Catalonia’s public administrations put out €1,714.1 million of public works tenders between January and June, a year-on-year rise of 2.1%, according to the Cambra Oficial de Contractistes d'Obres de Catalunya, the chamber representing public works contractors. The body said the figures show a “loss of dynamism” in public contracting and leave the total “far from the levels that would be necessary to reduce the accumulated deficit in infrastructure investment”.

For residents, commuters and businesses, that matters because slower growth in tendering means a slower pipeline for road, rail, airport and public building projects that feed into daily transport, housing and local services. The chamber’s warning comes after repeated complaints from the sector that Catalonia is still carrying a large backlog in infrastructure investment.

The chamber points to a “stagnation” in public works tenders and says the volume remains far below what is needed to reduce the accumulated infrastructure deficit.

The first-half result also marks a clear slowdown from earlier growth rates cited by the same sector. In the first quarter of 2025, public works tendering in Catalonia reached €779.4 million, up 12.5% year on year, according to reporting based on CCOC data. By contrast, in the first quarter of 2026, total tenders reached €803.3 million, only 4.1% above the same period a year earlier, with the chamber describing that as a slowdown in growth.

How the slowdown compares with earlier quarters

CCOC’s earlier quarterly reports show how uneven the market has been across administrations. In the first quarter of 2026, local administrations remained the main driver of activity, accounting for 44.9% of the €803.3 million total, while the Spanish government represented 26.8% and the Generalitat, the Catalan government, 25.8%.

That quarter, the Spanish government almost doubled its tender volume in Catalonia. Even so, contractors said it was rising from “very low” levels in previous years. State tenders had accounted for 14.33% of the total in 2025, worth €111.7 million, and 8% in 2024, worth €55.9 million.

In the first quarter of 2025, local government had also led activity, concentrating 46% of all tendering, or €359 million. The Generalitat accounted for 22.2%, or €172.7 million, while the Administración General del Estado, the Spanish central administration, accounted for 14.3%, or €111.7 million, despite doubling its volume.

  • First quarter of 2025: €779.4 million, up 12.5% year on year.
  • First quarter of 2026: €803.3 million, up 4.1% year on year.
  • January to June 2026: €1,714.1 million, up 2.1% year on year.

One of the largest individual projects behind the 2025 first-quarter total was the Pavelló Zero project at Fira de Barcelona, tendered by Fira 2000 for €124.8 million.

Contractors also flag weak competition and cost pressures

The chamber has linked the weaker pace in tendering to broader problems in the market. In its first-quarter 2026 assessment, it said 38% of works attracted only one or two bidders and complained about a high number of contracts being declared void.

According to CCOC, that reflects a gap between tender prices and the real cost of carrying out works, at a time of economic uncertainty and rising costs. The body called on administrations to update tender prices more quickly.

CCOC says the market is affected by a “disconnect between tender prices and actual execution costs” and by “low turnout” in bidding.

The chamber has also argued more broadly that construction in Catalonia is recovering slowly. Speaking in September 2025, CCOC president Lluís Moreno said construction activity in Catalonia rose by 1.7% in 2024, while GDP grew by 3.6%, and economist Rubén Gil said the sector was still 8% below 2019 production levels.

For firms that depend on public contracts, and for communities waiting on infrastructure works, the immediate next step is the publication of new tenders by local councils, the Generalitat and the Spanish government through their usual procurement channels. The chamber’s latest position is that faster tendering and better-priced contracts are needed if Catalonia is to close its long-running infrastructure shortfall.

Reported by Laura Casserres Capdevila, viaempresa.cat, ARA, Exa, cronicaglobal.elespanol.com, Albert Rigol, lavanguardia.com, Cristina Buesa, Pol Casaponsa Sarabia, Agustí Sala, El País, Àngels Piñol, Dani Cordero, Elsa García de Blas, Lluís Pellicer, Diari ARA.