Paraguay's state electricity utility, the National Electricity Administration (ANDE), has opened the financial bids for two major electrical infrastructure projects to be executed under an operational leasing model. The proposals reached $42.5 million for the Autódromo Substation and $110.4 million for the Zárate Isla Substation.
For the Autódromo Substation, which was put out to tender on July 1, four consortiums submitted bids. The highest offer, at $42,599,219.13, came from the company Benito Roggio e Hijos S.A. Two consortiums, both named Aratiri, submitted bids of $42,528,914.84 and $32,350,000 respectively, while the TI Leasing Consortium (Tocsa S.A. and Implenia S.A.) bid $32,349,907.98.
The session was marked by cross-challenges. The TI Leasing Consortium accused competitors of exceeding the published maximum value by 20%, which it cited as grounds for immediate disqualification. Benito Roggio e Hijos S.A., in turn, questioned technical aspects of the other consortiums' projects, alleging that the land offered did not meet the required minimum size of 100m x 100m.
For the Zárate Isla Substation, whose bid opening took place on July 10, four groups also participated. The Itay 220 Consortium (Tecnoedil S.A. and Ocho A S.A.) submitted the lowest bid at $101.1 million. The highest offer, at $110,413,435, came from the CCR Zárate Isla Consortium (CIE S.A., Concret Mix S.A., and Rieder & Cía.). All bids came in below ANDE's estimated value of $149.4 million.
This process also saw technical disputes. The CCR Zárate Isla Consortium challenged other companies, alleging a lack of international certifications for equipment. The company T&C S.A. counter-attacked, questioning the documentation presented by two consortiums for substation modules and metallic structures.
ANDE defends the use of operational leasing as a model that allows for the incorporation of high-voltage infrastructure without resorting to direct public debt, transferring the construction risk to the private contractor, which is paid through periodic payments from the state-owned company. The Bid Evaluation Committees for each tender are now analyzing the legal and qualitative validity of the proposals and challenges before the final award.