The FBRK editorial team is launching a series of articles analysing the most expensive public procurement contracts in the regions of Kazakhstan. The first edition focuses on Pavlodar Region, where the key budget expenditures for 2025 are concentrated in infrastructure, housing policy, and the veterinary sector.
INFRASTRUCTURE REPAIR: OVER 5 BILLION TENGE
The largest volume of funding went to contracts from the Department of Housing and Communal Services, Passenger Transport, and Highways of the city of Pavlodar, concluded with Bonus Stroy LLP — over 5 billion tenge.
The scope included work on repairing city roads, pavements, intra-block areas, and so-called 'black roads'. The largest contract, for the improvement of courtyards, amounted to nearly 2.9 billion tenge.
All procurement was carried out through open tenders with standard payment terms. However, the value of some contracts was significantly increased after they were signed. The cost of street repairs rose by approximately 45%, and pavements by more than 130 million tenge.
HOUSING PURCHASE: APPROXIMATELY 4.8 BILLION TENGE
The Housing Relations Department of the city of Pavlodar concluded a series of contracts with Тemirtas-Stroyservice LLP totalling approximately 4.8 billion tenge.
The procurement concerned 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom apartments purchased for citizens on the housing waiting list. The contracts were structured by housing type. In effect, this involved the purchase of dozens of flats with similar characteristics across multiple lots.
The procurement was carried out predominantly using the single-source method following failed tenders. Collectively, this indicates the implementation of a single social housing procurement project, formally divided into several contracts.
CITY MAINTENANCE: MORE THAN 4 BILLION TENGE
Contracts for the maintenance of city infrastructure, concluded with Gorkomkhoz-Pavlodar LLP, exceeded 4 billion tenge.
The key contract, for the maintenance of streets in the western district, amounted to 2.39 billion tenge. Additional funding covers the maintenance of pavements, squares, pedestrian crossings, and the elimination of illegal dumpsites.
Despite holding tenders, the procurement overall demonstrates a concentration of a significant volume of work with a single contractor.
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT AND ROADS: UP TO 3.8 BILLION TENGE
A number of contracts for specialised equipment services for city and festive events have been concluded with Holding-Trans-Pavlodar LLP, each valued at between 116 million and 265 million tenge.
Such procurements were repeated throughout the year, with their total volume approaching 1 billion tenge. At the same time, the value of the contracts increased successively.
In parallel, the company secured road contracts worth more than 2.8 billion tenge, including street maintenance in certain districts of the city. As a result, the total amount of funding reached approximately 3.8 billion tenge.
VETERINARY SERVICES: OVER 2.6 BILLION TENGE
The Veterinary Department of Pavlodar Region allocated more than 2.6 billion tenge for services from a subordinate enterprise — the Pavlodar Regional Veterinary Station.
The scope included anti-epizootic measures (including vaccination against dangerous diseases), the capture and destruction of stray animals, their housing and disposal, as well as identification and sterilisation.
However, a number of contracts recorded a significant reduction in cost — in some cases, multiple times over, up to the effective cancellation of the agreements.
CONTEXT: REPEATING PATTERNS
The analysis of procurement reveals persistent approaches: concentration of contracts with specific suppliers, limited competition, and cost adjustments after contracts are signed.
It should be noted that similar trends have been observed previously. In the analysis of 2024 procurement, the FBRK editorial team already highlighted the concentration of contracts in the areas of social housing and veterinary services.
Thus, 2025 sees the continuation of previously established practices.