A recent stage of an investigation into construction projects in Rio de Janeiro’s state schools suggests that firms competing for millions in funding from the State Department of Education (Seeduc) have overlapping employees and management, raising concerns about the integrity of the bidding process. This investigation follows reports by RJ2 about a decentralized payment system used to finance significant renovations within the state’s educational network. Over the past two years, Seeduc has channeled more than R$ 1 billion into this funding model, criticized for its lack of transparency, which has now also been linked to financing structural works.

The probe specifically highlights that two construction companies, Hellon Arquitetura Ltda and Construções Progresso & Co Ltda, face judicial actions indicating shared personnel among them, which undermines the ideal of fair competition. This discovery has prompted questions about the practices and mechanisms that allow such firms to operate jointly while ostensibly bidding against each other for state contracts. The allegations cast a shadow on the accountability of the officials responsible for overseeing the bidding processes and the execution of these massive educational projects.

With serious allegations emerging against these contractors, the situation poses risks not only to the integrity of educational infrastructure funding but also to public trust in government procurement processes. If proven, these practices could lead to significant legal repercussions and demand stricter regulations to ensure transparency in public works financing, particularly in the education sector where transparency is crucial for societal development.