According to a notice sent to bid participants on August 7, ONUR’s bid for the construction of the Cimislia bypass was deemed the most economically advantageous. The company was also deemed qualified and capable of performing the work, according to moldovalive.md.
The contract is expected to be worth 43.3 million euros, including a contingency fund. The estimated duration of the work is 915 days, or approximately two and a half years.
Four bidders participated in the tender. ONUR initially offered 44.16 million euros, but later reduced its bid to 39.43 million euros. The Turkish company ANT İnşaat Maden Sanayi offered 46.8 million euros, the consortium of Azerbaijan’s NWC and Moldova’s Nouconst offered 47.96 million euros, and Ukraine’s Avtomagistral-Pivden offered 48.9 million euros.
Thus, ONUR’s bid was nearly 7.4 million euros lower than that of its nearest competitor.
A decision on awarding the contract has not yet been made. On the official website of the National Roads Authority, procedure RSP/W15/02 remains in the “Bid Evaluation” stage, and a final notice of contract award has not been published. Thus, the document dated August 7 constitutes a recommendation to award the contract, not confirmation that an agreement has been signed.
Sanctions Following the Scandalous Ukrainian Tender
On May 21, 2026, the EBRD announced the imposition of sanctions for 3 years and 3 months against ONUR and its 53 subsidiaries. The sanctions include exclusion from EBRD-financed projects for one year and three months, followed by two years of conditional non-exclusion.
During the EBRD’s investigation, it was determined that an improper arrangement had been made to secure a contract for ONUR in violation of the bank’s procurement rules. The company admitted its guilt and cooperated with investigators, which, according to the EBRD, contributed to a reduction in the sanctions.
Ukrainian investigative media outlets identified the case as a €65 million tender organized in 2020 for the reconstruction of sections of the M-05 Kyiv-Odesa highway. The publication “Nashi Groshi” reported suspicions that ONUR representatives had learned the price offered by competitor “Avtomagistral-Pivden,” which allowed them to submit a bid approximately 100,000 euros lower.
Subsequently, the EBRD and the European Investment Bank revoked the company’s financing contract.
The EBRD did not officially classify this case as an attempt at bribery, but rather as collusion. Consequently, the attempt at bribery cannot be presented as an established fact in the absence of an official conclusion on the matter.
In response to a request for comment on the situation, Infrastructure Minister Vladimir Bolya stated that the tender in Chimishli was organized by financial institutions providing funding for the bypass road project. He emphasized that the Ministry of Infrastructure has no involvement in the tender or in the selection of the winning company.
Why wasn’t ONUR excluded from the Moldovan tender?
The notification of the evaluation results states that ONUR reported sanctions imposed by other financial institutions. According to the document, the situation was reviewed, but the sanctions do not apply to the current procedure, as the company was not sanctioned by the European Investment Bank (EIB), and there were no grounds for excluding it from the tender.
The Cimislia bypass project is financed by the EIB under the “Roads of Moldova III B” program.
The bypass will be approximately 7.4 kilometers long and is intended to divert transit traffic away from Chimislia, reduce traffic congestion, and improve road safety.
ONUR has previously carried out road construction projects in Moldova. The Turkish company built a section of the M3 Porumbei–Cimișlia highway, which was also financed by the EIB. The new tender may give the company the opportunity to continue this project.
