80 procurement procedures worth 3.2 billion drams involving fictitious customers: a criminal case has been opened

ArmInfo. The State Supervisory Service of Armenia has summarized the results of its inspection of procurement process control procedures for the first nine months of 2026.

According to the Service, approximately 9,538 procurement procedures were inspected during the reporting period, 150 of which were found to be non-compliant with procurement legislation. Specifically, 110 procurement procedures were found to contain invitations with technical specifications that contradicted legislation or contained discriminatory terms and requirements. To correct the identified issues, appropriate proposals were submitted to customers.

Two cases of participation by economic entities were identified that involved participants who were not eligible to participate in the procurement process. In one of these cases, the customer unilaterally terminated a signed contract. Information on 38 cases of non-disclosure or partial disclosure of materials subject to mandatory publication as part of procurement procedures was provided to 29 customers for disciplinary action. As a result, disciplinary action was taken against nine responsible individuals.

In some cases, bids were submitted that were clearly underestimated compared to cost and were declared winners. Of four similar cases, reports on the actions of two economic entities were sent to the Prosecutor General's Office, resulting in criminal proceedings. Information on two more economic entities was transferred to the Anti-Corruption Committee of the Republic of Armenia for further investigation.

More extensive problems were recorded in 80 procurement procedures, with a total value of 3.2 billion drams. According to data recorded by the Service, in these procedures, organizations that did not actually exist provided false and inaccurate information into the system and were recognized as the top-ranking bidders. Subsequently, by failing to sign purchase and sale agreements, they violated procurement procedures, causing significant losses to customers and other bidders.

In connection with these cases, the State Supervisory Service of the Republic of Armenia sent four crime reports to the Prosecutor General's Office, which resulted in criminal proceedings.