Spain ramps up public contracts to record high before election

Spanish state agencies have awarded €28.494 billion in public contracts during the first three quarters of 2026, a historic peak. The most opaque procedure, negotiated without prior publication, accounts for €25.334 billion.

State spending on public contracts has hit a record. Central administration bodies allocated **€28.494 billion** to execute **43,275 contracting files** in the first three quarters of 2026, according to the Independent Office for Regulation and Supervision of Contracting (OIRESCON). This is the highest figure ever recorded for this period, an increase of over **10%** compared to the same timeframe last year. The timing is not neutral: general elections are scheduled for **November 29**.

## Negotiated procedures without publicity multiply

The most striking data lies in the breakdown. Contracts awarded through negotiated procedures without prior publication, which allow direct agreement with invited companies, total **€25.33449 billion** tendered so far in 2026. The comparison with previous years is overwhelming: **€1.82264 billion** in 2025, **€2.15235 billion** in 2024, and **€1.63697 billion** in 2023.

This procedure is the least transparent in public procurement, as it requires neither prior publicity nor open competition. Its concentration of the majority of the total amount turns the record into an issue beyond mere spending volume.

## A maximum surpassing any previous year

OIRESCON emphasizes that the figure far exceeds any estimate from previous years for the same period. The total of **€28.494 billion** has no precedent in the first three quarters of a fiscal year. The coincidence with the **November 29** electoral event adds an element of political scrutiny to the data.

These figures should be treated with usual caution: they are estimates from a supervisory body, and their definitive reading will come with the end-of-year closure.