The Economy pre-awarded the concession to Jan de Nul-Servimagnus and emphasized that the bidding will modernize the main route of Argentine foreign trade.
The Government of the Main Navigable Waterway took a decisive step in the privatization of the Main Navigable Waterway, one of the country's most important infrastructures, through which nearly 80% of Argentine foreign trade circulates. The Ministry of Economy reported that the bidding process was pre-awarded to the offer from Jan de Nul-Servimagnus, following a technical and economic evaluation conducted under the scoring system defined together with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
The decision marks the final stage of a key bidding process to modernize navigation, guarantee long-delayed works, and immediately reduce logistics costs for the exporting sector. According to the economic portfolio, the new scheme will allow for a cost reduction of around 13.5%, in addition to incorporating technology to improve the functioning of the country's main waterway.
The statement regarding the pre-award issued by the Ministry of Economy.
As a result of the final evaluation, the Government recommended awarding the contract to Jan de Nul-Servimagnus and dismissing the offer from DEME NV. Meanwhile, the proposal from DTA Engenharia was declared inadmissible because it did not meet the basic requirement of presenting the bid maintenance guarantee.
Prior to this stage, the National Agency of Ports and Navigation conducted a complete review of each step of the process. According to the official statement, that audit confirmed compliance with the bidding documentation, Argentine regulations, and the recommendations of international best practices formulated by UNCTAD.
During the various evaluation stages, the process did not receive any requests for challenges from the participating companies. Furthermore, the Government emphasized that the judiciary rejected all complaints that sought to halt or hinder the progress of the bidding, which ultimately strengthened the institutional validity of the procedure.
With the pre-award ruling, a final period of seven consecutive days is now opened for the submission of any formal challenges. Once that period is over, the Government will be in a position to move towards the definitive awarding of the contract, which will put an end to years of uncertainty regarding a strategic project for Argentine competitiveness.
During the first two stages of technical analysis, Jan de Nul obtained 66.20 points, while DEME reached 42.14. In the economic proposal, considered the most relevant stage because it defined 120 points, both firms offered the lowest possible price, which confirmed an immediate rate reduction for users of the navigable waterway.
Main Navigable Route.
The Main Navigable Waterway is central to agriculture, industry, regional economies, and foreign currency income. Therefore, the progress of the bidding represents a positive signal for the private sector, which has demanded predictability, works, greater depth, better signaling, and clear rules to operate at lower costs for years.
The process involved participation from private users, provinces, business chambers, civil organizations, specialists, and international bodies. The Government highlighted that both users and the UN valued the various participation stages and the transparency of each phase.
