A study by Intescia-Doubletrade reveals that deserted public tenders—those without bids or with proposals failing to meet requirements—have significantly increased since the pandemic. This phenomenon, driven by escalating costs, is substantially hindering public investment across Spain.
Nationwide, 9,819 deserted tenders were recorded on public procurement platforms, totaling 4.011 billion euros, an 86.1% increase from 2021. The average value per deserted tender exceeds 408,000 euros.
Andalusia ranks as the third autonomous community with the highest volume of unexecuted investment, reaching 458 million euros. This figure reflects the difficulty faced by administrations in finding companies to undertake projects. Although many of these contracts are re-tendered, their initial failure highlights the tension between public interests and market conditions. By province, Málaga leads with 168.3 million unexecuted, followed by Cádiz (89.9 million), Sevilla (71.2 million), Jaén (38.7 million), Córdoba (28.2 million), Almería (25.8 million), Granada (22.4 million), and Huelva (13.13 million).
Among the most notable projects that went deserted are the construction and operation of a parking building in Ronda, valued at 56.7 million euros, which was eventually awarded after a second tender. Also, the electricity supply and photovoltaic installation contract for the University of Málaga, worth 32 million, which was awarded to a UTE for 42.2 million after being reformulated. Other examples include the rehabilitation of a building for a university residence in Linares (Jaén) for 27 million, a framework agreement for suspended load handling services at Navantia Reparaciones Cádiz for 24 million, and the construction of a new administrative building in Cádiz for 15.4 million.
The list of failed tenders also includes the concession of land for a university residence in Málaga (10.7 million), the comprehensive care service for homeless people in Málaga (10.4 million), the rehabilitation of the old glass factory of La Trinidad in Sevilla (8.5 million), school cleaning services in Granada (7.8 million), and the management of the cafeteria at the University of Almería (5.06 million).




