Mexico's National Electoral Institute (INE) has launched a tender for the printing of over 94 million voter credentials through 2031. The contract is valued at 4 billion pesos, equivalent to one-third of the institute's total budget. Currently, this work is handled by the German company Veridos, but the presentation of new conditions has opened the door to new competitors. Among them is the Spanish company Indra, which is practically controlled by the Spanish government. In 2022, the State Industrial Holdings Company (SEPI), the public holding through which the Spanish government controls strategic enterprises, replaced five independent board members and gained full control of the board of directors. According to the company, this change benefits smaller firms with less experience in large-scale projects. It also criticized the awarding of extra points to companies with facilities in Mexico, despite being an international tender, and the requirement for a certification tailored to national printing houses and mints. The INE launched this major project's tender amidst a stalled public works context, with Pemex and CFE advancing slowly. Since then, the firm has come under political and judicial scrutiny in Spain due to its involvement in projects linked to Begoña Gómez, the president's wife. The merger between BBVA and Sabadell fails, and David Martínez faces a major setback in Spain. Amber Capital, a fund that controls the Prisa group (publisher of El País, a media outlet with a lenient coverage of President Claudia Sheinbaum's administration), is also among its shareholders. One of its board members, Carla Humphrey, told Reforma that there is concern over the conditions of this tender, which has been delayed for nearly three months and has seen changes in its requirements. The current provider, Veridos, has also questioned the procedure. Veridos also has a historical relationship with Carlos Slim, having installed traffic and toll management systems on highways operated by IDEAL for him a decade ago. Indra's presence coincides with a climate of tension within the INE itself. At the Clarifications Board, it was claimed that the INE reduced the minimum required experience: previously, contracts for over 2 million documents annually were required, and now only 200,000.
