SE “Forests of Ukraine” announced a tender for 11 million hryvnias, having written requirements for a specific manufacturer — Fortinet

SE “Forests of Ukraine” announced a tender for almost 11 million UAH to protect IT infrastructure, but instead of open competition specified procurement for a specific Fortinet ecosystem. Additionally, the potential pool of participants was narrowed by a qualification requirement for experience performing similar contracts specifically in 2024–2026 years.

This is shown by procurement data UA-2026-09-01-011978-a, published in Prozorro on 1 September at 22:37.

Almost 11 million — for a specific Fortinet

The expected value of the procurement is 10 839 820,89 UAH excluding VAT.

The tender concerns “protection of IT infrastructure,” but the list of hardware and software products looks maximally specific. “Forests of Ukraine” want to purchase Fortinet licenses for 36 months for specific models: FortiGate-200F, 42 FortiAP-221E units, switches 124E-POE, 448E and 148F-FPOE.

The package also includes virtual FortiGate, FortiAnalyzer, FortiWeb and FortiMail.

All of this must be delivered to an address in Kyiv: Bolsunovska St., 6. The end date listed in the procurement card is 28 February 2030.

At the same time, the item names do not include the usual “or equivalent” construction common in competitive procurements.

That is, formally the enterprise announced a tender, but in fact it shaped the specification around a specific manufacturer and specific models.

This is not a new system — it is a continuation of one already built

There is an even more interesting point.

In 2023 the year the “Forests of Ukraine” themselves already built their network infrastructure on FortiGate-200F and the same switch models.

In May 2026 the enterprise separately attempted to purchase a one-year UTP subscription for FortiGate-200F for 229 549 UAH with VAT. That tender did not take place.

Now instead of a one-year subscription — immediately three years. Instead of one item — a whole package for dozens of devices. And instead of 229 thousand — the expected cost is almost 11 million UAH.

Here the procurement stops looking like an ordinary license renewal.

Competitors are cut off before price competition even begins

But the most indicative part of the tender is hidden not in the Fortinet names, but in the qualification requirements.

An “equivalent contract” in the “Forests of Ukraine” documentation is not simply any IT contract. The participant must confirm a completed or partially completed contract in 2024–2026 years specifically for cybersecurity software or software packages for security.

This is further supplemented by a counterparty’s reference or delivery notes.

And here the most interesting part begins.

A company that has worked in IT for years, installed cybersecurity systems, antivirus, or solutions from other major manufacturers may simply not fit this formal framework.

For example, many years of experience with Cisco by itself does not guarantee admission here. Likewise, experience with Kaspersky products will not help if it does not match the “equivalent contract” construction specified in the documentation.

But a company that has already worked with Fortinet in the public sector precisely in 2024–2026 years receives an obviously more comfortable position.

Yes, the tender lists only one criterion — price.

But what use is price competition if you first narrow the pool of those who will even be allowed to reach that competition?

This is how a procurement is formed where the brand can be baked into not only the technical specifications but also the experience requirements for potential participants.

Tender posted to the system after 22:00

The timing is also notable.

The announcement appeared in Prozorro on 1 September at 22:37.

Participants can submit clarifications until 15 September. The deadline for submitting proposals is midnight on 18 September. The auction is scheduled for that same morning.

No tender proposal security was required.

The contact person for the procurement is named as Tetiana Sviderska, who handles other procurements for “Forests of Ukraine.”

And all of this — against the backdrop of personnel turbulence

At the same time, the enterprise is currently operating without a permanent general director.

Since 1 July the duties of the head have been performed by Ihor Zubovych.

The previous general director, Yurii Bolochovets, left the position at the end of June. In his last month of work he was awarded 7,68 million UAH in bonuses, and the total amount of payments over his three and a half years in the position amounted to 27,63 million UAH.

Bolochovets’s history also has a criminal background. Since 2023 the year the State Bureau of Investigation has been investigating his illegal enrichment. Later the High Anti-Corruption Court canceled the suspicion due to a procedural defect related to a search.

And it is against this backdrop that “Forests of Ukraine” late in the evening posted in Prozorro a tender for 10,8 million UAH, where they effectively stipulate a specific manufacturer, specific models, and a specific time window of participants’ experience.

Of course, such a procurement by itself is not yet proof of collusion or price inflation.

But the construction looks more than telling: first a specific brand is chosen, then a list of compatible equipment is formed around it, and after that potential competitors are further filtered by the requirement of “equivalent” experience in the last two years.

As a result, on paper there is a tender with the sole criterion “price.” In practice — a bidding process where a significant portion of the market can be excluded even before the auction begins.

And here the main question for “Forests of Ukraine” arises: how will the enterprise obtain a real market price for Fortinet at 10,8 million UAH if the procurement conditions themselves narrow competition to a small circle of companies that match a pre-drawn profile?