Effective on 1 January 2013, all the regulated enterprises in the energy sector will be required to use a unique procurement contract, as provided by a set of regulations adopted on Friday by the National Energy Regulatory Agency's (ANRE) Board. The regulations will be mandatory for all the procurement transactions whose estimated value without VAT exceeds 100,000 lei in the case of goods or services and 150,000 lei in the case of works. The regulations state that tendering procedures must be transparent and open to all potential providers of goods, works or services. The regulations also provide for the possibility of holding electronic auctions with automated tender evaluation options. The ANRE thinks that today the electricity, heat generation and gas markets are not competitive, and procurement transactions often take place in a non-transparent manner. For example, an ANRE audit of Moldovatransgaz's procurement activity found that the company purchased goods or services at prices by 240 million lei higher than average market prices. If it is found that the introduced procurement rules have been violated, with the result that goods or services have been bought at higher than average prices, the ANRE will not take into account these costs when determining the size of tariffs.