Photo: Unsplash

By KELIN DILLON

Following multiple complaints lodged by companies that had been competing in April 2021 for the cleaning contract for the Mexico City International Airport (AICM), the two-year, 21.6 million pesos per month contract granted by the Mexican government to Iroa Real Estate Services, Tecnolimpuerta Delta, Joad Cleaning and Services, and Aseo Privado Institucional was suspended on June 29 after a ruling by the Internal Control Body of the Clarification Board.

The original 520 million peso contract was signed in April 2021 and set to last until April 2023 ahead of its cancellation, designating 280.9 million pesos for the AICM’s Terminal 1 cleaning services and another 239.9 million for Terminal 2.

However, this contract was ultimately canceled after the companies Tasefi, P&C Cleaning and Aquaseo filed appeals against the contract’s recipient and pointed out apparent anomalies in the contracts’ granting process, which ultimately led the April 2021 contract to be declared null and void.

Companies looking to replace Iroa Real Estate Services et al for the remaining 10 months of the contract have reportedly offered their cleaning services for as low as 13.7 million pesos per month – some 7.9 million pesos less than their predecessors.

The contract was similarly canceled as part of the AICM’s operations shifting to jurisdiction of Mexico’s Secretariat of the Navy (Semar), which noted that “if the contract continues, damage or harm may be caused to the entity.”