ANTAQ Unveils Plan for Digital Bidding Platform for Concessions and PPPs

Brazil’s National Waterway Transportation Agency (ANTAQ) presented an initiative on Wednesday (Nov. 11), during the National PPP Forum in Brasília, to modernize bidding procedures for concessions and public-private partnerships (PPPs). The proposal involves developing a digital bidding platform in partnership with Banco do Brasil and the Investment Partnerships Program (PPI), which operates under the Office of the President’s Chief of Staff.

The presentation was delivered by ANTAQ’s Special Secretary for Concession Bidding, Ygor Costa, and Maurício Costa Filho, an adviser in Banco do Brasil’s Government Strategy Unit (UEG). ANTAQ will serve as the pilot agency for the project, which will adapt Licitações-e, a platform Banco do Brasil has used for public procurement processes for 25 years, to the specific requirements of concessions and PPPs.

ANTAQ was selected as the pilot agency because of its extensive experience conducting auctions. According to Costa, 74 auctions have been held in the port sector over the past decade. The project portfolio for the next government term includes 34 new auctions, among them four container terminal leases and four port access channel concessions.

Digital Bidding Platform to Offer Two Auction Formats

The proposed system is being developed in two formats. The first will allow bidding procedures to be conducted digitally while retaining an in-person session for the opening of bids and announcement of results. The second will allow the entire process to be conducted electronically, from start to finish, with a particular focus on smaller projects.

Expected benefits include lower costs, shorter bidding timelines, greater legal certainty and transparency. The platform will allow the different stages of the bidding process to be recorded and monitored, including bid submissions, the provision of bid guarantees and communication between bidders and the bidding committee.

The platform will also feature tools for tracking and auditing procedures, along with safeguards to protect confidential information during stages when confidentiality is required. The proposal also includes integration with Brazil’s National Public Procurement Portal (PNCP).

“This project offers significant gains in reliability, efficiency, cost reduction and speed. We hope that, once validated by ANTAQ, it can be adopted by other federal, state and local government bodies, bringing benefits to society as a whole,” Costa said.

ANTAQ has already selected the first pilot project to test the digital bidding platform: a terminal auction at the Port of Salvador. The first bidding notice using the new system is expected to be published in the first half of 2027. The agency aims to conduct at least three auctions through the platform during the year. The pilot will allow ANTAQ to test and refine the system before expanding its use to other government agencies and public entities.

Source: ANTAQ

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