CoST Ukraine has made a major breakthrough in infrastructure transparency by ensuring that all resolutions and minutes from the Technical Committee of the state road agency, Ukravtodor, will be publicly available. Ukravtodor’s Technical Committee is the advisory body that is responsible for considering and approving all technical resolutions related to the design, construction, reconstruction, repair and maintenance of roads and artificial structures. As such, its decisions impact upon the cost, timeframe and quality of public road works; nonetheless, such a concentration of powers naturally bears risks related to mismanagement and corruption.

This new commitment to transparency from Ukravtodor is a direct result of the recommendations emerging from CoST Ukraine’s first assurance process, in which over 120 public road reparation contracts across 17 regions were analysed. Publication of the Committee’s resolutions and minutes is a significant achievement, given that this information has never before been available. In fact, in CoST Ukraine’s experience, previous requests for this information as part of the assurance process were often rejected by Ukravtodor. Moving forwards, all resolutions and minutes will be available via Ukravtodor’s official website thereby facilitating access to information for Ukrainian citizens.

Natalie Forsyuk, CoST Ukraine Country Manager, said: “Publishing of Ukravtodor Technical Committee resolutions is really a big win. It is a pity that until now the wider public had no access to resolutions which directly affect the cost, and most importantly, the QUALITY of roads in Ukraine, and therefore, our lives. Moreover, until recently very few people knew about the existence of this consultative body. We are very happy that Ukravtodor took into consideration CoST Ukraine’s recommendations regarding the necessity of publishing Technical Committee resolutions, as this indicates that CoST is an effective tool for introducing changes in transparency and accountability of the industry. We encourage all concerned citizens to actively use these open source data. Believe us, they do not come easy!”

CoST Ukraine will continue to work with stakeholders to ensure further recommendations are taken forwards to provide better value public infrastructure. For further information, please visit the CoST Ukraine website or follow on Facebook and Twitter.