NOTIFICATION OF AWARD

Country: Republic of Moldova

Project: Moldova Higher Education Project

Project ID No.: P167790

Assignment Title: European accreditation agency to conduct the international accreditation of selected higher education programs of Moldovan universities, ensuring alignment with European Higher Education Area (EHEA) standards and practices.

Reference No. (as per Procurement Plan): MD-MOED-514138-CS-CQS

Method of Procurement/Selection: Consultant’s Qualification Based Selection (CQS)

1. The Consultants who expressed the interest:

• ASIIN Consult GmbH
• JV_ReadLab_ACQUIN
• AQAS E.V.
• The Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ARACIS).
• The High Council for Evaluation of Research and Higher Education (HCERES).

1. The Qualification requirements and basis for evaluation (evaluation criteria) are:

• General experience (40 points)
• Be a legally recognized European quality assurance/accreditation agency for Higher Education, listed in the European Quality Assurance Register (EQAR) or a full member of ENQA;
• Proven experience in conducting international accreditations within the European Higher Education Area (EHEA);
• Have at least 10 years of experience in program and institutional accreditation.
• Specific experience (60 points)
• Demonstrate a successful track record in accrediting study programs in fields such as data science, social sciences, psychology, economics, and creative industries (e.g., animation/game design).
• Have experience working internationally and in transition or developing country contexts.
• Provide a team of qualified experts with relevant academic and accreditation experience.

1. The Short-Listed Consultants: All companies that expressed the interest.
2. The overall technical scores and scores assigned for each criterion to each consultant:

1. Awarded Consultant: AQAS E.V., registration number: VR 17554 having its principal office located at Hohenstaufenring 30-32, 50674 Köln, Germany.

1. Contract signature date: February 27, 20256

Price: EUR 136.800,00

Duration: February 2026 – February 2027