Argentina Preadsjudicates Paraná Waterway Concession as Losing Bidder Seeks Reopening

Overview

• The government has preadjudicated the 25-year concession for the Vía Navegable Troncal to a Jan De Nul–Servimagnus consortium after a technical review favored their proposal over DEME's.
• ANPYN set a minimum tariff schedule that both bidders matched in price, but Jan De Nul scored 66.20 on technical criteria versus DEME’s 42.14, which led to the award decision.
• DEME sent a June 5 letter to Economy Minister Luis Caputo offering to submit a private-initiative that would cap tariffs at US$4.77 per NRT and remove the US$5.78 floor, estimating at least US$2.5 billion in nominal savings over 25 years.
• DEME said the U.S. government communicated support for its offer and that the U.S. Development Finance Corporation has shown interest in joining, while the company also said it will keep its original bid active.
• The immediate question is whether the Executive will declare DEME’s initiative of public interest and order a reopening or change to the procurement, a move that would affect export logistics costs and draw diplomatic scrutiny.