Equipment to enhance governmental’ digital infrastructure (eGov & STISC)

Specific Procurement Notice

Request for Bids

Goods

(Two-Envelope Bidding Process)

Country: Republic of Moldova

Name of Project: Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Competitiveness

Contract Title: Procurement of a Dedicated Hosting Infrastructure (Equipment to enhance governmental digital infrastructure)

Loan No. 9423-MD

Credit No. 7174-MD

RFB Reference No.: MD-CEP-547274-GO-RFB

1. The Republic of Moldova has received financing from the World Bank toward the cost of the Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Competitiveness Project and intends to apply part of the proceeds toward payments under the contract for Procurement of a Dedicated Hosting Infrastructure (Equipment to enhance governmental digital infrastructure).

2.         The Project Implementation Unit of the World Bank MSME Competitiveness Project now invites sealed Bids from eligible Bidders for the delivery and installation of a dedicated, high-availability hosting infrastructure - comprising compute, storage, network, and cybersecurity components (including Privileged Access Management, Security Information and Event Management, and vulnerability management systems) to support the Qualified Trust Services of the Government Certification Authority (PKI) of the Republic of Moldova, together with associated implementation, training, warranty, and technical support services, to be delivered and implemented across two geographically distinct data centers (a Primary Data Center and a Disaster Recovery Data Center) operated by the Information Technology and Cyber Security Service (STISC) in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova. No margin of domestic preference applies to this procurement.

3.         Bidding will be conducted through international competitive procurement using a Request for Bids (RFB)  as specified in the World Bank’s “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers” World Bank’s “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers” dated November 2020 (“Procurement Regulations”), and is open to all eligible Bidders as defined in the Procurement Regulations that meet the following minimum qualification criteria:

1. Financial Capability: The Bidder shall submit audited financial statements or, if not required by the law of the Bidder's country, other financial statements acceptable to the Purchaser, for the last three (3) years prior to the Bid submission deadline (i.e., 2023, 2024, and 2025), demonstrating the current soundness of the Bidder's financial position. For a joint venture, this requirement shall be met by each member.

Minimum average annual turnover: The Bidder shall demonstrate a minimum average annual turnover, calculated as the total certified payments received for contracts in progress or completed, within the last three (3) years (2023, 2024, and 2025), of at least EUR 3,000,000.00 or equivalent.

For a joint venture, the sum of all Partners' average turnover amounts may be used to meet this requirement. In such case, the Partner in charge (leader) must have had an average annual turnover equivalent to at least seventy-five percent (75%) of the amount required for the most recent three (3) years, whereas the other Partner(s) shall have not less than twenty-five percent (25%) of the total requirement.

1. Specific Experience: The Bidder shall demonstrate that it has successfully completed at least two (2) contracts within the last five (5) years prior to the Bid submission deadline, each with a value of at least EUR 800,000.00 or equivalent, that have been successfully and substantially completed and that are similar in nature and complexity to the Goods and Related Services under the Contract (i.e., supply and installation of hyper-converged/virtualized infrastructure with integrated cybersecurity components such as PAM and/or SIEM, SOAR).

For a joint venture, this requirement may be met by all members combined.

1. Staff experience: qualification requirements for the personnel proposed by the Bidder, including education, certifications and professional experience for each position, are fully specified in Section VII, Schedule of Requirements, Technical Specifications and are assessed as mandatory minimum requirements.

For each proposed position the Bidder shall submit (i) a CV signed by the individual, stating the role performed, the responsibilities, and the start and the completion dates of the assignment; (ii) copies of the university diplomas of the proposed project team (iii) copies of the certifications relied upon; and (iv) a written declaration by the Bidder confirming that information.

• Project Manager: higher-education graduate holding a bachelor's degree; project-management competencies as specified in the Bidding document; at least 5 years' professional experience.
• Architect: bachelor's degree in computer science or IT engineering; the active certifications specified in the Bidding document, including CISSP and an internationally recognized trainer diploma, the active certifications specified in the Bidding document; at least 10 years' professional experience.
• Infrastructure and Automation Engineer: bachelor's degree in computer science or IT engineering; the active certifications specified in the Bidding document; at least 5 years' professional experience.
• Security Testing Expert: bachelor's degree in computer science or IT engineering; CEH, CISSP or CompTIA Security+ certification; at least 5 years' professional experience.
• Auditor: bachelor's degree in IT engineering, a technical field or economics; the active certifications specified in the Bidding document, including CISA, CISM, CRISC and CISSP; at least 5 years' professional experience and at least 5 system-audit projects.
• Cybersecurity Trainer (Instructor): bachelor's degree; active cybersecurity and trainer certifications (equivalent to or higher than CISSP, CISM, or GIAC GSLC, NSE7); at least 5 years' professional experience in cybersecurity and at least two references confirming delivery of similar courses; able to deliver the training in Romanian.

1. Manufacturing Experience and Technical Capacity: if the Bidder itself manufactures any of the items offered under the Contract (e.g., the HCI compute servers, network/security appliances), the Bidder shall furnish documentary evidence to demonstrate that:

1. it has manufactured goods of similar nature and complexity for at least three years, prior to the bid submission deadline; and
2. its annual production capacity of goods of similar nature and complexity for each of the last three years prior to the bid submission deadline, is at least 2 times the quantities specified under the contract.

Where the Bidder is not the manufacturer of an item, sub-paragraph (f) below apply instead.

1. Cyber Security Experience: Given the cybersecurity-sensitive nature of this Contract (PKI/trust services infrastructure, PAM, SIEM, and vulnerability management components), the Bidder shall demonstrate:

1. successful completion of at least two (2) projects within the last five (5) years involving the design, supply, and/or implementation of Privileged Access Management (PAM), Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), or comparable cybersecurity infrastructure (SOAR, etc.), of similar scope and complexity to the Related Services under this Contract; and
2. that the Bidder (or the subcontractor/partner responsible for the cybersecurity components, if applicable) holds a valid ISO/IEC 27001 certification (Information Security Management System), or equivalent, current as of the Bid submission deadline.

1. Manufacturer's Authorization: A Bidder who does not manufacture an item/s where manufacturer authorization is required in accordance with BDS ITB 17.2(a), shall provide evidence of being duly authorized by a manufacturer (Manufacturer's Authorization Form, Section IV, Bidding Forms), meeting the criteria in (d) above, to supply the Goods.
2. State Security Investment Screening: The Goods and Related Services under this Contract fall within the domains referred to in Article 4, letters (a), (b), and (j) of Law No. 174/2021 of the Republic of Moldova on the mechanism for examining investments of importance for State security, namely the operation of data processing or storage infrastructure, the operation of information technologies within cyber security infrastructure, and the security of public networks and information systems.

Accordingly, the Bidder shall obtain the prior approval of CEIISS for its planned investment/participation in this Contract, in accordance with Law No. 174/2021, before signature of the Contract (https://www.asp.gov.md/ro/informatii-utile/consiliul-pentru-examinarea-investitiilor-de-importanta-pentru-securitatea).

Where the Bidder is a joint venture, this approval shall be obtained by, and shall be required for, each member of the joint venture.

The Bidder (and, where applicable, each member of the joint venture) shall state whether it already holds such approval, attaching a copy if so, or shall submit confirmation that it has requested prior approval of the investment from CEIISS.

At the time of Contract Award, the Bidder (including each subcontractor proposed by the Bidder) shall not be subject to disqualification by the Bank for non-compliance with SEA/SH obligations.

4.         Bids will be evaluated in accordance with the evaluation process set out in the bidding documents. The following weightings shall apply for Rated Criteria (including technical and non-price factors): 50% and for Bid cost: 50%.

5.         Interested eligible Bidders may obtain further information from the Project Implementation Unit of the World Bank MSME Competitiveness Project, Attn: Mrs. Natalia Gorbatovskaia, Procurement Specialist, e-mail: procurementmgf@gmail.com; piu@mded.gov.md and request the bidding document during office hours 09:00 to 17:00 hours, Monday to Friday at the address given below.

A pre-bid meeting which potential bidders may attend will be held on October 15, 2026, at 14:00 (Chisinau time).

6.         The bidding document in English may be obtained by interested eligible Bidders free of charge, upon submission of a written application to the address below. The document will be sent by electronic mail.

7.         Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before November 11, 2026, 14:00 (Chisinau time). Electronic Bidding will NOT be permitted. Late Bids will be rejected. The outer Bid envelopes marked “Original Bid”, and the inner envelopes marked “Technical Part” will be publicly opened in the presence of the Bidders’ designated representatives and anyone who chooses to attend, at the address below (180, Stefan cel Mare si Sfant blvd., off. 815, 8th floor, MD-2004, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova) on November 11, 2026, 14:00 (Chisinau time). All envelopes marked “Second Envelope: Financial Part” shall remain unopened and will be held in safe custody of the Purchaser until the second public opening.

8.         All Bids MUST be accompanied by a Bid-Securing Declaration.

9.         Attention is drawn to the Procurement Regulations requiring the Borrower to disclose information on the successful bidder’s beneficial ownership, as part of the Contract Award Notice, using the Beneficial Ownership Disclosure Form as included in the bidding document.

10.       The address referred to above is:

Project Implementation Unit of the World Bank MSME Competitiveness Project 

Attn: Mrs. Natalia Gorbatovskaia, Procurement Specialist 

E-mail: procurementmgf@gmail.com; piu@mded.gov.md

180, Stefan cel Mare si Sfant blvd., off. 815, 8th floor,  

MD-2004, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova 

Phone: (+373 22) 29 67 23