Transparent reconstruction of Ukraine: summary of ICEG’s major discussion of engineering and corruption risk prevention

November 24, 2025

A strategic meeting of partners and experts of the Interstate Consultants Engineers Guild (ICEG) took place November 21, 2025 in Kyiv. It was attended by the FIDIC leadership, representatives of the authorities, scholars, infrastructure experts, and leading engineering consultancies. They discussed active involvement of engineers in rebuilding Ukraine and elaboration of mechanisms to prevent corruption risks.

Opening the discussion, ICEG President Oleksandr Nepomnyashchyy expressed an idea that the success of entire recovery depends on the quality of well-thought construction project management. Thus, it is worth answering the following questions: Is the consulting engineer service necessary? What is its value and real cost?

Dr. Nepomnyashchyy emphasized that engineering is not expenditure but an investment in preventing millions of losses and a guarantee of quality reconstruction.

This was also supported in the address by FIDIC President Alfredo Ingletti, who pointed out a high professionalism of Ukrainian engineers and significance of their work for Ukrainian communities.

“Engineering has shaped societies. Through engineering, we connections that unite communities, drive prosperity, and safeguard well-being. FIDIC will offer full and enduring support to Ukraine on this path. We will be able to engineer a bright future together,” Mr. Ingletti said.

Adam Białachowski, FIDIC Vice President and a representative of EFCA, spoke about the evolution of the consulting engineer profession and its role in responsible project management. He talked about activities of the Polish company B-Act where he is the president and its representative office in Ukraine, and how it is providing engineering consulting service in critical projects even during the wartime.

“For international engineering firms to engage fully in Ukraine, there must be clear and disciplined procedures, timely and reliable payments, honest behaviour of all contracting parties,” Mr. Białachowski noted.

Nataliia Kozlovska, Deputy Minister of Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine, presented recent governmental solutions for the pricing system reform and digitalization of infrastructure. It is about a new electronic pricing system in the Single State Electronic System in the Construction Sector, formation of the Codification of Construction Materials and Construction Price Database, and transition to a market-oriented fund management model.

“A transparent price is the guarantee of trust. And trust is the foundation for attracting investment. These principles fully align with FIDIC standards and practices of IFIs,” Ms. Kozlovska said.

Hanna Bondar, People’s Deputy of Ukraine, noted that in international practice, engagement of the consulting engineer in a project is a standard of efficiency and transparency.

“Consulting engineer is no luxury. It is a guarantor of quality, independent adjudicator, and anti-corruption filter in construction. Its role must be stipulated at the system’s level,” she said.

Anatolii Berkuta, Vice President of the Confederation of Builders of Ukraine, gave examples of Ukrainian facts of life where customers in complex engineering projects (chief physicians or school principals) find themselves in very tight legal situations as they do not possess professional engineering skills to render quality support and control of facilities under construction, reconstruction, or renovation.

“There is no other way except that to engage specialists for professional support from the concept to design documentation and even to operation of facilities. Consulting engineer is both a profession and a service. But the engineer does not work alone, it is a large team of professionals. Some are specialized in pricing, others in structural design. It’s no use without you,” Dr. Berkuta pointed out.

Dr. Berkuta also stated the absence of a top-down chain of command of the National Agency for Restoration in the regions, that should manage the projects implemented with state-budget funds.

During the meeting, essential reports were delivered by leading experts and specialists, including Oksana Medvedchuk, Oleksandr Bondarenko, Ihor Vlasenko, Oleh Vasenov, Viacheslav Shandryk, Artem Bezuhlyi, Dmytro Bezzubov, Yuliia Dvorakovska, Tetiana Tsyfra, Larysa Tereshchenko, and Inna Fomina.

The speakers talked about development of the engineering consulting in Ukraine, including professional competence, certification of qualifications, introduction of European standards on the labor market, development of the professional community, project support at all stages, BIM technologies, global experience, using international contract forms, specifics of pricing and contractual relations.

The discussion participants suppose that:

Ukraine has a unique opportunity to form a modern system of construction engineering support and align its standards with Europe. And this opens global construction markets to us.
As it is in the civilized world, the independent consulting engineer will become a fundamental anticorruption tool.
Quality engineering can safeguard the projects from financial risks and delays.
Successful recovery requires clear rules, digital processes, and professional liability of all construction market players.

ICEG’s strategic meeting has demonstrated that the Ukrainian professional engineering consulting community is prepared for the huge challenge of reconstruction. International partners, government, and parliament are showing a comprehensive support to fostering the institution of consulting engineer as a base element of transparent and quality delivery of infrastructure projects. ICEG and the entire engineering and building community are ready to work on improving the legal framework, quality of engineering consulting services, transparency, integrity, and prevention of corruption risks.

Ukraine is on the threshold of large reconstruction where quality of administration and professionalism of engineer will be shaping our future.