Setback for $17 million Road Works

For the fourth time in three years, the Office of the Comptroller General has found deficiencies in the hiring process being run by the UNOPS and has annulled the award of a viaduct to the construction company MECO.

Friday, April 20, 2018

Through a statement, the Comptroller General of the Republic (CGR) announced that it has finalised the appeal filed by FCC Construcción América S.A. against the act of non-objection of the contest promoted by the Unops for the construction of the work called "Social Guarantees Intersection and collector to the María Aguilar River, San José Costa Rica", ruling in favor of Constructora Meco S.A. for an amount of $17,625,113.37.

From a statement issued by the CGR:

The appellant company reported non compliance on the part of the companies Constructora Meco S.A. (contractor) and Constructora Hernán Solís S.R.L. (which ranked second in the evaluation system) in relation to the experience of the personnel offered for the project. 

The CGR determined: 

• In regards to the company Constructora Hernán Solís S.R.L.: it is ineligible in that it was not possible to prove that the professional offered to occupy the position of Technical Director for the work, has the minimum experience required in the tender conditions for said position. 

• Regarding the awarded company: the Administration must clarify the participation of the professional put forward to occupy the position of Resident of Work in the projects "Design and Construction of the Opening Boulevard Diego Holguín Santa Tecla, La Libertad Section 1" (El Salvador) and "Design and Construction for the Renovation and Widening of the La Villa - Las Tablas Highway, Province of Los Santos" (Panama) in order to determine if the effective participation of said professional in those projects and the conditions of their participation, allow these works to be used to accredit the minimum experience established in the contest rules. 

Read resolution (in Spanish).

¿Busca soluciones de inteligencia comercial para su empresa?

Are you interested in tenders in the region?

Receive daily alerts about major purchases by governments in Central America.

Find out more:









this site is protected by reCAPTCHA and Google's privacy policy and terms of service.
Need assistance? Contact us
(506) 4001-6423


More on this topic

Which Companies Built Public Infrastructure in 2019?

February 2020

Van der Laat & Jiménez, H3 Guatemala, Constructora Codico, Bagatrac S.A. and Constructora Meco are some of the main companies that last year won contracts to design and build public works in Central American countries.

An analysis by CentralAmericaData's Trade Intelligence Unit provides interesting data on the companies that in 2019 were favored with contracts to design and build government buildings, roads, bridges, streets, overpasses and other public infrastructure works in Central American countries.

The Cost of Hiding Information About Public Works

December 2017

In Costa Rica, the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic decided to cancel the contracts for two UNOPS road construction projects, after it decided to keep secret the files with the details of these contracts.

The decision by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) to hide the details of the contracts for the two road construction projects assigned to it by the National Road Council (Conavo) cost state coffers dearly. 

Costa Rica: Green Light for Road Maintenance for $206 million

August 2016

Rejecting the arguments put forward by three participants bidding for the construction work, the Comptroller has endorsed the contracts awarded to MECO, Hernán Solís and Quebradores del Sur.

The contract awarded to Constructora MECO is for $116 million, for Hernan Solis $76 million, and for Quebradores del Sur it is for more than $14 million.

Costa Rica: Highway Maintenance Contracts Canceled

August 2010

The National Comptroller's Office has annulled the award of 22 road maintenance contracts.

Nine companies had presented a total of 11 appeals against the decision to award contracts to the construction companies Hernán Solís, Meco, Quebradores del Sur and Orosi.

"The reasons include acknowledgement that the Costa Rican Highways Authority (Conavi in Spanish) was unable to state the calculations used in the award as private," reports Nacion.com.

ok