Procurement: Construction of three family-style group homes in Zhytomyr, Ukraine

On Tuesday, the Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV) announced a tender to find builders for three family-style group homes in Ukraine.

Margus Gering, ESTDEV’s head of cooperation and development for Ukraine, said this construction project is the result of effective collaboration with the Olena Zelenska Foundation and representatives from the city of Zhytomyr. “By announcing the construction procurement of these homes, we mark the end of the preparation stage and the beginning of a new, very important building period,” Gering said.

Last May, ESTDEV, the Estonian Architects Union and the Ministry of Culture organised an architectural design competition to find a standard blueprint for Estonia’s three family-style group homes. The HATA design by DAGOpen was chosen as the winner among the 17 works submitted to the competition. Their 212-square-meter comes equipped with seven bedrooms and four bathrooms and includes a bomb shelter near the house.

The current tender aims to find a builder for these high-quality homes. The scope of the procurement includes the production, transport and installation of three modular homes, as well as installing communications, building foundations and the bomb shelter, and handling the design of the grounds outside of the homes. The construction works must ensure these homes fulfil their function for decades to come. These homes are being built as a cooperative project between Estonia and Ukraine, and construction work must be completed no later than 245 days after the conclusion of the contract.

According to Gering, this project is a good example of a private-public partnership, as experts from the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Estonian construction sector are working together.

“These family-style group homes must be built according to European Union standards. Plus, wooden prefabricated houses are environmentally friendly and energy efficient. This creates added value as an example for the Ukrainian construction sector,” said Gering. “In this case, we are providing better living conditions to the most vulnerable groups of society through reconstruction and sharing Estonia’s reform experience when it comes to foster care in family-style group homes.”

Gering encourages Estonian entrepreneurs to participate in the tender in order to contribute to the reconstruction of Ukraine and gain valuable experience with construction work in Ukraine by finding local partners. “Having built the Ovruch kindergarten and the Malyn Bridge, we have valuable know-how and experience that allows us to move forward quickly and efficiently in the challenging conditions on the ground in Ukraine. We want to be a supportive partner for Estonian experts and entrepreneurs on this journey,” said Gering.

ESTDEV has already selected suitable construction sites in Zhytomyr. With assistance from the Olena Zelenska Foundation, foster families have already been selected for these three homes. These families have moved to Zhytomyr from occupied regions of Ukraine and hope to move into their new homes by the end of the year.

There are more than 1,300 family-style group homes in Ukraine, and each foster family cares for 5-10 orphans. At least 80 group homes have been destroyed during the war. Even though the families have moved to safer areas of Ukraine, they no longer have a fixed place of residence. According to the Olena Zelenska Foundation, at least 40 foster families are in critical situations and desperately need new housing.

Deadline for proposal submissions: 21.02.2024 at 11:00

Estimated cost without VAT: EUR 2,000,000 (including the customer’s reserve)

More information about the procurement can be found in the State Procurement Register.