The first semester of 2026 is about to conclude and the Government of President Bernardo Arévalo enters its final stretchsince he only has a year and a half left in his management.
The Executive has a current budget of Q168 thousand 767 million 263 thousand 643.90, of which, as of June 15, it had executed 36.72%equivalent to Q61 thousand 973 million 597 thousand 91.20, according to official data from the Budget Transparency portal of the Ministry of Public Finance (Minfin).
Within the budget execution, to date, the central administration has awarded contracts to different companies and international entities for Q23 thousand 997 million 881 thousand 746.01 through the Guatecompras system.
Infrastructure, ports and health
The awards made by the Executive during the first half of 2026 are concentrated in infrastructure, ports and health.
In first place is the company APM Terminals Quetzal, which has been awarded an amount of Q820.47 million for the provision of maritime-port services with the Quetzal Port Company (EPQ).
In second place is the Government of the United States, with an amount of Q769.44 million. The main contract with that government is for exactly Q767 million to carry out studies for the construction of six priority road infrastructure projects. The studies, design and execution will be carried out by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (Usace) and the projects are expected to begin execution in 2027.
In third place is the company Construcciones Integrales Avanzadas, SA, with Q756 million 175 thousand 329.40, for two contracts with the Ministry of Communications, Infrastructure and Housing (CIV). The first corresponds to the improvement of the Concepción Tutuapa, San Marcos section, on the RD-SMA-52 route, for Q599 million 517 thousand 7. The second is for the maintenance of the priority road network for Q156 million 658 thousand 322.40.
In fourth place is the company JI Cohen, SA, with Q664 million 631 thousand 387.86. The amount corresponds to more than twenty contracts for the supply of different types of medicines to the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (Mspas).
In fifth place is the company Proyectos Generales y Construcciones, SA, with Q652.4 million for the awarding of three contracts with the CIV. The first corresponds to the expansion of a third lane on the Cito-180 ascent route, from kilometer 178, in Santa Cruz Muluá, Retalhuleu, to kilometer 213, in Zunil, Quetzaltenango, for Q459 million 996 thousand 400. The second is for the maintenance of the priority road network, for Q100 million 581 thousand 159. The third, for Q72 million 867 thousand 900 corresponds to the improvement of the San Rafael Guativil-San Cristóbal Cucho section, in San Marcos, on the RD-SM-28 route. In addition, it has a fourth contract for Q18 million 984 thousand 400 for the tree felling and pruning service with the Urban Development Trust.
It also highlights that The Mexican companies APCA JILSAB and APCA Structure Hospitalaria occupy sixth and seventh place, respectively. The first obtained the award for the design, construction and equipment of the Cobán hospital, Alta Verapaz, for Q615 million 576 thousand exactly. The second was awarded to the design, construction and equipment of the Mazatenango hospital, Suchitepéquez, for Q559 million 715 thousand 671.20.
The information and data from the Minfin correspond to the period of January 1 to June 15 of this year. According to estimates, the total amount of awards made during the first half of the year It is equivalent to 14.22% of the current budget.
Positive progress
TO criteria of Juan Carlos Zapata, executive director of the Foundation for the Development of Guatemala, (Fundesa), It is positive that among the main awards made by the Executive in the first half of the year are issues that are important, such as infrastructure and health, which they claim have had a “lag.”
“At Fundesa we appreciate that infrastructure and health have been placed at the center of the agenda; they are two of the most felt lags in the country and addressing them is essential for competitiveness and well-being. We recognize concrete advances in this semester: the activation of the emergency bidding modality under the Priority Road Infrastructure Law, the technical cooperation agreement with the United States and the beginning of processes for new regional hospitals,” he assured.
Zapata made an observation that “priority should be measured by executed results, not by announcements.” Furthermore, he considered that the underlying challenge continues to be execution and institutionality, since as of May 2026 the CIV had executed only 19% of its budget, and the DIPP – a key piece of the reform – is not yet fully operational.
Forced investment in infrastructure
According to political scientist Renzo Rosal, It is interesting to observe the priorities in the areas in which the Executive has placed greater emphasis on contracting and awards so far in 2026.
According to the expert, the increase in hiring, mainly in infrastructure, “does not respond” to the Government’s own priority, but rather to pressure from business and economic sectors. also from a strategic partner like the United States.
“On the issue of port infrastructure and general road infrastructure, it is not necessarily due to a government interest as such, but rather it would seem to be like pressure. I believe this investment is the product of pressure from various sectors, especially the business sector and also, why not say it, from the United States government, since it has placed importance on Guatemala getting its act together in terms of improving investment in infrastructure,” he stated.
Rosal also emphasized that part of the resources were used to pay the Usace pfor infrastructure studies, as well as for port and railway modernization projects.
Regarding the support that the US provides to the Government for the design and construction of infrastructure projects, Zapata said that this is a good sign, since the collaboration on the part of the Army Corps of Engineers of the neighboring country comes to provide technical capabilities and international standards at the highest level.
“The Government awarded US$100 million (about Q767 million) to the United States Army Corps of Engineers for the development of six priority road infrastructure projects, and even contemplates studies and conceptual designs for a railway system that connects Puerto Quetzal with a multimodal logistics station in Escuintla. The participation of Usace provides top-level technical capacity, international design standards and a strategic partner that strengthens the bilateral relationship at a key moment for nearshoring,” he assured.
The executive director of Fundesa reiterated that in the medium and long term, this support can substantially increase the quality of the studies and reduce the risk of cost overruns and delays that have characterized similar works.
On the topic of health
Regarding the awards made in the area of health, Rosal indicated that it is part of the initial priorities of the Executive, but that the investment does not translate into improvements perceived by the population.
“The problem in health is that investments are made constantly, but the improvement, the perception of improvement in the health sector is still not perceptible by citizens. Citizens still complain a lot about the precariousness of health services even though they are improving or investment in the field is increasing,” he commented.
For its part, Zapata stressed that it is very important that the Executive can make investment and changes to improve the Health system in the country due to the collapse of hospitals in different regions.
“We fully support it. These hospitals will replace buildings identified as at risk of collapse – among them the “Hellen Lossi de Laugerud” Hospital in Cobán and the National Hospital of Mazatenango -, which makes the work not only important, but also urgent. The Cobán hospital represents an investment close to Q567 million for more than 21 thousand square meters, and both Cobán and Mazatenango are scheduled to be completed in August 2027. For Fundesa, giving them agility to these processes is essential: every month of delay in health infrastructure translates into lives and quality of care,” he added.
In this regard, Zapata assured that “agility cannot be at odds with transparency or quality” and that it is necessary for these projects to advance quickly and well “with competitive processes, robust supervision and suitable companies”, precisely to avoid the delays and questions that have historically affected public works in the country. “Social infrastructure is as strategic as road infrastructure,” he concluded.