For some, the first snow is a winter fairy tale, while for others, it leads to significant expenses. In Kazakhstan, with the onset of November, regional akimats have become active on the government procurement portal, publishing tenders for winter road maintenance. The amounts for such work range from 200,000 to 29 million tenge, as reported by inbusiness.kz.
In Astana, it has been snowing for several days. While some share beautiful photos on social media, others criticize the municipal services for poor street cleaning and 10-point traffic jams.
According to the akimat, the capital's municipal services are operating around the clock. On October 13, 2,600 road workers and about 1,500 units of special equipment were deployed to clear the streets of snow and ice. The cost of this work is still unknown. The city administration promised to announce the final amount by the end of the season.
While the akimat clears the main streets of the capital, schools and kindergartens are independently ordering snow removal and road maintenance services. The cost of these services ranges from 500,000 to 4 million tenge.
The largest tender in Astana is valued at 29 million tenge. These funds were allocated by the city investment development center, Astana Invest, to maintain cleanliness in the territory of Industrial Park No. 1 until March 31, 2025.
The highest number of snow removal requests has been published from the Akmolinsk, Karaganda, and Abai regions. In these areas, there are villages where akimats have allocated 200,000 to 500,000 tenge for road maintenance. However, we decided to examine tenders where the order amount exceeds one million tenge.
Akmolinsk Region
In the rural district of Zhbek Zholy, 3 million tenge will be allocated for winter road maintenance. The funding is intended for regular snow and ice removal on intra-village roads, sidewalks, and access routes to schools, kindergartens, and hospitals.
In the village of Izobilnoye in the city of Stepnogorsk, 1.1 million tenge is ready to be allocated for snow removal work to ensure road safety in winter, including protection against snowdrifts and ice formation. The work must be completed by the end of 2024.
The administration of the village of Bestobe has signed a contract for 4.4 million tenge for snow removal. The work includes clearing roads and using sand to improve tire traction. The entire job will take 384 hours, equivalent to 48 working days of 8 hours each. The contractor is required to clear the streets of Stepnogorsk and the village of Bestobe of snow.
In the village of Kazhimukan in the Tselinograd district, a similar service has been ordered for 2.6 million tenge. The contractor must maintain cleanliness on all village streets by clearing roads and sidewalks of snow and ice. The plan also includes spreading a sand-gravel mix on the roads to prevent ice formation.
4.4 million tenge will be paid in the village of Y. Altynsarin in the Tselinograd district for snow removal from intra-village and access roads, including three summer cottage areas. The work must be completed by the end of 2024. According to the terms, the clearing must be done following safety and labor protection regulations, without damaging green spaces, curbs, asphalt, and speed bumps. In the event of ice formation, the roads require spreading a sand-gravel mix.
The most expensive tender in the region was issued by the akimat of the Karaotkel Rural District – 17.8 million tenge. According to the technical specifications, the work will be carried out based on the customer's requests and will cover entrances to populated areas, flood-prone zones, bus routes, as well as access to schools, clinics, and kindergartens in the villages of Karaotkel and Zhanazhol. The contractor must provide equipment, including loaders, graders, dump trucks, and excavators. Snow will be removed to specially designated areas. The deadline for completion is from November to December 2024.
North Kazakhstan Region (NKR)
The akimat of the Ruzaevsky Rural District hired a contractor for 1.9 million tenge to clear snow in the villages of Ruzaevka and Sivkovka by the end of December 2024. The total length of the roads is 33.5 km.
The akimat of the city of Tayynsha (NKR) plans to allocate 6.9 million tenge for snow removal. The work includes loading and transporting snow from roads, parking lots, stops, sidewalks, parks, squares, and other areas. The service period is until December 31, 2024.
Karaganda Region
In the Karaganda region, akimats are distributing the budget more rationally. For example, in the village of Botkara, 2.4 million tenge has been allocated for regular snow removal from roads and shoulders. The work will be carried out daily, and during blizzards – up to three times a day. The service period is until the end of 2024 and includes the winter period of 2025.
In the village of Osakarovka, 1.9 million tenge has been allocated for clearing sidewalks. The contractor must keep the roads clean until the end of December 2024.
In the Ortau Rural District, 1.7 million tenge has been allocated for snow removal from December 2024 to February 2025. The cost of work includes clearing roads of freshly fallen and compacted snow, eliminating ice, spreading anti-icing material on roads, constant standby of equipment during snowfalls, and removal of snow drifts and accumulations formed by blizzards.
Abai Region
In the village of Zhezkent, 2.6 million tenge has been allocated for snow removal. The scope of work includes clearing exit routes of freshly fallen and compacted snow, removing snow drifts from roadsides, slopes, and reserves. During snowfall or blizzards, the contractor must immediately start work. The service period is until the end of December 2024.
The akimat of the Kokzhayyk Rural District allocated 1.3 million tenge for snow removal from inter-village roads with a total length of 60 km. Work should be carried out as necessary on working days, weekends, holidays, and at night.
The akimat of the village of Jangiztobe in the Zharmin district proposed 1.5 million tenge for winter road clearing in the villages of Jangiztobe and Shuak. This amount includes clearing roads of freshly fallen and compacted snow, eliminating ice, clearing roads of snow drifts, and removing snow piles from roadsides. The work is carried out around the clock, including weekends and holidays. The service period is until the end of December 2024.
It should be noted that these are not all the districts and regions that have begun conducting tenders for street cleaning after the first snow. Each region evaluates the work of road workers in its own way. For comparison, according to marketplace data, snow removal with a loader costs from 9,000 tenge per hour, while snow transportation costs 12,000 tenge per trip.
In short, the amounts allocated by akimats may vary, but the main thing is that residents do not find themselves trapped in snow.