Malaga's cursed Roman Theatre suffers yet another setback with extension project

The company, however, has failed to submit the documentation required by the tender committee, meaning this latest tender has once again been declared void.

This is the latest of recurring setbacks that began in 2020. At that time, the regional ministry of culture launched this initiative with an initial competition to design the walkways and viewing platforms that would allow visitors to see the monument's underground discoveries up close.

These archaeological discoveries form the backdrop to the monument, as they include both sections of 'opus spicatum' paving that belonged to the Republican-era thermal baths predating the construction of the Roman Theatre, as well as the remains of the garum production vats from a large Imperial-era factory that extended across this entire area once the theatre fell into disuse in the 3rd century.

In August 2020, the project was awarded to Unión para la Mejora de la Construcción for 14,250 euros and with a four-month deadline. However, technical objections delayed its final approval until March 2023, as the original design was amended on five separate occasions before the final version was agreed.

Then, the regional government launched a second public tender, this time to carry out the approved project, which, three years on, has already seen four failed attempts.

Consequently, the first call for tenders to find construction firms to build the footbridges was unsuccessful, as the budget set to cover the works (93,333 euros, including IVA) had been calculated prior to the war in Ukraine, which led to significant price inflation, particularly affecting the cost of building materials.

The outdated budget, combined with the specialised nature of the project led to only one tender, which did not meet the requirements and was rejected by the tender committee.

Despite the obvious problem with the financial cost, the Andalusian regional government attempted once again to award the contract for the project in 2024 without altering its financial bid. Once again, only one company submitted a bid, but the outcome was the same: the tender was declared void.

Following this second setback, the regional ministry of culture opted to commission the same Almeria-based company that had drawn up the project in 2020 to revise the document. This was completed in December 2024, including updated prices and a technical amendment to the walkways, which also required subsequent approval from the provincial commission for historical heritage.

Finally, in September 2025, the third call for tenders was published, with a budget of 147,318 euros (including IVA), representing a 58 per cent increase compared with the budgets in the first two attempts. To the surprise of the regional ministry of culture, despite the increase in funding, no company submitted a bid.

Using the same financial and technical criteria as on the previous occasion, the regional ministry of culture launched the fourth public tender in September this year and achieved a successful outcome, with one bidder. The committee approved the company, but asked for some clarifications regarding the documentation.

However, "the company cited various circumstances that prevent it from fulfilling the terms of the contract". The tender is once again void.

Following the evident lack of interest from companies, the project is set to undergo a further review, particularly concerning the financial terms, as the limited success of the last two tenders calls into question the update to construction costs carried out in 2025.

This failure is set to cause a further delay to this ill-fated project, which, for the time being, leaves the long-awaited extension of the visitor area at Malaga's Roman Theatre (the most visited monument in the Andalusian network in Malaga) without a set date.

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