REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

CONSULTING SERVICES - TECHNICAL SUPPORT TO THE MINISTRY OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND DIGITALIZATION (MEDD) IN THE FIELD OF COMPETITION POLICY

EXTENSION OF DEADLINE

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA MICRO, SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES COMPETITIVENESS PROJECT Sector: General industry and trade sector IDA Credit No. 71740 IBRD Loan No. 94230 Project ID No. P177895 Reference No. MD-CEP- 539710-CS-CQS

The Republic of Moldova has received financing from the World Bank toward the cost of the Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Competitiveness Project (MSME) and intends to apply part of the proceeds for consulting services.

The consulting services (“the Services”) include providing legal and technical support to the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization and the Competition Council in reviewing consultation feedback, drafting and / or refining legislation in the areas of State aid and competition, and finalizing the documentation necessary for promoting the respective legislative initiatives in line with the EU acquis and the Governmental Decree 818/2025 on approving the National Programme for the Accession of the Republic of Moldova to the European Union (NPA), specifically Cluster 2 “Internal Market”, Chapter 8 “Competition Policy”..

The assignment shall be implemented through 2026, in accordance with a timeframe agreed with the MEDD, taking into account the governmental legislative approval process and the requirements of the European Union. Flexibility will be required to provide on-demand support to the MEDD and the Competition Council. The Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment is attached to this request for expressions of interest.

The Project Implementation Unit of the MSME Competitiveness Project now invites eligible consulting firms (“Consultants”) to indicate their interest in providing the Services. The assignment will require a local law firm or consortium of law firms with demonstrated expertise in competition law, competition policy, and competition advocacy, capable of providing high-level legal and policy support to the Government and Competition Council in strengthening the national competition framework and aligning it with international and European Union standards. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services (required qualifications and experience of the firm, but not individual experts’ bio data).

The consulting firm shall meet the following minimum qualifications:  At least 8 years of proven professional experience in the field of competition law enforcement, competition policy development, and competition advocacy.  Demonstrated experience in advising local business community/associations, government institutions, competition authorities, or regulatory bodies on competition law and policy matters.  Experience in reviewing and drafting competition legislation, secondary regulations, and policy documents, including areas such as antitrust enforcement, abuse of dominant position, and merger control.  Familiarity with European Union competition acquis and international best practices in competition regulation.

The consulting firm shall propose a team of qualified experts including:

 Senior Competition Law Expert / Team Leader, with at least 15 years of professional experience in competition law and policy, including advisory work with public institutions.  Legal experts with relevant EU experience on competition and state aid law with advanced academic qualifications (Master’s degree or Ph.D.) in law, law and economics, or related fields, and demonstrated experience in antitrust law.
 Experts with strong knowledge of local competition legislation and institutional frameworks, as well as familiarity with EU competition rules.  Economic expert with advanced academic qualifications specialized in the field of competition.

The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to Section III, paragraphs, 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers” November 2020 (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the „Consultant’s Qualification-based Selection” method set out in the Procurement Regulations.

Consultants may associate with other firms to enhance their qualifications; but should indicate clearly whether the association is in the form of a joint venture and/or a sub-consultancy. In the case of a joint venture, all the partners in the joint venture shall be jointly and severally liable for the entire contract, if selected.

The Expression of Interest shall clearly state the name of the Consultant (individual Firm, Joint Venture or sub-consultancy). The Consultant shall provide relevant references (assignment name, Client, time frame, the role of the firm (main Consultant/Partner in JV/sub-consultant, contract amount, tasks performed etc.) to confirm its experience and qualifications.

Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours.

Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form to the address below (in person, or by mail, or by e-mail) by April 03, 2026, COBD, indicating the assignment title in subject line.

Project Implementation Unit of the MSME Competitiveness Project 180, Stefan cel Mare Ave., office 815, MD-2004, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova Tel: + 373 22 296-723 Web site: http://uipac.md web: www.uipac.md

E-mail for submission of the clarifications: piu@mded.gov.md E-mail for submission of the EoIs: procurementmgf@gmail.com
Only the notification of EoI submission must be sent to piu@mded.gov.md   TERMS OF REFERENCE Technical support to the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization (MEDD) in the field of competition policy A. Background A key challenge facing the Government of Moldova is the need to promote economic growth and job creation based on robust private sector activity and enhanced investment. In this regard, an improved business environment is essential for stimulating sustained private sector growth. Regulatory and institutional weaknesses in the business environment are considered as the major obstacles for the private sector ability to perform efficiently and grow, and negatively affecting investor confidence. The existence of cumbersome regulations undermines competitiveness of private Moldovan enterprises and prevents increased investment by increasing costs of doing business, and ultimately providing a fertile ground for favoritism and the informal economy. As part of the private sector development dialogue and following the Country Economic Memorandum designed by the World Bank Group has agreed with the Government to support its review of the competition policy to ensure that legislation and institutions are sufficiently strengthened so as to help promote healthy private sector development and not impede it. The effectiveness of Moldova’s pro-growth policies depends heavily on the quality and performance of its public institutions in ensuring competitive and accessible markets. A key issue is resource misallocation and low productivity growth, partly caused by policies that favor state-owned enterprises (SOEs) over private firms. Although SOEs dominate several competitive service sectors, such as food, real estate, transport, and engineering services, they are less productive than private companies. To improve competition, reforms should level the playing field by applying private company law to commercial SOEs, removing procurement and entry advantages, and reviewing price controls, state aid, and state production in certain sectors. However, SOEs represent only about 14% of Moldova’s economy and operate in roughly one-fifth of economic sectors, meaning they explain only part of the country’s inefficiencies. Improving productivity also requires better infrastructure services that facilitate trade and foreign investment. This involves reforming public institutions that regulate infrastructure sectors, as their decisions on licenses, permits, and tariffs influence market entry and competition. In addition, the presence of SOEs in regulated sectors especially where they act both as regulators and market participants, such as in transport creates conflicts of interest and disadvantages private firms. Strengthening coordination between sector regulators and the competition authority is therefore essential for effectively implementing Moldova’s competition policy framework.

On top of that, as part of the process of alignment with the European Union acquis in the fields of State aid and competition, it is necessary to further develop and promote national legislation ensuring the effective transposition of relevant EU legal acts. In the area of State aid, for instance, the national legal framework must reflect and transpose the provisions stemming from: (i) Articles 93, 107–109 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union; (ii) Council Regulation (EU) 2015/1589; (iii) Commission Regulation (EC) No 794/2004; (iv) European Commission Notice on the recovery of unlawful and incompatible State aid (2019/C 247/01) and (v) Commission Communication on professional secrecy in State aid decisions (2003/C 297/03) and other EU acquis according to the Governmental Decree 818/2025 on approving the National Programme for the Accession of the Republic of Moldova to the European Union (NPA). In parallel, amendments to the national Competition Law prepared by the Competition Council aim to transpose relevant EU procedural and merger control rules, including: (i) Commission Regulation (EC) No 773/2004 regarding the conduct of proceedings by the Commission in competition cases; and (ii) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/914 implementing the Council Regulation on the control of concentrations between undertakings and repealing Commission Regulation (EC) No 802/2004, as subsequently amended by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2776, and other EU acquis according to the Governmental Decree 818/2025 on approving the National Programme for the Accession of the Republic of Moldova to the European Union (NPA) Additionally, in the context of the approximation to EU competition acquis, there is a need to support the drafting of legislation concerning actions for damages for infringements of Competition Law, also Draft Law amending Law No. 53/2025 on promoting fairness and transparency for businesses using online intermediation services (Regulation (EU) 2019/1150 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on promoting fairness and transparency for business users of online intermediation services), as well as other secondary or related legislation in the competition field, where necessary. For the purpose of full alignment with the acquis of the European Union, the Republic of Moldova is implementing a set of measures to ensure the complete transposition of European rules, targeting both the prevention of abuses of dominant position and the regulation of economic concentrations, an area of particular importance for maintaining a free and competitive market. At the same time, emphasis is placed on the transparency and efficiency of the processes for monitoring and reporting state aid, so that any financial support granted to beneficiaries complies with the principles of competition and does not distort the market. The Competition Council has developed initial drafts of the relevant legislative proposals, while the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization is responsible on the name of the Republic of Moldova for Cluster 2 “Internal Market”, which covers, inter alia, the competition policy (Chapter 8). Consequently, the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization is responsible for promoting the respective draft legislation through the entire legislative procedure – within the Government as well as presenting in front of the Parliament. During the consultation process, comments and opinions were submitted by public authorities and business associations, which require examination and, as applicable, integration into the draft legislation. Within this framework the Government of Moldova (the Client) is seeking the services of a Consulting firm with relevant experience to assist with the alignment to the acquis of the European Union in the field of competition policy. B. Objectives of the assignment The main objective of this assignment is to provide legal and technical support to the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization and the Competition Council in reviewing consultation feedback, drafting and / or refining legislation in the areas of State aid and competition, and finalizing the documentation necessary for promoting the respective legislative initiatives in line with the EU acquis and the Governmental Decree 818/2025 on approving the National Programme for the Accession of the Republic of Moldova to the European Union (NPA), specifically Cluster 2 “Internal Market”, Chapter 8 “Competition Policy”. C. Scope of work The Consultant will perform the following tasks over the period of the assignment, which will be divided in phases as follows:

1. Develop both primary and secondary legislation and for every new piece of primary/secondary legislation drafted, a table of concordance and an explanatory note shall be prepared/revised if prepared by the Competition Council.
2. Review comments and opinions submitted by public authorities, stakeholders, and business associations on the draft amendments to the Competition Law, State Aid Lawand secondary legislation.
3. Based on comments received revise and refine the draft Law on State Aid developed by the Competition Council to ensure alignment with the relevant EU State aid acquis.
4. Based on comments received revise and refine the draft amendments to the Competition Law developed by the Competition Council, ensuring proper transposition of the relevant EU regulations.
5. Assist Competition Council and MEDD in the drafting of the Law on actions for damages for infringements of competition law.
6. Assist Competition Council and MEDD in the drafting the Law amending Law No. 53/2025 on promoting fairness and transparency for businesses using online intermediation services
7. Provide support, where necessary, in completing other European Commission requirements related to overall competition policy.
8. Provide legal and technical support to the MEDD during the legislative promotion process through providing justification, arguments and explanation for changes proposed to amend the current competition related legal framework to all relevant stakeholders as needed, including:
   a) Consultation with civil society, relevant authorities, regulatory bodies and the business community to ensure decisional transparency, ex. through a workshop(s) to discuss the draft amendments to the laws and regulations and right arguments for the legal changes. b) Based on consultations provide technical support and inputs to MEDD in terms of drafting the explanatory notes, table of concordance with the EU acquis, where applicable, of the project with reasoning to enrich the arguments for the discussions with the Government and Parliament. c) Provide for matrix of comments and responses in the form of comparative tables reflecting the differences between the current legislation and the proposed amendments. d) As applicable, the Consultant shall provide additional revisions and adjustments to the documents following the (i) anti-corruption expertise conducted by the National Anti-Corruption Centre and (ii) comments or recommendations provided by the European Commission in the context of legislative approximation or consultation processes. The assignment will be carried out in close cooperation with the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization, acting as the main beneficiary and coordinator of the legislative promotion process; and the Competition Council, which developed the initial draft legislation and other relevant public authorities and stakeholders involved in the consultation process. D. Expected Reports / Deliverables The results of the assignment will be presented in a series of reports, which shall contain detailed analysis and will comprise all upper mentioned tasks. The Consultant is expected to produce, inter alia, the following deliverables: • Revised Draft Law on State Aid. • Revised draft amendments to the Competition Law. • Draft Law on actions for damages for infringements of competition law (as applicable). • Draft Law on promoting fairness and transparency for business users of online intermediation services • Table of concordance and explanatory notes for every new piece of primary/secondary legislation drafted by the Competition Council. • Explanatory Notes accompanying the draft legislative acts and, if required, fundamentals for transition period. • Table of Concordance with the EU acquis, where applicable. • Revised secondary or related legislation in the competition field. • Comparative tables reflecting the differences between the current legislation and the proposed amendments. • Additional revisions and adjustments to the documents following the anti-corruption expertise conducted by the National Anti-Corruption Centre. • Additional revisions and adjustments to the documents following comments or recommendations provided by the European Commission in the context of legislative approximation or consultation processes. All deliverables shall be developed and submitted in Romanian with English translation upon request. E. Period and Terms of the Assignment The assignment shall be implemented through 2026, in accordance with a timeframe agreed with the MEDD, taking into account the governmental legislative approval process and the requirements of the European Union. Flexibility will be required to provide on-demand support to the MEDD and the Competition Council. The Consultant shall ensure the allocation of adequate human resources upon request, commensurate with the workload necessary to meet the timeframe established in the NPA. The assignment could be extended beyond this term upon request of the MEDD and / or Competition Council. F. Reporting arrangements The Consultant will report directly to the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization. Technical approval of all reports and deliverables rests with the MEDD. To ensure proper coordination of legislative and normative changes, consultations with the Competition Council and the Office of European Integration are strongly recommended. G. Requirements for the assignment The assignment will require a local law firm or consortium of law firms with demonstrated expertise in competition law, competition policy, and competition advocacy, capable of providing high-level legal and policy support to the Government and Competition Council in strengthening the national competition framework and aligning it with international and European Union standards. The consulting firm shall meet the following minimum qualifications: • At least 8 years of proven professional experience in the field of competition law enforcement, competition policy development, and competition advocacy. • Demonstrated experience in advising local business community/associations, government institutions, competition authorities, or regulatory bodies on competition law and policy matters. • Experience in reviewing and drafting competition legislation, secondary regulations, and policy documents, including areas such as antitrust enforcement, abuse of dominant position, and merger control. • Familiarity with European Union competition acquis and international best practices in competition regulation. The consulting firm shall propose a team of qualified experts including: • Senior Competition Law Expert / Team Leader, with at least 15 years of professional experience in competition law and policy, including advisory work with public institutions. • Legal experts with relevant EU experience on competition and state aid law with advanced academic qualifications (Master’s degree or Ph.D.) in law, law and economics, or related fields, and demonstrated experience in antitrust law.
   • Experts with strong knowledge of local competition legislation and institutional frameworks, as well as familiarity with EU competition rules. • Economic expert with advanced academic qualifications specialized in the field of competition.

H. Terms of payment The Contract will be the Standard World Bank Lump-sum contract. Payment schedule will be agreed upon the negotiations between the Consultant, and the MEDD. The payments under the contract will be processed by the PIU upon approval of the reports by the MEDD.