The Recovery Spending Watchdog №21, August 2025

The Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting, the Centre for Economic Strategy, and Technologies of Progress have presented the twenty-first issue of The Recovery Spending Watchdog.

The report covers the following:

• Important legislative and regulatory changes have taken place in the construction sector: the development of comprehensive community development plans has been postponed, the Urban Planning Cadastre Geoportal has been launched, and construction pricing is being improved;
• The government has approved the use of UAH 1 billion from the State Regional Development Fund through DREAM, while public investment management reform continues to be implemented at the local level;
• DREAM now contains more than 13,000 projects requiring UAH 2.16 trillion in funding, while available financing amounts to UAH 581 billion;
• In January–July 2025, more than 76,000 construction procurements worth UAH 154.4 billion were announced, with more than 91% already completed. At the same time, more than 80% of tenders are held with a single bidder;
• Journalists and civil society organisations are increasingly identifying risks of overpayments, non-transparent procedures, and the involvement of contractors with questionable reputations;
• The restoration of damaged education and healthcare facilities continues, but funding remains insufficient, particularly in frontline regions;
• The demining of agricultural land is accelerating, while the government and international partners are introducing new technologies for clearing contaminated areas.

The special focus of the issue is legislative changes, investment, and construction reforms. We analyse how new rules and tools are changing approaches to planning and implementing reconstruction.

For more details, see the project materials.