Tender on Chisinau Airport's expansion to be reevaluated following decision by National Agency for Settlement of Complaints

The procedure of procurement for the reconstruction, partial replanning and expansion of the terminal at Chisinau International Airport will be reevaluated, after the National Agency for the Settlement of Complaints (ANSC) ordered the annulment of the decision designating the winner of the tender. The airport clarified, however, that the procurement procedure itself had not been not canceled and that only the previous result would be reviewed.

According to the Chisinau International Airport, the need to expand the airport’s infrastructure has become increasingly urgent amid the rapid growth in the number of passengers. Last year, the airport surpassed the five-million-passenger threshold for the first time and ended the year with more than six million passengers.

The number of passengers doubled in just two years compared with 2023, and this development exceeds the airport’s current processing capacity.

„The expansion of the airport is a critical necessity, which is why more rounds of tenders have been organized. Given this rate of growth and the airport’s obligation to ensure passenger comfort and flight safety, as well as to enhance its capacity to process new tourist and economic flows, the airport’s objective is to deliver the project quickly, in strict compliance with legal requirements and with the responsible use of financial resources,” the airport institution said.

The latest procurement procedure was launched on May 7, 2026, and the deadline for submitting bids was June 19. Four companies participated in the tender.

On July 31, the company that submitted the lowest-priced bid was declared the winner. Subsequently, on August 10, two of the four participating companies challenged the results of the procedure.

The ANSC examined the complaints and, on September 7, 2026, issued a decision ordering the annulment of Award Decision No. 140/D/2026 from July 31, 2026, and the reevaluation of the bid submitted by the economic operator previously designated as the winner.

The Chisinau International Airport said it had taken note of the authority’s decision and that its working group would resume the evaluation of the bid, taking into account the ANSC’s findings.

„The airport has taken note of the ANSC’s decision and, in accordance with the remedial measures established therein, the airport’s working group will reevaluate the bid, taking into account the findings presented, and finalize the procedure in accordance with the applicable legal framework,” the institution said.

Airport representatives emphasized that the ANSC decision did not mean the cancellation of the tender or the abandonment of the expansion project.

„We would like to emphasize that the procurement procedure has not been canceled; only the previous schedule is being revised, in order to remedy the issues mentioned by the ANSC,” the statement reads.

The working group is expected to correct two issues identified in the decision of the complaints’ settlement authority.

The first concerns the bank guarantee submitted by the bidder previously designated as the winner. According to the airport, the ANSC found that the guarantee was valid until October 16, whereas it should have remained valid until October 17.

„We will ask the winning bidder to extend the bank guarantee, based on the fact that the ANSC identified as an problem that the bidder had demonstrated the existence of the bank guarantee until October 16, while it was required until October 17. We emphasize that the bank guarantee was valid when the decision concerning the winner was made, and the request to extend the guarantee is a mechanism provided for by the regulations in force regarding procurement procedures,” the airport explained.

The second issue concerns the bidder’s liquidity indicators. They will be reevaluated not only in relation to the company previously designated as the winner, but also taking into account its partnership with another company for the execution of the works.

„The airport’s working group will reevaluate the bid and examine the liquidity indicators not only individually for the winning bidder, but also in light of the partnership undertaken with another company with which it is partnered for the execution of the works,” the institution said.

After the reevaluation is completed, the working group will adopt a new decision within the procurement procedure. The airport said that the results would be made public, including the updated schedule for the terminal’s expansion works.

The project is considered necessary given the rapid increase in passenger traffic, while the existing infrastructure at the Chisinau International Airport is already under significant pressure. The terminal’s expansion is expected to enable the processing of a larger number of passengers and respond to the growth of tourist and economic flows, the cited source concluded.