Reference Number: RFT IMS-05509 – Office Lease in Chisinau

Publication Date: 20th of July, 2026

Deadline for Submission of Offers: 9th of August 2026, 23:59 Chișinău time

1. Background

International Media Support (IMS) is an international non-governmental organization supporting independent media and the strengthening of democratic societies worldwide. In order to implement its programmatic and administrative activities in the Republic of Moldova, IMS intends to conclude a service contract for the rental of office premises in the municipality of Chișinău. This Request for Quotation (RFQ) is open to property owners and licensed real estate agencies on equal terms, in accordance with the principles of transparency, equal treatment, and non-discrimination.

2. Subject of the Contract

The contracting authority (IMS) intends to select, through a competitive and transparent procedure, one (1) contractor (property owner or authorized real estate agent) for the rental of office premises meeting the technical specifications described in Section 3 below, for the purpose of hosting IMS's administrative and programmatic activities, including meetings, trainings, and workshops.

3. Technical Specifications (Minimum Requirements)

3.1 Location and Accessibility

• Located within the municipality of Chișinău. Offers locating the premises in the Centru will be eligible for submission.
• Reasonable access to public transport and essential local services.
• Located in an area assessed as safe and appropriate for office use.

3.2 Size and Layout

• Total usable area of between 80 and 100 m².
• Layout suitable for office and administrative use.
• A common area accommodating a minimum of 3 desks/workstations.
• A sanitary facility (bathroom).
• At least one separate, enclosed room suitable for meetings, trainings, or workshops.
• The premises must be clean, adequately lit, and adequately ventilated.
• The premises must be equipped with basic office furniture (desks, chairs, and a storage/cloakroom cabinet); bidders unable to provide furniture may state so separately in their technical offer without being automatically disqualified, provided all other minimum requirements are met.

3.3 Infrastructure and Utilities

The premises must be connected to, or the offer must specify a credible plan to connect to:

• Electricity supply;
• A heating system;
• A water supply;
• Air conditioning;
• Building/premises maintenance services;
• A stable internet connection with a minimum bandwidth of 150 Mbps, or confirmation that such a connection can be installed prior to contract start.

4. Contract Duration

The rental contract shall be concluded for an initial period of 12 months, with the possibility of extension subject to satisfactory performance, continued organizational need, and availability of funds. The estimated (indicative, non-binding) start date is 1 September 2026.

5. Financial Offer

• The price shall be quoted in EUR and shall be all-inclusive, covering: heating, electricity, water, maintenance, internet, and any other applicable administrative charges or taxes.
• The price shall be broken down and presented separately as: (i) price excluding VAT; (ii) VAT amount; (iii) price including VAT.
• Bidders shall indicate whether they are able to apply a 0% VAT rate in the event this becomes applicable under the organization's status in the Republic of Moldova. Inability to apply 0% VAT shall not, by itself, disqualify an offer, but shall be reflected transparently in the financial comparison.
• Prices quoted shall remain valid for a minimum of 90 days from the submission deadline, and shall remain fixed for the duration of the contract, except where otherwise agreed in writing.
• The proposed monthly rate must not exceed EUR 1,900.

6. Eligibility Requirements for Bidders

To be eligible, bidders must:

• Be the legal owner of the property, or a real estate agent/representative duly authorized under the laws of the Republic of Moldova to offer the property for rental;
• Hold full legal title or documented authority to rent out the proposed premises;
• Provide documentary evidence of ownership or legal authority to rent (e.g., property title, extract from the real estate register, power of attorney, or agency agreement);
• Guarantee availability of the premises for a minimum uninterrupted period of 12 months from the estimated start date;
• Not be subject to any exclusion grounds commonly applied under donor-funded procurement (e.g., bankruptcy, conviction for professional misconduct, conflict of interest, grave misrepresentation in supplying required information);
• Declare any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest with IMS staff or board members and confirm, by signed declaration, the absence of such conflicts, or disclose them if they exist;
• Agree to provide any additional clarifying information or documentation reasonably requested by IMS during the evaluation process, within a specified deadline.

7. Content and Submission of the Offer

Each offer must include, as a minimum:

(a) Administrative/Eligibility Documents

• Signed declaration of eligibility and absence of conflict of interest;
• Documentary proof of ownership or legal authority to rent;
• Contact details of the owner or authorized representative, including a single point of contact for the procedure.

(b) Technical Offer

• Exact address and description of the property;
• Confirmation of location within the municipality of Chișinău (and sector, where applicable);
• Total area in m², with supporting documentation (e.g., cadastral extract) where available;
• Floor plan or layout sketch, where available;
• Recent photographs of the premises (interior and exterior);
• Confirmed date of availability;
• Confirmation of availability for a minimum of 12 months;
• Description of compliance with each minimum requirement in Section 3, presented against a compliance checklist (Annex A, to be provided by IMS) to facilitate consistent evaluation.

(c) Financial Offer

• Presented on a separate standard price schedule (Annex B, to be provided by IMS), in EUR, broken down per Section 5.

Bidders must submit the technical and financial offers as separate documents/envelopes to preserve the integrity of the two-stage evaluation. All supporting documents must be submitted in Romanian; the financial offer must additionally be submitted in English. IMS will not consider offers received after the stated deadline, except where a delay is attributable solely to IMS.

IMS reserves the right to request clarifications or additional supporting documents from any bidder during the evaluation process, provided such requests do not amend the substance of the offer and are made on equal terms to all bidders placed in comparable circumstances.

8. Evaluation Procedure and Criteria

Evaluation will be conducted in two stages by an evaluation committee composed of at least three IMS staff members, none of whom shall have a declared conflict of interest with any bidder.

Stage 1 – Desk Review (based on submitted documentation)

Offers will first be checked for administrative compliance and eligibility (pass/fail). Offers passing this check will be scored against the following weighted technical and price criteria:

Based on combined technical and price scores at Stage 1, a shortlist of the 3 to 5 highest-scoring compliant offers will be established (the exact number depending on the total number of eligible offers received).

Stage 2 – Physical Site Visits

IMS will conduct on-site visits to verify and assess the shortlisted premises against the technical criteria in Section 3 and the information submitted. Site visits will be conducted under the same conditions for all shortlisted bidders (e.g., comparable notice period, same evaluators where feasible) to ensure equal treatment. Findings from the site visits may be used to adjust or confirm the technical scores assigned at Stage 1, and the evaluation committee will document the justification for any such adjustment.

The contract will be awarded to the compliant bidder achieving the best overall value, based on the combined weighted score of technical merit and price, as determined through this two-stage process.

9. Notification and Feedback

Following completion of the evaluation, IMS will notify the successful bidder in writing. Unsuccessful bidders may, upon written request, receive feedback on the general grounds for rejection of their offer, without disclosure of other bidders' confidential or commercially sensitive information.

10. Cancellation Clause

IMS reserves the right to cancel this procedure at any stage, without incurring any liability towards bidders, in circumstances such as: no compliant offers received, the underlying need no longer existing, or budgetary constraints, and will inform bidders accordingly.

11 – Submission Instructions and Contact

Offers shall be submitted by email to the following address: moldovaprocurement@mediasupport.org, with the subject line: "RFT IMS-05509 – Office Lease in Chisinau."

The deadline for submission of offers is 9th of August 2026, 23:59, Chișinău time.

Should any questions arise, please contact us at the following email address: moldovaprocurement@mediasupport.org.