Chile schedules public work tenders for US$1.3bn in Aug-Sep

A total of 478 contracts worth nearly 1.24 trillion pesos (US$ 1.31 billion) are scheduled to be tendered in August and September by Chile’s public works ministry (MOP).

Most of the investments are concentrated in the MOP’s roadworks division, which has outlined 847bn pesos of works, followed by the rural water services office with 129bn pesos, according to documents from the ministry’s planning unit (Direplan) show. 

These contracts include construction works, consultancy and various kinds of studies.

Some of the largest projects to be auctioned in the coming weeks are:

La Grupa tunnel 2 (60.5bn pesos): This was originally scheduled for tender in June but was pushed back to August. The project involves building a 1,355m tunnel for route E-35 in Cabildo municipality, in Valparaíso region. Woks also include access roads for the new structure.

Route N-59-Q upgrade. Chillán-Yungay section (57.8bn pesos): Expected to be tendered during August, the works entail repaving a 59.9km stretch linking the municipalities of Chillán Viejo and Yungay in Ñuble region, as well as replacing 17 bridges.

Route 7 improvements. Hornopirán-Pichanco section (56.8bn pesos): This tender is planned for August. The contract entails paving a 35.4km stretch of route 7, known as the Austral highway, between Hornopirén and the fishing village of Pichanco in Los Lagos region, according to documents from the social development ministry’s project database (BIP).

Route R-86. Los Sauces-Traiguén stretch (54bn pesos): The tender date was pushed back from June to August. The project involves upgrading a 34.7km stretch between Traiguén and Los Sauces, in Araucanía region.

Route F-30 widening. Quintero access section (49.3bn pesos): This is expected to be tendered during August. It involves widening a 3.6km section of route F-30 near the access to Quintero municipality in Valparaíso region.

North coastal road improvement. Boyeruca-route J-60 intersection stretch (45.8bn pesos): The tender was pushed back from June to September. The contract involves building a 49.7km road between Boyeruca in Vichuquén municipality (Maule region) and the Mataquito bridge in Licantén. 

Route 21-CH improvement. Cebollar-Ollague stretch (43bn pesos): This was originally expected to be tendered in June and later pushed back to August. The project entails upgrading two road sections (15.5km and 29.1km) in Ollague municipality (Antofagasta region) near the border with Bolivia.

Route 1 improvement. Caleta Urco-El Loa customs office stretch. Sections I and II (39bn pesos): This tender is scheduled for September. The contract entails improving two road sections comprising 34km of a total of 51km between the fishing town of Caleta Urco and the El Loa customs office in Antofagasta region.

Route 27-CH improvement. San Pedro de Atacama-Jama border pass stretch. Section I (39bn pesos): This contract is scheduled to be tendered in September. It involves upgrading a 39.4km stretch of route 27-CH, which links the tourist town of San Pedro de Atacama (Antofagasta region) with the Jama pass on the Argentine border.

Route P-404 improvement. Curanilahue - Trongol Bajo stretch (33.5bn pesos): This tender is scheduled for September. The contract entails improving a 20.7km stretch of route P-404 between the intersection with route P-424 and the access to El Gringo bridge in Curanilahue municipality (Biobío region).

CONCESSIONS

The MOP’s concessions office has 15 contracts worth nearly 53.9bn pesos scheduled to be tendered in August and September.

Of these, all but one are consultancy contracts to provide advisory services to inspectors monitoring concessions.

The sole exception is a 2.67bn-peso contract to draft a feasibility study for a possible concession for an 83km section of route L-30-M between the city of Constitución and the intersection with route 126, known as Los Conquistadores, in Biobío region. This contract is expected to be tendered in September.