Results of 2023: 10 Questionable Government Purchases

Orda.kz has compiled a list of 2023’s top 10 most peculiar public procurements. 

The portal, designed to make public money spending transparent, sometimes raises more questions than it answers about where and why budget funds are allocated.

Sometimes it is unclear as to why millions are spent, while in other cases millions are spent on grossly expensive items dubbed necessary for government agencies. Large figures are often a cause for confusion, though the money spent is not always the focal point.

PlayStation 5 for Akimat

At the beginning of 2023, the Tekeli House of Culture’s lot for a PlayStation 5 game console appeared on the public procurement website. The purchase price: 600 thousand tenge.

The lot’s description on the public procurement website indicated not only the latest generation console but also two controllers, a charging station, a 12-month factory warranty, and several games such as Grand Theft Auto 5, Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate, UFC 4, etc. The console was purchased at the end of January.

A supervisory authority axed the purchase, recommending that the local management terminate the transaction and discipline the employees responsible.

Volleyballs for 300,000 KZT

On May 4, a lot from the Petropavlovsk IT Lyceum under the Department of Education of the North Kazakhstan Region’s Akimat was published on the public procurement portal. The application stated that the school required five professional volleyball balls worth 60 thousand tenge each.

A Mop and a Mattress

A mop for 1.9 million tenge and a mattress set for 1.2 million were planned to be purchased in the Oskemen branch of the NAO "Semey Medical University". This caught Antikor’s attention. The agency considered the indicated cost to be inflated.

Seven Million Tenge Toilet Paper

Information about the purchase of toilet paper by the Mangystau region’s akimat for more than seven million tenge caused public backlash. On January 19, 2023, the tender’s winner was determined, and 11,570 packages (12 rolls each) for 607 tenge were purchased.

It turns out that the akimat needs 694 rolls per day, assuming that there are 20 working days in a month.

The regional administration reported that the main objectives of the Akimat's affairs management include the maintenance of state property and the supply of household goods to the local representative and executive bodies, as well as institutions in the akimat buildings and other institutions.

We must provide the necessary buildings of the regional maslikhat, the wedding palace, the city akim's office, the House of Friendship, the statistics department, and the regional assembly point. In order to provide public institutions located in the above–mentioned buildings, toilet paper, and other items are purchased annually, the regional akim's office commented.

Three Million Tenge Fountain

On August 25, Pavlodar JSC D. D. Makhmudov Tramway Administration placed an order for a fountain for 3,300,000 tenge. Oberon Analytical won the tender. The company sells a wide range of products.

The service’s title: "Making Decorations." The reason for the purchase remains unknown. The fountain’s purpose is also missing from the description.

Leather

The Turkestan Akimat's purchase of two cars had also been in the spotlight. The price: 37.3 million tenge. The akim uses the first one, whereas his deputy the second one. The initial plan was to replenish the akimat's fleet with three new foreign cars worth 70.9 million KZT, but something happened, and only two were purchased.

According to available documents, 37 million 290 thousand tenge was allocated, and class F was listed among the mandatory requirements.

This is a segment of large passenger cars, including cars such as Porsche, Rolls-Royce, BMW, Lexus, and Jaguar, as well as luxury Korean brands. And 37 million is not the highest price tag for such cars. The comfort features: an all-round viewing system with four cameras, a 12-speaker audio system, an electrically adjustable steering column with memory function, ventilation of the front and rear seats, and much more.

Ten SUVs for 252 million

In September 2023, the Almaty region akimat decided to purchase 10 SUVs. The price tag: 252 million KZT.  

The application appeared on the public procurement website on September 25 and was suspended until October 10. Among the requirements of the technical specification:

• No mileage
• No older than 2023
• The color must be agreed with the customer
• Length, width, and height: at least 4,886 cm, 1,934 cm, and 1,905 cm, respectively
• The ground clearance: at least 224 mm

Lucky Number 3

Incidentally, the Oral Akimat also approached the transport issue quite economically. In February 2023, they bought a Camry 70 through a Trade-In program. That is, the city administration exchanged three old cars from its fleet for a used foreign business-class car.

Due to the fact that the 2012 Camry 50 company car was in poor condition and often malfunctioned, additional costs were required to repair it. And this is an additional burden on the budget. To save money, the optimal decision was made to exchange the Camry 50 and two more outdated Skoda official cars for one used Camry 70 car under the Trade-In program, the Oral akimat reported.

The car that Oral’s head is now driving is a 2019 model year.

Nazarbayev's Armored Car

Nursultan Nazarbayev's armored car is up for sale on a popular classifieds site. It is not the first time that the former president's armored Mercedes has popped on the car market. The owner asks for 222 million tenge for it. He promises "real antiques and the whole history of our country."

The Mercedes 600 SEL (Sonderschutz) GUARD B7 reportedly came off the assembly line in 1993, it was specifically ordered at a manufactory in Germany and is part of the line of cars created for heads of state.

There are no willing buyers so far.

The current president drives a Mercedes-Maybach S650 W222 series. At least, he was spotted in this particular car last year.

12 million KZT Bananas

The "Zhuldyz" nursery in the Aqmol village requested eight tons of bananas. It was planned to spend 12.8 million tenge, that is, 1,600 tenge per kilogram. After public outcry, the purchase was rejected. The amount requested was supposedly caused by an "accountant's mistake".

The lot indicated the highest price for bananas in the region, and in terms of volume, this "purchase" was in first place in the republic.

The accountant purportedly put 8,000 kg instead of 800 kg.

Original Author: Damira Augambayeva

DISCLAIMER: This is a translated piece. The text has been modified, the content is the same. Please refer to the original piece in Russian for accuracy.