Mexico set to launch major infra tenders

The government of Mexico will launch in the coming weeks several of the biggest infrastructure tenders under the administration of President Enrique Peña Nieto, including the new Mexico City airport and the Mexico City-Querétaro high speed rail project.

The director general of the Mexico City airport group, Manuel Ángel Núnez Soto, announced in a press conference that at least 35 tenders for various works related to the new airport in Mexico City are being prepared.

These include ones for water projects, roadworks and ground services for the new airport, a project budgeted at 169bn pesos (US$12.5bn).

On Wednesday, the communications and transport ministry (SCT) will publish the new bidding rules for the México-Querétaro high speed rail link, a project budgeted at 50.8bn pesos.

In the coming months a tender is also expected to be launched for works at Querétaro rail station.

The Mexican government is confident that this year construction of the high-speed rail line can begin, after the original award was canceled last year.

To finance construction of the new airport, the federal government signed an agreement to acquire an initial credit of US$1bn.

To provide greater transparency to tenders and contract awards for the new airport, the government signed an agreement with the OECD.

Also on Wednesday, government procurement site CompraNet, which was suspended on December 24 to perform updates, is due to be back up.