Overview
- The government opened economic bids on Thursday and the consortium led by Rowing together with Transclor, Arcos and PHX offered US$340.2 million for 90% of AySA, outbidding Roggio’s US$285 million proposal.
- Both bidders delivered US$25 million bid guarantees and the tender has no reserve price so the highest monetary offer positions the Rowing group as the presumptive winner while formal adjudication and contract signing remain pending.
- The concession requires the winner to invest about US$1.94 billion in the first five years and roughly US$15.04 billion over the 30‑year term, plus meet specified increases in water and sewage coverage during the first decade.
- The top offer is roughly US$110 million, or 24%, below the Ministry of Economy’s ~US$450 million estimate, a gap that reduces expected fiscal receipts from the sale and sharpens scrutiny of the deal’s public‑finance impact.
- Concerns have been raised about vertical integration because Transclor, part of the leading consortium, has been AySA’s long‑time supplier of polyaluminum chloride since 2009 and could create conflicts if its group becomes both owner and supplier; the state will retain 10% of shares for workers under the participatory ownership program.