Expansion of the Navarra A-15 Route and Its Tender Process
The General Directorate of Highways, part of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, opened the tender for the consortium led by a subsidiary. The project covers the Fuensaúco–Villar del Campo section of the A-15 motorway in Navarra, with the call published on the State Contract Portal. The bidding process drew attention from major players in the Spanish construction sector as it moved through the stages of evaluation and selection.
Officials indicated that the Ministry had initially planned an investment of 116.5 million euros for the works. Ultimately, the committed amount came to 99.18 million euros (inclusive of taxes) after profitable adjustments in the competitive bidding phase. The winning bid reflected a substantial discount, nearly 15 percent, applied to the future award when compared with the initial budget. The reduction demonstrated the competitive dynamics among the participating groups and the pressure to deliver value in large-scale infrastructure programs.
A consortium comprising Roads and Constructions, a subsidiary of ACS, and Padecasa submitted a bid that outpaced a wide field of 16 competitors in this tender. The lineup featured many of the country’s leading construction and infrastructure firms, including Ferrovial, FCC, Acciona, OHLA, San José, Ortiz, Lantania, Sacyr, Puentes y Calzadas, Azvi, Comsa, Copasa, Copcisa, and others. The competition illustrated the industry’s breadth and the intense bidding environment that characterizes modern highway projects across regions.
According to official documents, the combined team of Vías y Construcciones and Padecasa delivered the strongest technical proposal. While their technical score was high, the ultimate award hinged on the monetary offer. The bid from the consortium of San José and Zarzuela earned the highest technical score among the finalists but failed the price criterion due to a deemed incongruity or irregularity in the bid. Among the contenders, only the monetary offer from the Copisa–Murias–Rubau consortium surpassed the final bid that was chosen. The awarded venture, a temporary joint venture between ACS and Padecasa, achieved a near-perfect 99.99 out of 100 points on the evaluation scale.
Expansion of the A-15 Corridor
The A-15 project encompasses the construction of 15 kilometers of new roadway between Fuensaúco and Villar del Campo. The ministry stated in a press release issued after the tender announcement in July that the expansion would strengthen the Madrid–Navarra corridor and improve access to Soria and the Foral Community. The plan includes two major weigh-in stations: one near Aldealpozo (at kilometer 9.1) and another near Villar del Campo (at kilometer 14.6). The project also features three viaducts, 17 underpasses, and four pedestrian overpasses. All new structures will be designed to accommodate wildlife, supporting environmental goals and ensuring the permeability and connectivity of natural habitats. The surface will also be revegetated with native plant species to restore the local ecosystem and reduce disruption to the landscape during construction.
When fully operational, the A-15 is expected to play a pivotal role in routing traffic from Madrid toward Navarra, ultimately improving accessibility to the Foral Community of Soria and Navarra. The project is also linked to a broader continuity study of the Duero Highway (A-11) axis, extending from Soria toward Zaragoza and the northeastern segment of the peninsula. This broader planning context highlights how individual highway upgrades fit into a larger network strategy for regional mobility and economic connectivity.
Industry observers note that the tender process reflects a careful balancing of technical merit and cost efficiency. The collaboration between ACS and Padecasa demonstrated how joint ventures can leverage complementary strengths to meet stringent technical requirements while delivering competitive pricing. The outcome underscores the ongoing importance of transparent procurement practices and rigorous bid evaluation in delivering high-quality infrastructure projects that support regional growth and sustainable transport goals.