Skip to main content

Colombia to award highway tenders

Colombia is due to award all the tenders for the second phase of the country's US$25 billion 4G highway plan by July this year, according to the country's vice president Germán Vargas Lleras. The next phase of 4G highway concessions will involve ten projects and require a total investment of US$7.96 billion. Offers are due to be received in May. So far five firms have prequalified for the first tender round: Spanish construction firms Sacyr and FCC; Mexico's ICA and Tradeco; and Chinese company Sinohy
January 19, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
Colombia is due to award all the tenders for the second phase of the country's US$25 billion 4G highway plan by July this year, according to the country's vice president Germán Vargas Lleras.

The next phase of 4G highway concessions will involve ten projects and require a total investment of US$7.96 billion. Offers are due to be received in May.

So far five firms have prequalified for the first tender round: Spanish construction firms 6074 Sacyr and 5656 FCC; Mexico's 4285 ICA and 4743 Tradeco; and Chinese company Sinohydro.

These groups had pulled out of the first phase of tenders for the billion-dollar highway plan reportedly due to concerns about the tender process and possible risks.

Their return "is a clear sign that the parent companies of these groups began to have more trust in the 4G program after the positive results of the first wave of tenders," Juan Martín Caicedo, president of Colombia's infrastructure chamber, was reported as saying.

The caution expressed in the first round has apparently waned after the government worked to improve the tender process and mitigate risks, Caicedo added.

BTG Pactual's managing director of project finance, Mauricio Gutiérrez, explains that some of the main risks for highway tenders like these include construction conditions, environmental issues, and the need to obtain all the land for the projects. In response, Colombia's government committed to taking on additional costs above a certain level.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Mexico’s Durango-Mazatlan highway sets tunnel safety standard
    September 14, 2016
    Mauro Nogarin looks at the management of the longer tunnels on Mexico’s Durango-Mazatlan highway. In recent years the National Infrastructure Fund of Mexico has increased investment in the installation of ITS systems on selected highways to increase road safety. One such major investment is the 230km long Durango-Mazatlan highway which is 12m in width and has an average speed of 110km/h.
  • Singapore’s transportation investment includes road network development
    January 11, 2016
    The construction industry in Singapore is expected to expand over the forecast period (2015–2019), supported by government investments in transport infrastructure, finds a report by Timetric’s Construction Intelligence Center (CIC). While addressing the housing needs for the middle class population and focusing on developing renewable energy sources, the government also aims to improve transport and tourism infrastructure through projects such as the MRT Masterplan–Cross Island Line, the MRT Masterplan–
  • MBTA chooses Cubic to deliver next-generation fare payment system
    November 22, 2017
    Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS) has been selected by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) to install a fare payment system for the region’s multi-modal transit system to allow payment flexibility for customers. The base contract award includes an approximate $575 million (£433 million) for implementation with ten years of operations and maintenance as well two five-year extension options. The agreement also involves a public-private partnership, in which Cubic and John Laing will
  • US closer to finalising a new reauthorisation bill
    January 25, 2012
    Pete Goldin talks with ITS America about the continuing efforts of US Congress to finalise a transportation reauthorisation bill and how this will impact the ITS industry