MOP tenders consultancy for the fiscal inspection of the Coquimbo desalination plant

The Ministry of Public Works (MOP), through the General Directorate of Public Works Concessions, has opened the public tender for the advisory services for the fiscal inspection during the construction phase of the Desalination Plant for the Coquimbo Region, with an official budget of $6,364,000,000 (VAT included) and an execution period of 30 months. The notice appears in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile No. 44,567, dated Tuesday, October 6, 2026, Section IV, with the official reference CVE 2881104.

The call for bids is framed within the MOP policy based on the Public Works Concessions Law and corresponds to the fiscal public work “Concession of the Desalination Plant for the Coquimbo Region,” whose contract was awarded to Sacyr Agua S.L. via Supreme Decree MOP No. 15, dated February 9, 2026, published in the Official Gazette on April 11, 2026. The project seeks to ensure the water supply for human consumption in the Coquimbo-La Serena conurbation, with a seawater plant in the Panul sector, commune of Coquimbo, and a total production capacity of 1,200 l/s.

The tendered advisory service is added to the strategic environmental consultancy for the environmental impact study of Phase II, published on August 7, 2026, under reference CVE 2851668 (Mercado Público ID 2216-22-O126, BIP Code 29000644), confirming the progress of the concession schedule.

Requirements and category required for bidders

Only bidders registered in the MOP Consultants Registry who can prove the following may participate:

• Area 7: Inspections.
• Specialty 7.2: Hydraulic, Irrigation, and Sanitary Works.
• Category: First Superior.

The participation of consortia will be accepted, provided that each member is registered in the Consultants Registry and that, together, they meet the required areas, specialties, and categories.

Budget, term, and type of contract

• Official budget: $6,364,000,000 (six billion three hundred sixty-four million Chilean pesos), VAT included.
• Financing: Sectoral Funds.
• Execution period: 30 months.
• Type of contract: unit prices, in Chilean pesos and with readjustment.
• Identification: SAFI Code 417691 and Mercado Público ID 2216-23-O126.

Process calendar and acquisition of bidding documents

The notice establishes the following stages:

• Inquiries: three (3) business days from the publication in the Official Gazette.
• Responses: as stated in “Stages and deadlines” of the Mercado Público Portal.
• Closing for receipt of technical and economic bids: on the sixteenth business day counted from the full processing of the resolution approving the Clarifying Circular, at 10:00 hours.
• Opening of technical bids: one hour after closing, at 11:00 hours.
• Opening of economic bids: the business day following the expiration of the period for observations or claims, at 11:00 hours.

The bidding terms and background documents must be downloaded from www.mercadopublico.cl starting from the date of publication of the notice.

Concession Background

The project was organized into two components with independent environmental processing: Stage I - Production, which comprises the maritime works and the desalination plant, with its environmental impact study being processed before the Environmental Evaluation Service (SEA) of the Coquimbo Region; and Stage II - Conveyance and Storage, which includes a water pumping system of approximately 18,700 meters and two semi-buried reinforced concrete tanks of 4,000 m³ each. The General Directorate of Public Works Concessions is the owner of both environmental evaluation processes.

The tender opens a 30-month window of work for engineering and fiscal inspection consultants and sets the pace for the first large concessioned desalination plant in the Coquimbo Region, key infrastructure for the water security of the Coquimbo-La Serena conurbation.

Source: Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile, No. 44,567, Tuesday, October 6, 2026, Section IV (official reference: CVE 2881104).