"We control the quality." Akim of Almaty commented on the reconstruction of large objects by a single contractor
A court has ruled against Pavlodar River Port JSC for misconduct in the Lake Sayran reconstruction project. The company was found to have acted in bad faith during public procurement for the major works in Almaty. The decision follows a lawsuit filed by the city’s Public Spaces Development Department in August 2025.
The reconstruction of Lake Sayran started in February 2024 with a budget of 12 billion tenge. The original deadline for completion was set for May 31, 2025. Despite delays and identified violations, the contractor continued securing other projects, partly due to its high technical scores in hydrotechnical and concrete work.
The tender process for such projects operates without direct human intervention. Winners are selected automatically based on technical criteria, which often favoured Pavlodar River Port JSC. However, the Almaty mayor’s office monitors the quality of large-scale works, particularly when a single contractor holds multiple contracts.
On August 29, 2025, the court ordered the company to finish the delayed project. It must also pay over 23 million tenge in penalties and nearly 700,000 tenge in court fees. Since August 2025, responsibility for further construction around Lake Sayran has been transferred to BI Group.
The ruling forces Pavlodar River Port JSC to meet its obligations while facing financial penalties. BI Group now oversees the remaining construction tasks at Lake Sayran. The case highlights the city’s efforts to enforce accountability in public procurement and project delivery.
