Madrid, March 3, 2026 — Spain’s National Commission for Markets and Competition (CNMC) has proposed a set of measures aimed at improving competition in public tenders for state concessions covering regular passenger bus transport services.
The authority analyzed draft standard tender specifications prepared by the General State Administration (AGE) for public service concession contracts in the sector, following a request from the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility.
The specifications will determine the rules governing the contracts under which winning companies will be granted concessions to provide regular passenger transport services by road.
From the perspective of promoting effective competition and efficient economic regulation, the CNMC recommended dividing tenders into lots to facilitate participation, foster competition and ensure more efficient allocation of public funds. Where a single lot is proposed, the authority said the technical and organizational reasons should be clearly justified.
The CNMC also advised adapting the duration of concessions to the characteristics of each contract rather than applying the maximum term of ten years by default, and limiting the use of extensions.
Among other recommendations, the authority suggested reconsidering the obligation to assign a minimum number of vehicles, specifying objective economic criteria to determine the maximum age of vehicles, and restricting staff subrogation obligations to personnel directly linked to the concession.
The CNMC further recommended justifying economic and financial solvency requirements, reassessing the need to require prior experience for smaller or less complex contracts, and adjusting the weight and parameters of economic evaluation criteria in tenders.
The authority also proposed eliminating evaluation criteria based on perceived quality, exploring alternative ways to encourage the use of less polluting vehicles, and considering other transport modes such as metro, tram or rail when promoting intermodality.
The CNMC noted that it can issue advisory opinions either upon request from public institutions or on its own initiative under the law establishing the authority.
Source: https://www.cnmc.es/prensa/medidas-competencia-licitaciones-autobuses-20260303?back=news
