The Ministerio de Obras Públicas, through its Dirección General de Concesiones and in coordination with the Ministerio de Justicia, has launched an international tender for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of a new penitentiary complex in Calama, Chile. 

The initiative, with an estimated official investment of UF 8,690,107 (US$9,633.68) excluding VAT, envisions the development of a new penitentiary complex spanning approximately 71,858 m² and designed to house up to 1,850 inmates. The facility will be built on state-owned land at the intersection of Route B-195 and Route 23 in the commune of Calama, El Loa Province, Antofagasta Region, Chile. The scope of the project includes the construction, operation, and long-term maintenance of the Calama Penitentiary Establishment.

The tender will be international and may be entered into by natural or legal persons, national or foreign, considered individually or within a bidding group, who meet the requirements and demands established in the Concessions Law, in the Regulations of the Concessions Law, and in the Bidding Rules. Bids will be received by the Opening Committee in a public session on November 24, 2026, at 12:00 PM, in the auditorium of the Ministry of Public Works, located at Morandé Street No. 71, 3rd floor, Santiago. The opening of the financial bids will take place on December 22, 2026, at 12:00 PM, also in the aforementioned auditorium of the Ministry of Public Works.