More than €348 million was invested in energy-efficiency projects for public buildings in Moldova between 2019 and 2025. The Court of Accounts says the authorities lack a unified monitoring mechanism and indicators capable of showing the savings produced by the work. The finding has implications for how public buyers specify, track and assess energy-performance projects.
Investment covered public services
The funding came from Moldova’s state budget, as well as external grants and loans, according to Parliament. It was directed towards the energy renovation of schools, kindergartens, hospitals and other public buildings. The works included insulating walls and roofs, replacing windows, modernising heating systems and installing equipment designed to use less energy. For public buyers, this describes a procurement model in which construction and equipment contracts are intended to deliver both a physical renovation and an operating result. That result needs to be defined and measured if authorities are to compare projects and demonstrate whether the investment achieved its purpose.
Auditors found no common way to measure results
The Court of Accounts found that investment outcomes were not monitored sufficiently. Its findings included the absence of a single monitoring mechanism and of indicators that would allow authorities to establish precisely how much energy had been saved after the works. The issue is transferable across public-building contracts: awarding and completing a renovation does not, by itself, show whether energy use has fallen as intended. A common database and consistent performance measures can give contracting authorities, suppliers and funders a shared basis for checking results after completion, rather than relying only on evidence that works were delivered.
External loans were largely unspent
The audit also examined the use of external financing. Of the €72.4 million raised through external loans for energy efficiency in public buildings, €1.3 million had been used by 30 June 2026, described in the report as approximately 2%. The loans nevertheless generated costs: by the end of 2025, interest calculated under the Energy Efficiency in the Republic of Moldova Project had reached €223.5 thousand. These figures concern the financing and monitoring of the programme, not a finding that a particular supplier failed to perform. They underline why procurement planning, drawdown schedules and post-award oversight matter when projects depend on borrowed funds.
Recommendations focus on post-project evidence
The Court of Accounts recommended that the authorities create a database on the energy performance of public buildings and a unified mechanism for tracking investment results after projects are completed. Such arrangements would help connect contract delivery with the public value expected from the work: lower energy consumption and better-performing buildings. For bidders, clearer performance information can make requirements easier to understand and outcomes easier to demonstrate. For contracting authorities, the recommendation points towards records and indicators that can be used across schools, kindergartens, hospitals and other buildings, while allowing funding bodies to follow how their money is used.
| label | value |
|---|---|
| Investment period | 2019–2025 |
| Total investment | More than €348 million |
| External loans raised | €72.4 million |
| External loans used by 30 June 2026 | €1.3 million, approximately 2% |
| Interest at the end of 2025 | €223.5 thousand |
| Report examined by Parliament | 16 September |
Authorities lack a unified mechanism to evaluate investment results and the savings generated.
WHY IT MATTERS
Energy-efficiency procurement is expected to deliver more than completed building works. Authorities also need comparable evidence of energy performance and savings after completion. A shared database, clear indicators and consistent follow-up can help public buyers assess value, suppliers demonstrate results and lenders track how financed projects progress.
Reported from zdg.md, 2026-09-16. The Tender Wire is published by Otnox.
