Open Mall Zakynthos: the underground bins that vanished, and every payment, document by document
The city's "Open Trade Centre," the Open Mall, was included in the ESPA programme in June 2019. Seven years later, its deadline has been extended six times, and of the 15 sub-projects it planned, six never started: underground bins, bicycles, two solar benches, a solar tree, and an entrepreneurship platform. Whether the pedestrian streets have truly been finished, delivered without defects, and actually function as pedestrian streets, we leave to residents' own judgment.
We read all of the Municipality's decisions on the project in Diavgeia (167), the Ministry's funding decisions, budget execution reports through August 2026, and the studies. For every euro we say was paid, we cite its payment warrant and payment order, with their ΑΔΑ.
At a glance
- Underground bins
- 8 in the study, 0 on the street. Two tenders with zero bids; out of funding since July 2025.
- Main project (streets)
- From €739,200 to €1,078,011 (+46%). The Municipality is putting in at least €122,134 of its own.
- Paid
- €944,619 to the contractor across 14 payments, matching budget execution to the cent.
- Deadline
- 15 October 2026, after 6 extensions. Funding ends 31 December 2026.
- ESPA check
- On-site verification by the "Competitiveness" Managing Authority on 24–25 September 2026.
The underground bins: what the study planned
The sub-project 6 study (November 2018) starts from a problem anyone walking through the centre can see: "clusters" of wheeled bins clogging the street, overflowing and smelling in summer. The solution was 8 underground bins of ~3,000 litres, in "islands" of one or two bins each. A concrete shaft, a pavement platform faced in granite, a stainless-steel feed tower, and fill-level sensors with software that generates the optimal collection-truck route. Cost: €12,000 per bin, €119,040 with VAT.
What happened from there:
Included in ESPA as sub-project 6 "Supply of underground bins," €119,040. 75Χ0465ΧΙ8-ΤΥΕ
One tender bundling 8 different supplies together (WiFi, bollards, platform, bins, bicycles, benches, tree), €475,196, with a single possible contractor. Ψ1Τ6ΩΡ1-5ΦΤ
No bids. The tender is declared void. 6ΞΞ7ΩΡ1-Β2Γ
Re-tendered by lot, "due to inability to form a multi-member consortium." The bins become Lot Δ. Vote 5–2. 90ΧΦΩΡ1-ΜΡΒ
Bids came in only for WiFi, bollards and the platform. For bins, bicycles, benches and the tree: none. ΨΒ82ΩΡ1-Ω3Γ
New budget commitments titled "underground bins": €119,040 + €11,284 + €11,160. The two smaller ones are charged to the solar-bench budget codes. 9ΟΚΥΩΡ1-ΕΨΩ · 97ΧΗΩΡ1-ΑΡ1 · 6ΗΘ7ΩΡ1-4Ν5
The Ministry includes Phase B (ΟΠΣ 6017430). Deliverables: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7–15. Sub-project 6 no longer exists. 95ΠΔΗ-ΣΘΚ
The Municipality's budget still holds €119,040 for "Supply of underground bins," with €0 paid. ΨΥΕΦΩΡ1-Ο0Λ
We found no decision explicitly cancelling the bins or explaining why they were dropped. They simply don't appear in the new inclusion. If such a decision exists, we'd be glad to publish it.
The main project: 46% more expensive, six extensions
The street redevelopment was tendered in October 2020 and awarded to Contractor A at a 23% discount. The contract was signed on 1 December 2021, for €739,200 with VAT. Since then:
- 1st Supplementary Cost Statement (Oct 2023): €836,745. ΨΧ9ΣΩΡ1-Υ10
- 2nd Supplementary Cost Statement and 1st supplementary contract (Mar 2025): €1,078,011, i.e. +€338,811. The same statement zeroes out the 25 beacons with their software and the information signage, as a "measurement error." Ρ9ΥΠΩΡ1-Τ00
- Municipal co-financing (Jun 2025): the overrun isn't covered by ESPA. The Municipality takes on at least €122,134.34 from its own revenue, "as this is finalised." 9ΥΝΝΩΡ1-ΓΑΓ
- Work stoppage (May 2024): at the contractor's request, through 1 September 2024: a summer ban on works in the centre, delay of the supplementary contract, staff shortage. A month earlier, at the Municipal Committee, K. Pettas called it "unacceptable" that months had passed without work. 9ΕΑΦΩΡ1-9Υ5 · ΨΑΟ3ΩΡ1-ΟΤΠ
- Six extensions: 1 Jun 2023 → 30 Oct 2023 → 30 Apr 2024 → 21 Jul 2025 → 31 Dec 2025 → 15 Oct 2026. At the last one, in April, D. Mouzakis stated that "the reasons aren't justified" and, together with K. Pettas, voted "present" (abstained). ΡΝΩΟΩΡ1-ΠΤΥ
What was paid, and what wasn't
"Paid" here means we found a payment warrant from the Municipality and a payment order from the Public Investment Programme for the amount, and that the amount appears as paid in budget execution. Where we write "no payment," we searched for warrants and orders under the contractor's name and the project code, and found none.
| Sub-project | Contractor | Contract € | Paid € | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Street redevelopment | Contractor A | 1,078,011 | 944,619 | 14 payments, from the advance ΨΓΚ5ΩΡ1-1ΙΔ to the 13th instalment ΡΣ8ΘΩΡ1-4ΙΔ (Jul 2026) |
| 2 · Free WiFi | Contractor B | 73,531 | 73,531 | Payment warrant 158/2025 6ΚΑ1ΩΡ1-ΦΥ8 · order 6ΦΡ6ΩΡ1-ΒΥΦ |
| 3 · Autonomous retractable bollards | Contractor B | 85,910 | 85,910 | Payment warrant 199/2025 60ΓΘΩΡ1-ΓΘ3 (invoice 29/10/2024, acceptance certificate) · order 6ΗΩΠΩΡ1-ΩΕΞ |
| SATA bollards (outside ESPA) | Contractor C | 48,500 | 0 | Award 6ΦΝ3ΩΡ1-ΛΧΕ · deadline 31 Oct 2025 · no warrant |
| 5 · Smart-city platform | Contractor D | 55,800 | 55,800 | Payment warrant 713/2024 ΨΞΘΗΩΡ1-Φ9Ρ · order 6ΓΤΖΩΡ1-ΝΘΗ · the platform |
| 6 · Underground bins | — | — | 0 | Two void tenders · outside Phase B |
| 7 · Bicycles · 8–9 · Benches · 10 · Solar tree | — | — | 0 | Void in 2023 · remain in Phase B with no contractor |
| 12 · File preparation | Contractor E | 24,800 | 24,800 | Payment warrant ΩΩΑ5ΩΡ1-2ΩΞ (reissued) · PIP disbursement Ψ9ΔΔΩΡ1-Ψ3Ρ |
| 13 · Support consultant | Contractor F | 19,900 | 0 | Award ΨΞΙ4ΩΡ1-1ΚΘ · extended to 25 Jun 2026 · no warrant |
| 14 · Screens & carpets | Contractor G | 190,157 | 190,157 | Screens ΨΣΖΥΩΡ1-Ζ5Β / ΡΕΨΥΩΡ1-ΝΚΚ · carpets ΡΘΤΒΩΡ1-8Θ6 / 9ΡΚΟΩΡ1-Ω43 |
| 14 · NFC & Open Mall signage | Contractor H | 20,205 | 0 | Delivery "definitively" pushed to 30 Jul 2026 Ρ0Ε9ΩΡ1-Ο6Ω |
A note on the two kinds of "bollards." The ESPA autonomous retractable bollards (13 electro-hydraulic, with card readers, plus 26 fixed) were paid in full in February 2025: €69,282.02 + VAT = €85,909.70, exactly matching the contract. The fixed and movable bollards funded by SATA (municipal capital grants) are a separate project, awarded in October 2024. For these there has been no payment at all, and the 2026 budget still holds €30,000 unexecuted.
The studies: see them for yourself
The technical specifications for all the supplies are in a 215-page document, the tender notice ΨΔΙΒΩΡ1-Ζ92 (April 2023). The study pages are scanned images and aren't searchable as text. We split them out by sub-project (excerpts are in Greek, as published):
| Sub-project | What it includes | Original pages | Excerpt |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 · Free WiFi | 30 access points, 2-year cloud controller · €73,656 | ΨΔΙΒΩΡ1-Ζ92, p. 92–105 | |
| 3 · Retractable bollards | 13 retractable Ø270 mm, 13 card readers, 100 cards, 26 fixed · €86,056 | ΨΔΙΒΩΡ1-Ζ92, p. 106–113 | |
| 5 · Smart city | Platform specifications · €74,400 | ΨΔΙΒΩΡ1-Ζ92, p. 114–124 | |
| 6 · Underground bins | 8 bins of 3 m³, islands, construction drawings · €119,040 | ΨΔΙΒΩΡ1-Ζ92, p. 125–140 | |
| 7 · Bicycles | 20 bicycles, 24 docks, 1,000 cards · €50,000 | ΨΔΙΒΩΡ1-Ζ92, p. 141–156 | |
| 8–9 · Solar benches | One smart bench per sub-project · €11,284 and €11,160 | ΨΔΙΒΩΡ1-Ζ92, p. 157–172 | |
| 10 · Solar tree | One tree with charging, WiFi, screen, cold water · €49,600 | ΨΔΙΒΩΡ1-Ζ92, p. 173–180 | |
| 14 · Commercial identity | 152 43″ screens, 152 NFC signs, 152 Open Mall signs, 152 carpets | ΨΡ1ΧΩΡ1-ΛΛ2, p. 45–54 | |
| 1 · Street redevelopment | Technical description · quantities per item in the 2nd cost statement | 6ΡΠΛΩΡ1-6ΛΠ, p. 20–21 · Ρ9ΥΠΩΡ1-Τ00, p. 3–17 | — |
The full study 72/2018 for the street redevelopment hasn't been posted on Diavgeia; only the decision approving it has.
The questions
- Why were the 8 underground bins abandoned, and which body decided it? Is there a plan to build them with other funding?
- Why does the 2026 budget still hold €119,040 for a supply that's no longer funded?
- The SATA bollards: the deadline expired on 31 October 2025. Were they installed? If so, why hasn't anything been paid? If not, what happens to the contract?
- Bicycles, benches and the solar tree remain in Phase B with no contractor, while funding ends 31 December 2026. When will they be re-tendered?
- How much will the Municipality's own co-financing of the main project ultimately be, above the €122,134?
- What happens if the project isn't finished by 15 October 2026?
- Several sub-projects — bins, bicycles, benches, the solar tree — don't even have a contractor, though they're central to the Act. With funding ending 31 December 2026, and after the "Competitiveness" Managing Authority's on-site verification on 24–25 September 2026, is the project at risk of being pulled from the programme?
- Is the free WiFi working today? How many of the 30 access points the study planned were actually installed?
- Is the smart-city platform working? How many businesses are registered on it today?
- How many of the 152 screens the study planned are actually installed today, and do they show Open Mall content?
Sources & documentation
- Phase A inclusion in EPAnEK, ΟΠΣ 5037858: 75Χ0465ΧΙ8-ΤΥΕ
- Phase B inclusion in "Competitiveness 2021-27," ΟΠΣ 6017430, €1,293,077: 95ΠΔΗ-ΣΘΚ
- On-site verification 24–25 Sept 2026: ΨΤ6ΝΗ-ΓΜΩ
- 2nd cost statement – 1st supplementary contract: Ρ9ΥΠΩΡ1-Τ00 · own co-financing: 9ΥΝΝΩΡ1-ΓΑΓ
- Supplies tender notice with the studies: ΨΔΙΒΩΡ1-Ζ92
- August 2026 budget execution: ΨΥΕΦΩΡ1-Ο0Λ
- All Municipality decisions, payments and budget codes: diavgeia.polites-zante.com
- The smart-city platform (sub-project 5, €55,800): zakynthos.smartiscity.gr — see it for yourself
Amounts come from the payment warrants, payment orders and budget execution reports the Municipality itself published. Some of the Municipality's PDFs have broken encoding or are scanned, and were read by hand or with OCR. If you spot an error, tell us (in Greek) and we'll fix it.
On the day of the on-site verification, we also notified ΜΟΔ's staff conducting it by email, describing what we had observed as residents — about the WiFi, the "pedestrian streets," the bollards, the workmanship defects and the digital platform — along with the documentation we had gathered.