French multinational Veolia has emerged as the clear winner of the tender to manage water services in eight municipalities within the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB). Its bid secured the highest scores in both technical and economic evaluations, surpassing six other contenders.
The contract, set to last 25 years, will serve approximately 250,000 inhabitants across the municipalities of Cervelló, Corbera de Llobregat, Molins de Rei, La Palma de Cervelló, Ripollet, Sant Andreu de la Barca, Sant Cugat del Vallès, and Tiana. The estimated value of the contract exceeds 1 billion euros.
Veolia achieved the maximum possible score, 49 out of 49 points, in the technical assessment, outperforming the joint venture of Aqualia and Aguas de Valencia (45.3 points) and other bidders such as Saur (41.8 points) and Sacyr Agua (37.6 points). Their economic proposal also received the highest valuation, solidifying their leading position in what is considered the most significant water sector tender in Catalonia in recent years.
The company previously managed water supply in five of the eight municipalities now included in the new contract. In addition to service operation, the future concessionaire will be required to invest 168.7 million euros to modernize the supply and distribution infrastructure.
