US$400mn Mexico City viaduct PPP in limbo

Mexico City has rejected the only bid to design, construct and operate the 8bn-peso (US$400mn) Zaragoza elevated viaduct. 

The city’s finance ministry received the proposal for the public-private partnership project on July 19, tender documents released on government project tracker website Mexico Projects Hub show. 

The bidder was a consortium comprising Impulsora de Desarrollo Integral (Grupo Indisa), Gami Ingeniería e Instalaciones, Mota-Engil México, Promotora y Desarrolladora Mexicana de Infraestructura (Prodemex) and Desarrollo de Terracerías. 

Announcement of the winner was scheduled for October 5, but the ministry said the consortium's technical proposal did not meet the criteria to warrant the evaluation of the economic offer.

Mexico City has not announced a new plan for the PPP project, which was included in the national 2020-24 infrastructure program (PNI) in December. 

Overall, the companies’ proposals, analyzed in six different areas, received a score of 43%.

In the criteria of conceptual design and urban integration, the consortium received 0 of 10 points, two points in the constructive procedure, two for proposed traffic measures during construction, six points for the construction calendar, five points for the pedestrian control system plan and 15 points for experience. 

The tender call was published in the city’s official gazette on January 27. Over the year, the city has modified the tender calendar several times and failed to release the contest documents on time. 

Many details of the project remain unknown, given that the winner will also have to carry out the necessary studies and design. 

However, the elevated viaduct is planned start the Río Piedad viaduct in the center-east of the capital, running 12.7km to the highway that leads to Puebla city, according to the tender call.