Prime Minister's Office Buys New Elevator for $35,000

The Prime Minister's Office of Armenia is set to purchase a new elevator. Official documents obtained by ArmLur.am reveal that the office signed a contract with the company 'RafaElGrig' on January 18. It is noteworthy that three companies participated in the bidding for the elevator purchase, with 'RafaElGrig' offering the lowest price of 12 million drams. However, the total cost for the elevator assigned to the Prime Minister's Office has amounted to 14 million 400 thousand drams, equivalent to $35,550, including a 20% VAT.

Incidentally, this company is responsible for installing elevators in residential buildings in Yerevan. This indicates that a significant portion of state procurements is carried out with this company. The contract does not specify who exactly the newly acquired elevator is meant to serve.

It is worth mentioning that last year, the elevators leading to the reception areas of the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, and the head of the office were replaced with new ones, justified by claims that the elevator serving the office head, Arayik Harutyunyan, was physically worn out and frequently malfunctioning. In the previous year, a total of 21 million 516 thousand drams was spent from state funds for elevator purchases.

The Prime Minister’s Office buys an elevator for $35,000, while simultaneously, the military is facing dire conditions, as evidenced by the recent loss of 15 young lives.