting open bidding, the university entered into an agreement to purchase eggs at a significantly inflated price, which caused outrage and doubts about the legality of such an agreement.
Journalists of the “Our Money” program conducted investigation, which found out that the university signed a contract with the company “Zoloto Sadiv 2021” in the amount of 167 thousand hryvnias for the purchase of 42 thousand eggs of the highest category. The cost of one egg amounted to 4.20 hryvnias, which exceeds market retail prices in stores such as “Silpo”, where similar eggs cost 4.09-4.10 hryvnias per unit.
However, this is not the only example of cost overruns. Journalists also found out that other state institutions were able to conclude contracts for the purchase of the same eggs at much lower prices. In particular, the Kyiv City Clinical Oncology Center bought eggs for 3.50 hryvnias per piece, and one of the military units of the National Guard – for 3.48 hryvnias. This means that KNU overpaid by about 17% compared to other customers.
The university justified its actions with an urgent need, noting that the objective circumstances did not allow to hold open tenders or to use the electronic catalog for purchases. However, such explanations have repeatedly become the subject of debate, especially in the conditions of increasing control over public spending during wartime.
This situation is not the first case of suspicion of non-transparency of KNU procurement. At the beginning of the year, the journalists of “Our Money” published information that the university, together with another university in the capital, entered into agreements with the Ministry of Defense for food for the military at prices that exceed the offers of other suppliers. The cost of food per person per day, which the university requested, was 152.7 hryvnias, which was surprising, given the more affordable offers on the market.
In addition, against the background of previous investigations, new facts about KNU rector Volodymyr Bugrov emerged. At the end of February, journalists discovered that he owns an apartment in an elite new building in Kyiv, the value of which significantly exceeds his officially declared income. This information caused a wave of indignation among the public, which led to the creation of a petition on the website of the President’s Office with the demand to terminate the contract with the rector due to suspicions of corruption and unethical behavior in the conditions of war.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to the petition, noting that in order to make a decision on dismissal, it is necessary to carry out a thorough examination of all charges, since the charges must be based on legally obtained evidence, and not on assumptions.
