Chisinau Airport terminal expansion tender to be reevaluated

The procurement procedure for the reconstruction, partial redesign and expansion of the terminal at Chisinau International Airport will be reevaluated after the National Agency for the Settlement of Complaints (ANSC) ordered the cancellation of the decision that had designated the winner of the tender.

The airport clarified, however, that the procurement procedure itself has not been cancelled and that only the previous result will be reviewed, CE Report quotes MOLDPRES.

According to Chisinau International Airport, the need to expand airport infrastructure has become increasingly urgent amid the rapid growth in passenger numbers. The airport surpassed five million passengers for the first time last year and ended the year with more than six million passengers.

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

“The expansion of the airport is a critical necessity, which is why several rounds of tenders have been organized. In the face of such a rapid growth rate and the airport’s obligation to ensure passenger comfort and flight safety, as well as to increase processing capacity for new tourist and economic flows, the airport’s objective is to deliver the project quickly, while strictly complying with legal requirements and using financial resources responsibly,” the airport institution said in a statement.

The latest procurement procedure was launched on May 7, 2026, with the deadline for submitting bids set for 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 reviewed the complaints and, on September 7, 2026, issued a decision ordering the cancellation of Award Decision No. 140/D/2026 of July 31, 2026, and the reevaluation of the bid submitted by the economic operator previously designated as the winner.

Chisinau International Airport said it had taken note of the authority’s decision and that its working group would resume evaluating 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 in the decision, the airport’s working group will reevaluate the bid, taking into account the findings presented, and will complete the procedure in accordance with the applicable legal framework,” the institution said.

Airport representatives emphasized that the ANSC decision does not mean the tender has been cancelled or that the terminal expansion project has been abandoned.

“We emphasize that the procurement procedure has not been cancelled; only the previous schedule is being reviewed in order to remedy the issues identified by the ANSC,” the statement said.

The working group will address two issues identified in the decision of the authority responsible for settling procurement complaints.

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 issue that the bidder had demonstrated the existence of a bank guarantee valid until October 16, while validity until October 17 was required. We emphasize that the bank guarantee was valid when the decision on the winner was made, and the request to extend the guarantee is a mechanism provided for under the regulations currently in force governing procurement procedures,” the airport explained.

The second issue concerns the bidder’s liquidity indicators. These 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 carrying out 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 its partnership with another company with which it has entered into an agreement to carry out the works,” the institution said.

After the reevaluation is completed, the working group will adopt a new decision as part of the procurement procedure. The airport said the results will be made public, including an updated schedule for the terminal expansion works.

The project is considered necessary given the rapid increase in passenger traffic, while the existing infrastructure at Chisinau International Airport is already under significant pressure. The terminal expansion is expected to enable the airport to handle a larger number of passengers and respond to the growth in tourism and economic activity, according to the cited source.

Photo: Chat GPT