Ukrainian Defence Ministry audit reveals irregularities in stationery procurement for armed forces
Pravda Ukraine
The Ukrainian Defence Ministry, through its Internal Audit Service, has investigated whether the actions of officials who held a tender for purchasing covers for personal file folders at an inflated price of UAH 351 [roughly US$9,6] per file were lawful.
Source: Ukrainian Defence Ministry
Details: The audit revealed that the Ukrainian Armed Forces Personnel Centre proposed changes to the technical specification of the covers four months before the tender, which resulted in a price of UAH 351 per item in the Logistics Forces Command’s bid.
Only one price offer equal to the expected value was submitted by manufacturers for the first item after the bidding started. The Ukrainian Defence Ministry added that Kyiv Printing Factory ZORIA submitted the proposal.
“Afterwards, the defence ministry discovered cheaper offers on the market, such as similar samples of folders at a price of UAH 140 to 325 [roughly US$3.8-8.9]. The auditors purchased a sample of such goods from a sole trader for UAH 120 [roughly US$3.29], which is a promotional price from the basic UAH 140 (it’s unknown whether this supplier can meet the tender quantity requirement, which includes 4 lots totalling 58,000 units),” the statement said.
Besides, the changes proposed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces Personnel Centre regarding the technical parameters of the covers were found to be unjustified. The responsible officials at the Defence Resource Department did not sign the contract for this tender.
Consequently, the Internal Audit Service suggested that the Ukrainian Armed Forces Personnel Centre make changes that would reduce the cost of the items and increase the number of auction participants.
The Internal Audit Service of Ukraine’s Defence Ministry continues to monitor and investigate risky transactions. Internal audit findings have been included in 25 criminal proceedings so far.
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