​TENDER FOR LEASING COMMERCIAL SPACES AT THE AIRPORT DECLARED INVALID

The tender commission for leasing commercial spaces at the Chisinau airport has declared the tender that ended on April 16 invalid. As reported by INFOTAG, the commission concluded that the company Lagardere Travel Retail (France) - the sole participant in the tender – “did not submit all the required documents to proceed to the final stage of the competition.”

The spaces at the airport, which the state intends to lease for the second time, are intended for services to be provided by the investor - the company Travel Retail & Food and Beverages.

The tender commission announced that the tender will be resumed, and additional information and a schedule for the third round of the competition will be provided soon.

“As part of the new tender, we will analyze how to improve the process to attract more reputable international companies willing to participate in the tender by investing in the Chisinau airport,” the press release stated.

During all three tenders, opinions were circulated in the public space of Moldova that the technical conditions were tailored for one participant - Lagardere Travel Retail, raising questions about the transparency of the competition. In this regard, the Competition Council requested substantial arguments to confirm the conditions imposed on the tender participants. Later, the Party of Development and Consolidation of Moldova (PDCM) demanded the cancellation of the tender, considering it inappropriate to lease assets that bring profit to the state. A similar demand was made to the NCCB by the “National Alternative Movement” (MAN) party, citing ‘fraud in conducting the airport tender.”