How to bid for public tenders in Moldova

Moldova at a glance


Law now	Law 131/2015, for procedures launched before 1 January 2027
New law	Law 325/2025, EU-aligned, from 1 January 2027
Complaints	Law 20/2026, since 1 April 2026; review by ANSC
System	MTender (mtender.gov.md), through certified platforms: achizitii.md, e-licitatie.md, yptender.md
WTO GPA	Party since 14 July 2016
Signature	Qualified electronic signature on every document
Bid guarantee	Up to 2%
Performance guarantee	Up to 10% under the new law
Challenges	10 days; 11-day standstill; fee 0.5% (MDL 1,500–50,000)

Two laws, one transition

Now. Procurement runs under Law 131/2015. Procedures already under way on 1 January 2027 finish under the rules they started with.
From 1 January 2027. Law 325/2025 replaces it. It is modelled on the EU procurement directive and adds procedures such as competitive dialogue and innovation partnership, dynamic purchasing and e-catalogues. It also brings higher thresholds, a lower performance-guarantee cap and clearer foreign-bidder rules.
Complaints, since 1 April 2026. A stand-alone remedies law, Law 20/2026, replaced the old challenge chapter. It brought a single 10-day deadline, an 11-day standstill and a direct route to court.
A new system is coming. In March 2026 the government approved the concept for a new e-procurement system, “e-Achiziții”, covering everything from planning to contract execution. No launch date has been set.

Where tenders appear

MTender is the mandatory state system. Notices, tender documents and results are published at mtender.gov.md.
Platforms. Bidders work through one of three certified commercial platforms: achizitii.md, e-licitatie.md or yptender.md. Registering is free; suppliers pay a participation commission based on the lot value. We didn’t find the current fee schedule.
TED. Larger notices also appear on the EU’s TED, with documents and bids still on MTender.
Oversight. The Public Procurement Agency oversees the system. Health buyers purchase medicines and medical devices centrally through CAPCS.

Thresholds and procedures

Amounts are in Moldovan lei (MDL), excluding VAT.

	Now (Law 131)	From 2027 (Law 325)
Law applies to goods and services from	300,000 (reported)	600,000 central buyers; 800,000 local
Law applies to works from	375,000 (reported)	1,000,000
Higher, “EU-level” thresholds	2.3 million goods and services; 90 million works	Same, plus 7 million for social services

Below the thresholds. A government regulation covers low-value purchases. Direct contracting runs from MDL 50,000 to 150,000 for goods and services and to 200,000 for works; below MDL 50,000 a purchase is made on invoice. The rules for 2027 are still a draft.
Bidding time now. MTender’s FAQ gives at least 20 days for open tenders below the higher thresholds and 35 days above them. The simplified price-quotation procedure needs 7 days for goods and 12 for services and works.
Two phases. On MTender, bidding has a questions phase and then a submission phase. If the buyer answers late, the deadline moves by the delay.
From 2027. Open tenders need at least 35 days, or 20 below the higher thresholds. A prior notice or urgency can cut that to 15 days, and full electronic access cuts 5 more.
Lots and frameworks (Law 325). Buyers are encouraged to split contracts into lots and must explain if they don’t. Framework agreements last up to 4 years.

Who can bid

Foreign companies can register on the MTender platforms and bid without a Moldovan branch.
Treaty partners. Moldova has been a WTO GPA party since 14 July 2016. Under the new law, suppliers, goods and services from GPA and other treaty partners must be treated no less favourably than Moldovan ones in covered procurement.
No home preference. We found no domestic price preference in Law 325.
Fair specifications. Specifications may not name a brand, origin or producer without good reason, and must then add “or equivalent”.
Consortia can bid without forming a company first; a legal form can be required only after award.
Language. Notices state which languages bids may use, and in practice that means Romanian. From 2027, notices are published in Romanian and, where relevant, in English, French or Spanish.
Proving eligibility.
- ESPD (DUAE). You upload the European Single Procurement Document (ESPD), known locally as the DUAE, as a self-declaration.
- Home-country papers. Under the new law, buyers accept equivalent documents from your home country, or a sworn statement where none exist.
- Licences. For regulated services, the buyer may ask for your home-country licence or membership. We couldn’t confirm what Moldova requires of foreign construction contractors.

Bidding, step by step

Find the tender on mtender.gov.md, or on TED for larger contracts.
Choose a platform (achizitii.md, e-licitatie.md or yptender.md) and create a user account.
Register your company as a supplier: name, tax ID, bank and SWIFT details, administrator and address.
Finish non-resident registration. On achizitii.md, a foreign company signs and stamps two copies of the platform contract, emails a scan, and posts the original to Chișinău within 14 days. The platform then activates the account.
Get a qualified electronic signature. Every bid document must be e-signed, or the bid is disqualified. Moldova recognises EU qualified signatures, but confirm with your platform.
Ask questions in the clarification phase.
Submit before the deadline: ESPD, technical offer, financial offer, and bid guarantee if required. Late bids are rejected automatically.
During evaluation, join any e-auction and answer requests quickly. You may have as little as 3 working days to supply missing documents (1 in the simplified procedure).
After award, post the performance guarantee and sign electronically. The buyer signs first, and the contract is registered with the Treasury.

Guarantees and payment

Bid guarantee. Up to 2% of the tender value, excluding VAT. From 2027 it is mandatory at or above the higher thresholds and for capital works, and optional below them. You lose it if you withdraw or change your bid after the deadline, or if you win and don’t sign or post the performance guarantee.
Performance guarantee. Capped at 10% of the contract value under Law 325 from 2027. The current cap under Law 131 is reported as 15%.
Form and currency. Guarantees can be a bank guarantee, a transfer, a surety or a standby letter of credit, in lei or a foreign currency. A licensed foreign bank is accepted, ideally one with a Moldovan correspondent bank. Buyers can’t name a specific bank.
Payment. Public authorities must pay within 30 days, or exceptionally 60 if justified, under Moldova’s late-payment law. A tighter amendment was drafted in July 2026.
Contract changes. From 2027, additions or price increases are allowed up to 25% of the original value.

How bids are evaluated

Now. For lowest-price awards, MTender ranks bids automatically, and the buyer checks the top-ranked bid first, then the next if it fails. With quality criteria, all bids are opened and scored.
From 2027. Contracts go to the most economically advantageous tender, judged on lowest price, lowest cost (including life-cycle costing), or price or cost plus quality.
Abnormally low bids (Law 325). For goods and services, a bid at least 20% below the average of the other bids, or below 80% of the buyer’s estimate, needs an explanation. For works the triggers are 15% and 85%.
Green and social conditions. Environmental, social and innovation conditions can be written into contracts, and the planning rules in force since November 2025 encourage them.

Challenging a decision

Where. Complaints go to the National Authority for Solving Complaints (ANSC). They must be written in Romanian and signed, with proof the fee is paid.
Deadline. 10 days from the day after you learn of the decision if notified electronically, or 15 days otherwise. Publication in MTender counts as notice, and a missed deadline can’t be restored.
Standstill. The contract may not be signed for 11 days after an electronic award notice (16 days otherwise); a contract signed earlier is void. There’s no standstill for single bids, negotiated procedures without publication, or orders under frameworks.
Suspension. The buyer can’t sign until the ANSC decision is published. The ANSC may also suspend the whole procedure.
Timing. The ANSC decides within 20 working days, extendable once by 10.
Fee. A state fee of 0.5% of the challenged lot’s estimated value, between MDL 1,500 and MDL 50,000. It is refunded automatically if you win in whole or in part.
Court. ANSC decisions go straight to the administrative court. That doesn’t suspend the decision unless the court orders it.

What changed in 2025–2026

16 June 2025: a state fee for complaints was introduced.
21 November 2025: new rules on procurement planning took effect.
February 2026: Law 325/2025 was published, effective 1 January 2027. The complaint fee became calculated per challenged lot, with a MDL 1,500 minimum.
18 March 2026: the concept for the new “e-Achiziții” system was approved.
1 April 2026: the remedies law took effect, with a 10-day deadline, an 11-day standstill and a direct route to court.
Coming 1 January 2027: Law 325 replaces Law 131, with higher thresholds, a 10% performance-guarantee cap and EU-style procedures.

Live Moldovan tenders

Questions

Can a foreign company bid on Moldovan public tenders without a local branch?

Yes. Foreign companies register directly on one of the certified MTender platforms as suppliers, and the new procurement law bars excluding a foreign company just because Moldovan law reserves an activity to a particular legal form. Moldova has been a WTO GPA party since 2016, so suppliers from GPA countries get equal treatment on covered tenders.

Which law applies to a Moldovan tender in late 2026?

Tenders launched before 1 January 2027 run to the end under Law 131/2015. Complaints have been governed by Law 20/2026 since 1 April 2026. From 1 January 2027, new procedures follow Law 325/2025, which is aligned with the EU procurement directive.

Do I need to bid in Romanian?

Expect to. Each notice states the languages allowed, and recent ones list Romanian only. Under the new law, notices are published in Romanian and, where relevant, in English, French or Spanish. Complaints to ANSC must be in Romanian.

What electronic signature does a foreign bidder need?

A qualified electronic signature on every document; unsigned bids are disqualified. The platforms point to Moldova’s MSign and MoldSign services. Moldova recognises EU qualified signatures in law, but check with your platform before relying on one.

How much bid and performance security will I have to post?

A bid guarantee can be up to 2% of the tender value. The performance guarantee is capped at 10% of the contract value under the new law from 2027; the current cap is reported as 15%. Guarantees can come from a foreign licensed bank and be in a foreign currency.

How do I challenge a Moldovan tender decision?

File a complaint, in Romanian, with ANSC within 10 days of an electronic notice. The fee is 0.5% of the challenged lot’s value, between MDL 1,500 and MDL 50,000, refunded if you win. The contract can’t be signed during the 11-day standstill or until ANSC decides, which takes about 20 working days.

Sources

This guide explains the rules in plain English; it isn’t legal advice. Procurement rules change, and each tender document sets its own conditions — it always prevails.