The month of March will feature a series of 14 auctions on B3 (Brasil, Bolsa e Balcão: Brazil's official stock exchange) that are expected to boost national infrastructure, measuring market interest in major projects and potentially unlocking R$ 41 billion in private investments aimed at highways, basic sanitation, airports and the social sector.
The auction that defined the management of Campinas's public transportation system took place last Thursday (5th). The bidding provided for the division of operations into two lots: North and South. The company Sancetur (Santa Cecília Turismo) won the South Lot, which covers the East, South and Southeast regions, with neighborhoods such as Centro, Parque Oziel and Ouro Verde. It submitted a tariff offer of R$ 9.54, which represents a discount (difference between the value proposed in the call for bids and the winning bid) of 14.90% compared to the maximum value set in the call, of R$ 11.21.
The Grande Campinas consortium won the North Lot, which serves the North, West and Northwest regions, with neighborhoods such as Barão Geraldo and Campo Grande. The group made a tariff offer of R$ 9.49, a discount of 19.30% compared to the maximum established in the call, which was R$ 11.76.
After decades with the same operators, Sancetur and the Grande Campinas consortium will manage Campinas's public collective transportation for the next 15 years, with the possibility of extension for another 5. However, the management change is not immediate. A series of legal procedures must be completed before operations begin.
Besides Campinas, another highly anticipated auction is the Galeão auction. In 2013, the airport was acquired by the consortium between Odebrecht and Changi, and there was great expectation that there would be accelerated growth in the aviation sector. The winning bid in that auction was R$ 19 billion, a value that ultimately became unaffordable in a context of economic recession and pandemic.
Galeão International Airport is one of Brazil's main entry points for foreign visitors and ranks among the country's busiest domestic routes. The auction winner will assume management of the asset under new conditions, including the termination of the partnership with Infraero, which currently holds 49% equity stake.
Among other auctions scheduled for March are: the PPP for sewage services in Goiás, set for March 25th; the concession of Block 2 highways, which includes ERS-128, ERS-129, ERS-130, ERS-324, RSC-453 and ERS-135, conducted by the Rio Grande do Sul state government on the 13th; the auction of highways BR-251 and BR-116, conducted by ANTT (Agência Nacional de Transportes Terrestres – National Land Transportation Agency) on the 31st, among others.
