This decision follows the Contracting Board's resolution of an issue with the documentation submitted by the UTE, known as Ruiz-Barraqueiro. The problem, related to insurance accreditation for economic solvency, was rectified by the company within the three-day deadline, by submitting the required financial reports.
The award proposal to Ruiz-Barraqueiro comes after the rejection of other bids, including those from ALSA and Avanza, which were initially better positioned but were excluded due to flaws in their own documentation. Sources from the regional administration have confirmed that this proposal is definitive and not subject to further appeals.
“"Once the Contracting Board gave its approval to the documentation provided by the third-best offer, the contract for the tramway's operating systems in Jaén could be signed within a week."
The Minister of Public Works, Rocío Díaz, had previously stated during her visit to Jaén that, once the documentation from the third-best offer was approved, the signing of the tramway operations contract could be finalized in approximately one week. With the award, the next step will be the 'blank tests,' which involve verifying the service's operation (schedules, frequency, and stops) without passengers, a railway safety requirement before commercial exploitation.
Although Rocío Díaz has not specified new deadlines for the definitive launch, the contract award to Ruiz-Barraqueiro significantly brings closer the operational phase of the tramway system, long-awaited by the citizens of Jaén.
