The Ministry of Defense announced billions of hryvnias in savings on the procurement of 5000 pickup trucks for the Armed Forces

The Ministry of Defense has completed an open procurement procedure for 5000 new pickup trucks for the Defense Forces. As a result of the tender, more than 2 billion UAH in budget funds were saved, and the first vehicles have already been delivered to military units.

This is the largest batch of pickup trucks that the state has centrally procured for the Ukrainian military. The tendering was conducted through the Prozorro system.

The Ministry of Defense noted that all vehicles will be new, all-wheel drive, with diesel engines and manufacturer's warranty. The entire batch of 5000 vehicles is planned to be delivered to the Defense Forces by the end of 2026.

The procurement was divided into several lots. As a result, six different companies will supply the vehicles. The Ministry of Defense explained that such diversification reduces the dependence on a single supplier and the risk of disruption or delay in supplies.

The tender started in May. At that time, the Ministry of Defense estimated the cost of one pickup truck depending on configuration at 1.3-1.8 million UAH and expected that competition among suppliers would allow lowering the final price.

After completion of the procedure, savings exceeded 2 billion UAH. The released funds are planned to be directed to other needs of the Defense Forces.

According to Deputy Minister of Defense Mstyslav Banik, previously a significant part of the military's need for pickup trucks had to be covered through volunteer fundraising and the personnel's own resources.

The Ministry of Defense emphasized that pickup trucks remain one of the most sought-after types of transport in the military. They are used for logistics, evacuation, ensuring mobility of units and operation of drone crews.

The agency plans to continue moving most procurements to competitive procedures. According to its assessment, open tenders allow reducing prices, expanding the pool of suppliers, and making supplies for the military more predictable.

Based on materials from: Ministry of Defense of Ukraine