USAID’s Ukraine Economic Resilience Activity (ERA) and Energy Security Project (ESP) will participate in Rebuild Ukraine: Construction & Energy on November 13-14 in Warsaw, Poland. The event gathers leaders and key players in Ukraine’s recovery, including international development agencies, government representatives, and private sector experts.

We welcome all Rebuild Ukraine attendees to our exhibition space, where USAID ERA will showcase its work in modernizing Ukraine’s western border crossing points. We invite local communities, governmental bodies, international organizations, and business leaders to learn more about USAID ERA’s activities, open tenders, and upcoming procurement opportunities to foster partnerships that contribute to a sustainable and resilient Ukraine.

Join us at Rebuild Ukraine, November 13-14, 2024, in Warsaw, Poland.

The USAID Economic Resilience Activity (ERA) has completed the installation of 27 prefabricated permanent buildings (prefabs) at the Mohyliv-Podilskyi and Chop (Tysa) road BCPs in Vinnytsia Oblast (Moldova border) and Zakarpattia Oblast (Hungary border). The fully equipped stations, 11 units at Mohyliv-Podilskyi and 16 units at Chop (Tysa), will be used as state Customs and Border Guard offices for processing travelers 

Providing well-ventilated, insulated, and air-conditioned facilities for the staff who process travelers and commodities will improve the working conditions of staff and their productivity. These improvements and other site improvements, such as signs, stripping, barricades, lighting, painting and pavement repairs, will improve the safety, image, and movement of goods and people in and out of Ukraine through the Moldova border.  

This batch of 27 prefabs is the second of several planned installations under ERA. The previous batch of 33 prefabs was installed at four road BCPs in Volyn, Zakarpattia, and Chernivtsi Oblasts. 

Background: Between 2023-2026, USAID, through the Economic Resilience Activity (ERA), is dedicating $115 million to support the Government of Ukraine, including the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, the State Agency for Restoration and Development of Infrastructure of Ukraine, the State Customs Service, and Ukrainian Railways, to upgrade  Ukraine’s western border crossing points.   

USAID Economic Resilience Activity (ERA) has delivered 8 electric forklifts to the Yahodyn, Chop (Tysa), Luzhanka, Uzhhorod, Diakivtsi, Starokozache, Rososhany, and Krasnoilsk road border crossing points (BCPs) on Ukraine’s western borders. These forklifts will be integral to multiple stages of the cargo handling process at the BCPs. Primarily, they will be used to unload targeted cargo from trucks, especially for customs inspections. This will expedite the inspection process, enabling border agents to access goods quickly and safely without the need for manual handling, which is both labor-intensive and potentially risky.  

Following inspection, the forklifts will be used to transport and organize cargo within the BCP facilities or designated storage areas, preparing it for onward transportation or reloading onto other vehicles for continued transit. By automating and accelerating these processes, the forklifts will help alleviate bottlenecks, enhance overall throughput at the BCPs, and enable processing more trucks in a shorter period, thereby reducing delays and improving the flow of goods across the borders. 

Each of the forklifts supplied is powered by a 20V Li-Ion battery and equipped with a high-resolution LCD display that provides real-time updates on speed, battery status, and the duration the forklifts have been active, ensuring consistent high performance even under demanding conditions. BCP staff received training on forklift operation and maintenance to ensure the long life of the equipment. Each forklift came with a 24-month warranty. These forklifts will improve day-to-day operations and the overall user experience at these critical BCPs by increasing throughput, reducing operational costs, and maintaining high safety standards. 

Between 2023 and 2026, USAID, through ERA, is dedicating $115 million to support the Government of Ukraine. This support includes the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine (Ministry for Restoration), the State Agency for Restoration and Development of Infrastructure of Ukraine (Agency for Restoration), the State Customs Service, and Ukrainian Railways (UZ) to upgrade 42 of Ukraine’s border crossing points (BCPs).  

In October, representatives of the USAID Economic Resilience Activity (ERA) joined more than 50 experts from international organizations from various fields, including engineers, builders, and architects, at the “Industrial Technologies and Reinforced Concrete: A New Development Vector” event in Kyiv organized by Prof Build magazine. The participants discussed effective construction methods for rebuilding Ukraine, how to attract investors to the private sector, and what environmental technologies can be implemented for sustainable development. 

Given the extensive destruction of housing due to Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine needs to restore housing at a rapid pace. Prefabricated buildings with ready-made walls and panels (prefabs) are being used to meet this need, with some of the reinforced concrete structures able to show greater resistance to projectile hits.  

Conference participants discussed how their companies use industrial construction, its advantages and how to attract foreign expertise. 

Oleksandr Stetsenko, ERA’s Senior Manager of Border Crossing Infrastructure Development, spoke on a panel about how ERA’s contractors are modernizing Ukraine’s western borders by installing prefabs. 

“We are installing prefabs at all border crossing points (BCPs) being renovated by USAID ERA”, said Oleksandr Stetsenko. “Why exactly this technology? First of all, this way you can control the quality, because these buildings are manufactured at the factory in batches for different checkpoints according to a single project. We do not prepare project documentation separately for each location but do it once and agree it with partners once. This also speeds up the construction process.” 

“The second advantage is that all prefabs will be equally energy efficient. The third is that it’s a significant time saver. Since the border crossing points work around the clock, we try to create as little inconvenience as possible for employees, citizens, and drivers,” he explained. “We cannot close the intersection for a long time, and it is more efficient to assemble the ready-made prefab from the component parts and quickly install it on the foundation.” 

At the conference, representatives of construction companies also shared their experience in quickly erecting buildings and adapting Ukrainian legislation to European legislation, which will help attract foreign investments in the reconstruction of Ukraine faster.  

USAID ERA supports the reconstruction of more than 40 border crossing points in Ukraine and invites qualified suppliers such as builders and contracting organizations to participate in tenders for the purchase of goods and services for their reconstruction and construction and other purchases of USAID ERA. Detailed information can be found on our website. https://era-ukraine.org.ua/ 

Between 2023 and 2026, USAID, through ERA, is dedicating $115 million to support the Government of Ukraine. This support includes the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine (Ministry for Restoration), the State Agency for Restoration and Development of Infrastructure of Ukraine (Agency for Restoration), the State Customs Service, and Ukrainian Railways (UZ) to upgrade 42 of Ukraine’s border crossing points (BCPs). 

On October 24, the USAID Economic Resilience Activity (ERA) representatives, led by Cameron Berkuti, USAID ERA Border Crossing Point Director, met with Oleksandr Novytskyi, Head of the State Inspection of Architecture and Urban Planning of Ukraine (DIAM), to discuss the USAID ERA activities, the procedure for obtaining permit documentation, and construction processes. 

ERA is modernizing 42 border crossing points on Ukraine’s borders with Moldova, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania to enhance efficiency, accessibility, safety, and logistical potential for cargo export. In its first year, the USAID Project has already commenced urgent upgrades at 29 border crossing points. Currently, 17 major infrastructure improvement projects are in the final design stages and potentially submitted for construction permits after awarding the contracts. 

During the meeting, Oleksandr Novytskyi explained the procedure for how to obtain construction permit documentation and the review process, and discussed urban planning reform within which DIAM operates. He stated that design documentation will be submitted to DIA after awarding the construction contract to obtain construction permits. He also mentioned that when a permit is submitted, the electronic EDESSB system automatically provides applicants with prompts regarding potential errors. This allows for corrections at the document submission stage, helping to minimize the number of document rejections. DIAM became a paperless organization in 2021 with 250 staff and specialists nationwide. DIAM currently handles all class consequence 3 (CC3) projects in the country. Construction permits for CC1 and CC2 have been delegated by legislation to local authorities.   

Mr. Oleksandr Novytskyi expressed his willingness to send a checklist of items needed to obtain a construction permit by the project owner.   

Cameron Berkuti shared his USAID-ERA objectives and multi-prone approach to increase the export capacity of rail and road BCPs. He was impressed with DIAM’s advanced and innovative developments, solutions, and services to reduce corruption and expedite the approval process in the construction industry.