The stoppage comes after Gebta España, IAG7 Viajes and Nautalia filed appeals questioning different aspects of the specifications. The companies warn that certain requirements —especially in terms of prices, availability obligations and sanctioning regime— do not conform to the usual market practices and could limit competition. According to the appellants, the design of the tender generated a disproportionate degree of risk for the bidders, affecting the economic viability of the contract.

The employers' association UNAV has supported these objections, appealing to the need for contractual frameworks that preserve free competition and equal treatment, pillars that in its opinion were not sufficiently guaranteed in this call for tenders.

The challenge coincided with an unusual event in a contract of this size: no agency submitted a bid before the deadline. This generalized absence led the contracting body to consider declaring the procedure void. However, the TACRC's intervention puts any decision on hold until the merits of the appeals are analyzed.

Waiting for a resolution, the Administration maintains extension of the current contracts, a measure that will ensure the operational continuity of institutional travel until April 2026 or until a new framework agreement with revised conditions is convened and awarded.

The case opens a relevant debate for corporate and public business travel: how to articulate high-volume tenders in an environment of volatile costs, tighter margins and greater technological sophistication without compromising either competition or the economic sustainability of suppliers.

The TACRC ruling, expected in the next few weeks, will set the course for what is one of the most significant contracts for the Spanish travel agency ecosystem.