The chair of the works council of the Consejería de Hacienda, Justicia y Fondos Europeos, Hugo Baldajos, on Thursday strongly criticised the extension of the security contract for the Centro de Responsabilidad Penal de Menores in Sograndio . He called it a “mockery”, saying that the administration had initially indicated that it would use an emergency procurement procedure, but had now switched to a standard tender process, citing the existing legal framework. The dispute was reported by Europa Press.
According to the department, the Consejería justified abandoning the accelerated procedure by its duty to follow proper procurement rules. In the statements available so far, the department did not say whether the current extension was intended as a short-term stopgap pending a new tender. No specific deadlines or dates were given.
The centre in Sograndio, a district of Oviedo, is Asturias’s facility for enforcing juvenile sentences. The dispute concerns the continuity of private security services and, consequently, the day-to-day operation of the institution. Baldajos is calling for transparency about the reasons for the U-turn and clarity on the duration and terms of the extension. His comments are union assessments; they are directed primarily at the administration’s procurement practices, not at the staff on site.
In recent months, trade unions have repeatedly highlighted pressures on shift schedules and operational problems. CCOO and UGT called for an urgent meeting with the Consejería at the end of September to discuss what they described as security shortcomings. In this connection, the administration referred to the contractors’ compliance with their contractual obligations and said it would pursue all legal avenues if necessary.
From a procurement-law perspective, the key question is whether the conditions for an emergency award were met, or whether an extension is permissible only within strict limits and for a fixed period. Public tender documents and procurement records set out durations, options and deadlines in detail; any departure requires legal justification. However, without precise, published deadlines, any assessment of the current interim arrangement remains provisional.
What is clear is that the matter has immediate practical implications for security and the orderly running of the facility. Politically, it is sensitive because it highlights the tension between legally sound procurement, continuity of critical services and the demand for transparent administrative practice. Further action by the Consejería and a possible timetable for the regular tender process will determine the course of the dispute in the coming weeks.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).