Uruguay's public procurement

Management signals

Five measurements of how each state body buys: who the money concentrates on, whether awards come in bursts, how much is awarded directly, how long anyone had to compete, and how many price flags were left unexplained.

None of these measurements proves an irregularity. All of them have legitimate explanations: a hospital buying oxygen from the single licensed supplier concentrates 100% and is perfectly in order. A signal says only that the body sits among the highest on that dimension. It is a starting point for a question, never a conclusion.

Measured over awards from 11/08/2023 to 11/08/2026 · 268 bodies with at least 20 contracts

What each signal measures

Concentration in one supplier: Share of awarded money that went to a single supplier. An upper bound: the contract amount is not apportioned per supplier, so a shared award counts fully for each. Marked from 47% (top 10%) and high from 78% (top 3%).
Awards in bursts: How many times the body made 8 or more separate awards to the same supplier within one month. Counted once per supplier per month, so a body can accumulate several in the same month. It is the shape of contract splitting, and also the shape of a hospital pharmacy ordering often from one distributor. Marked from 19 (top 10%) and high from 72 (top 3%).
Direct awarding: Share of direct or exception purchases among the awards whose procedure could be resolved. Only 27% of awards carry a procedure, and nationally direct purchase is already 66%, so what matters is the position relative to the rest, not the number alone. Marked from 98% (top 10%) and high from 100% (top 3%).
Express bidding window: Calls whose bidding window fell in the shortest 5% for their own procedure. The threshold is per procedure because they are not comparable: an Abbreviated Tender never runs under 3.5 days, while a Direct Purchase runs a third of its calls in under 3. Marked from 11% (top 10%) and high from 32% (top 3%).
Unexplained overprices: Price flags that survived both the statistical detector and the automated review. There are about 70 in the whole corpus, so any concentration in one body stands out. Marked from 1 (top 10%) and high from 2 (top 3%).

268 bodies

Centro Departamental de Flores8937 contracts$ 256 M
- Concentration7.5%above 5% of bodies
- Bursts177above 99% of bodies
- Direct99.6%above 96% of bodies
- Express window11.9%above 91% of bodies
- Unexplained2above 97% of bodies
Worst month: 36 separate awards to S BIDEGAIN S A in 2024-04.
See this body’s 2 unexplained flags
Dirección General de la Salud19835 contracts$ 11,27 mil M
- Concentration14.5%above 32% of bodies
- Bursts399above 100% of bodies
- Direct95.4%above 87% of bodies
- Express window11.4%above 90% of bodies
- Unexplained3above 99% of bodies
Worst month: 260 separate awards to MURRY S A in 2024-05.
See this body’s 3 unexplained flags
Hospital de San Carlos4872 contracts$ 513 M
- Concentration12.6%above 24% of bodies
- Bursts72above 97% of bodies
- Direct98.9%above 94% of bodies
- Express window0.4%above 36% of bodies
- Unexplained2above 97% of bodies
Worst month: 27 separate awards to GASTROCLINICA S.R.L. in 2025-05.
See this body’s 2 unexplained flags
Centro Auxiliar de Nueva Palmira37 contracts$ 5,2 M
- Concentration95.9%above 100% of bodies
- Bursts0above 66% of bodies
- Direct100.0%above 100% of bodies
- Express window13.9%above 92% of bodies
- Unexplained0above 84% of bodies
The largest supplier takes most of the amount, out of 28 awarded suppliers: COOPERATIVA SOCIAL DE SERVICIOS PALMIRENSE.
Centro Departamental de Durazno1524 contracts$ 122 M
- Concentration17.0%above 40% of bodies
- Bursts6above 84% of bodies
- Direct99.6%above 96% of bodies
- Express window25.8%above 96% of bodies
- Unexplained2above 97% of bodies
See this body’s 2 unexplained flags
Centro Hospitalario Pereira Rossell8702 contracts$ 2,7 mil M
- Concentration6.4%above 1% of bodies
- Bursts119above 97% of bodies
- Direct98.4%above 92% of bodies
- Express window0.1%above 34% of bodies
- Unexplained1above 95% of bodies
Worst month: 32 separate awards to RESIMPEX S A in 2025-10.
See this body’s 1 unexplained flags
Hospital Maciel10772 contracts$ 2,15 mil M
- Concentration9.5%above 13% of bodies
- Bursts246above 99% of bodies
- Direct99.2%above 95% of bodies
- Express window8.1%above 85% of bodies
- Unexplained1above 95% of bodies
Worst month: 32 separate awards to SANYFICO S A in 2024-08.
See this body’s 1 unexplained flags
Instituto del Niño y Adolescente del Uruguay INAU2758 contracts$ 1,36 mil M
- Concentration22.5%above 60% of bodies
- Bursts31above 93% of bodies
- Direct77.0%above 57% of bodies
- Express window2.8%above 65% of bodies
- Unexplained5above 100% of bodies
Worst month: 24 separate awards to ORTIZ SCHNEIDER ESTEBAN RAUL in 2024-12.
See this body’s 5 unexplained flags
Dir.Nac.Cárceles,Penitenciarías y Centros de Recuperación1502 contracts$ 1,17 mil M
- Concentration29.2%above 75% of bodies
- Bursts5above 81% of bodies
- Direct93.0%above 80% of bodies
- Express window14.4%above 93% of bodies
- Unexplained5above 100% of bodies
See this body’s 5 unexplained flags
Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores1569 contracts$ 438 M
- Concentration16.2%above 37% of bodies
- Bursts19above 90% of bodies
- Direct83.9%above 66% of bodies
- Express window85.9%above 100% of bodies
- Unexplained0above 84% of bodies
Worst month: 14 separate awards to COBERIL S.A. in 2025-12.
Centro Auxiliar de Río Branco1793 contracts$ 92,5 M
- Concentration7.2%above 4% of bodies
- Bursts21above 91% of bodies
- Direct98.8%above 93% of bodies
- Express window17.2%above 94% of bodies
- Unexplained1above 95% of bodies
Worst month: 24 separate awards to POLAKOF Y CIA SOCIEDAD ANONIMA in 2025-12.
See this body’s 1 unexplained flags
Centro Auxiliar de Paso de los Toros30 contracts$ 66,3 M
- Concentration55.8%above 93% of bodies
- Bursts0above 66% of bodies
- Direct70.4%above 48% of bodies
- Express window38.5%above 98% of bodies
- Unexplained0above 84% of bodies
The largest supplier takes most of the amount, out of 19 awarded suppliers: COOPERATIVA DR. CURI.
Jefatura de Policía de Rivera1776 contracts$ 17,7 M
- Concentration7.3%above 4% of bodies
- Bursts33above 94% of bodies
- Direct100.0%above 100% of bodies
- Express window6.7%above 84% of bodies
- Unexplained0above 84% of bodies
Worst month: 18 separate awards to FIERRO VIGNOLI S A FIVISA in 2023-11.
Jefatura de Policía de Tacuarembó1562 contracts$ 13,3 M
- Concentration18.3%above 47% of bodies
- Bursts41above 94% of bodies
- Direct100.0%above 100% of bodies
- Express window0.0%above 33% of bodies
- Unexplained0above 84% of bodies
Worst month: 24 separate awards to LAGO DORVAL S A in 2024-10.
Jefatura de Policía de Flores1056 contracts$ 8,6 M
- Concentration13.3%above 27% of bodies
- Bursts31above 93% of bodies
- Direct85.7%above 69% of bodies
- Express window0.0%above 33% of bodies
- Unexplained2above 97% of bodies
Worst month: 15 separate awards to MULTIRUBRO S.R.L. in 2024-11.
See this body’s 2 unexplained flags
Administración de las Obras Sanitarias del Estado3964 contracts$ 50,74 mil M
- Concentration66.0%above 96% of bodies
- Bursts21above 91% of bodies
- Direct50.2%above 29% of bodies
- Express window1.0%above 46% of bodies
- Unexplained0above 84% of bodies
The largest supplier takes most of the amount, out of 830 awarded suppliers: SACEEM.
Worst month: 17 separate awards to NUEVA FRONTERA S A in 2026-05.
Intendencia de Montevideo43976 contracts$ 18,89 mil M
- Concentration18.2%above 46% of bodies
- Bursts847above 100% of bodies
- Direct91.6%above 77% of bodies
- Express window3.7%above 71% of bodies
- Unexplained0above 84% of bodies
Worst month: 431 separate awards to COOPERATIVA DE LAS ARTES DEL URUGUAY SUPLEMENTADA in 2024-03.
Banco de Previsión Social7156 contracts$ 6,58 mil M
- Concentration8.0%above 7% of bodies
- Bursts132above 98% of bodies
- Direct0.9%above 6% of bodies
- Express window6.6%above 83% of bodies
- Unexplained0above 84% of bodies
Worst month: 75 separate awards to MEDI IMPORT S.A. in 2025-01.
Dirección Nacional de Sanidad de las Fuerzas Armadas1680 contracts$ 6,13 mil M
- Concentration8.5%above 8% of bodies
- Bursts0above 66% of bodies
- Direct48.4%above 27% of bodies
- Express window0.0%above 33% of bodies
- Unexplained3above 99% of bodies
See this body’s 3 unexplained flags
Presidencia de la República y Unidades Dependientes489 contracts$ 6,05 mil M
- Concentration94.0%above 99% of bodies
- Bursts0above 66% of bodies
- Direct76.1%above 56% of bodies
- Express window1.3%above 51% of bodies
- Unexplained0above 84% of bodies
The largest supplier takes most of the amount, out of 232 awarded suppliers: SZABO SA.
Comando General del Ejército832 contracts$ 3,02 mil M
- Concentration14.0%above 31% of bodies
- Bursts0above 66% of bodies
- Direct60.7%above 39% of bodies
- Express window0.3%above 35% of bodies
- Unexplained3above 99% of bodies
See this body’s 3 unexplained flags
Centro Departamental de Paysandú1162 contracts$ 2,96 mil M
- Concentration84.3%above 98% of bodies
- Bursts0above 66% of bodies
- Direct91.4%above 76% of bodies
- Express window1.5%above 54% of bodies
- Unexplained0above 84% of bodies
The largest supplier takes most of the amount, out of 218 awarded suppliers: ROCHE INTERNATIONAL LTD.
Banco de Seguros del Estado9588 contracts$ 1,51 mil M
- Concentration9.5%above 12% of bodies
- Bursts158above 99% of bodies
- Direct3.0%above 8% of bodies
- Express window2.4%above 62% of bodies
- Unexplained1above 95% of bodies
Worst month: 102 separate awards to AMEWYL S.A. in 2024-03.
See this body’s 1 unexplained flags
Dirección Nacional de Transporte180 contracts$ 1,37 mil M
- Concentration98.5%above 100% of bodies
- Bursts0above 66% of bodies
- Direct71.4%above 49% of bodies
- Express window0.0%above 33% of bodies
- Unexplained0above 84% of bodies
The largest supplier takes most of the amount, out of 67 awarded suppliers: C I E M S A CONSTRUCCIONES E INSTALACIONES ELECTROM.
Comando General de la Armada2329 contracts$ 975 M
- Concentration6.6%above 2% of bodies
- Bursts7above 85% of bodies
- Direct66.5%above 45% of bodies
- Express window2.2%above 60% of bodies
- Unexplained6above 100% of bodies
See this body’s 6 unexplained flags