E-procedures put on hold: how the postponement of Prozorro will affect the transfer of port terminals
11 December 04:45
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has temporarily postponed the mandatory use of the Prozorro system for concession tenders for two years, until January 1, 2027. The relevant changes are enshrined in a resolution published on the government portal and signed by Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
The decision concerns the procedure that envisaged the full transition of concession processes – from tenders to competitive dialogue and publication of documents – to the electronic trading system starting in 2025. It also postpones the rule on mandatory tenders through Prozorro for projects worth UAH 250 million or more.
Big concession plans in Chornomorsk
The postponement coincided with the state’s preparations for one of the largest infrastructure tenders in recent years – the transfer of two terminals of the Chornomorsk port for concession. According to specialized media, it is a 40-year concession with a capacity of up to 760 thousand TEU and more than 5 million tons of cargo per year.
Since 2023, the government has been announcing its intention to attract private investors to develop three port terminals. In 2025, in the draft Action Program, the Cabinet of Ministers confirmed plans to announce a tender by the end of the year. In the fall, Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba set up a tender commission.
What it means
The temporary lifting of the Prozorro requirement can mean several things:
- Aneffort to speed up tender procedures, which need more flexibility in the face of martial law and a difficult investment climate.
- Preparations for a large-scale concession, in which the state seeks to remove technical barriers that could delay the announcement of the tender.
- Risks to transparency, which experts have already hinted at: the electronic system was considered a safeguard against non-transparent arrangements in large infrastructure projects.
The government has planned to return to the full use of the electronic system in early 2027, after the key concession tenders of 2025-2026 can be announced and held under the old rules.
