Four companies won one in ten euros from 2020 Spanish emergency contracts
This procedure was used - with no bids and little monitoring or transparency - in 16,589 contracts totaling 6.445 billion euros. The vast majority went to the purchase of supplies such as masks, but officials snuck in public television concessions, swimming pool operations, Tasers and even camels for a Three Kings parade.
From 25 cents to 8 euros a mask, the price war that paid millions to middlemen
The Spanish Ministry of Health paid more than six euros for each swab for PCR tests. The autonomous communities and municipalities didn't escape the price spikes either. In one case, they paid more than 100 euros for a 5-litre jug of hand gel.
Transparency delayed: Officials published at least half of 2020's emergency contracts late
In situations like this pandemic, public entities can issue emergency contracts without opening a file, even orally. But they do have to comply with transparency rules afterward and publish the details within 15 days. In 2020, it took an average of 43 days. And some of them are not even published yet.
Thousands of public contracts fail to comply with the law to avoid competitive tendering
In the first seven months of 2019 alone, over 6,500 contract awards have failed to comply with the regulation that prevents public authorities from directly awarding several smaller contracts exceeding €15,000 or €40,000 to a single company.
The invasion of the €14,999.99 minor contracts
Almost 10% of contracts awarded for goods and services are for sums of between €14,900 and €14,999.99, the legal limit.
The Kings of Bricks and Mortar
Just 10 construction companies raked in 7 of every 10 euros allocated in the Official State Gazette (OSG) since 2009, in contracts for public works.
Who Is Paid For The Job? Search all public works contracts published in the Spanish Official Gazette since 2009
A journalistic investigation of Fundación Civio analyses and allows access to 8,052 contracts awarded in the last seven years, for a total value of 38,828 million.