Leading players in the Spanish construction sector, including associations of construction companies and infrastructure concession operators, have begun negotiating with the government to reform how public works are procured. After this initiative was publicly discussed in February, major players strengthened their positions. Ignacio Clopés, head of Ferrovial’s construction division, emphasized during the first Infrastructure Forum hosted by El Economista that the contract system should consider not only economic factors but also technical requirements, ESG criteria and aspects such as occupational safety, signaling a broader approach to project selection.
OHLA chief executive José Antonio Fernández Gallar added that the Anglo-Saxon model has shifted away from traditional auctions toward joint projects. He explained that a target price for a project is compared across firms in Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom and Ireland, while the technical capacity of each company is made available to the administration for evaluation.
return of concessions
Another key demand from the leading construction groups is to restore the concession mechanism as a tool for delivering public works in Spain. The argument is that much needed work can be tackled through concessions, which would not be bound to the General State Budget and should be used as a principal development instrument, according to José Antonio Madrazo, director of FCC Construcción in Spain and Portugal.
In line with this view, the OHLA chief executive highlighted the benefits of the concession model: concessions can move money, accelerate timelines, optimize project delivery and meet requests more rapidly than traditional competitive bidding. He framed the concession approach as an alternative for infrastructure development with tangible improvements in people’s lives. The sentiment was echoed by Pedro Sigüenza, CEO of Sacyr Engineering and Infrastructures, who expressed surprise at the model’s decline in Spain and voiced hope that concessions would become a new industry norm.
Companies bets on concessions
Over recent years, many large infrastructure groups have shifted from a pure construction focus to a concession driven growth strategy. Fernández Gallar outlined the logic behind this pivot: concessions provide a stable income trajectory that is less tied to cyclical construction activity. With many companies publicly listed, market valuations tend to favor entities that operate under concession models, reflecting investor interest in predictable earnings and cash flow. When advantages accrue, a company can be deemed stronger than a builder alone.
Humberto Moreno, head of Acciona’s construction division, noted that many advanced markets view concessions as a standard approach, and the trend is to adapt models to reflect current liquidity conditions. He affirmed a clear commitment to pursuing concessions, arguing that markets can mobilize resources and secure jobs for the workforce involved in construction projects. These perspectives map a broader shift in the sector toward longer term, risk-managed delivery methods that align with public interests and financial stability. [Source: Industry Forum attendees]