Guatemala’s EPQ advertised an unusually large security contract

Katrīna Ozola
Katrīna Ozola
Writes on procurement data and what public records do and do not disclose. Based in Riga.
4 Min Read

At Puerto Quetzal on Guatemala’s Pacific coast, Empresa Portuaria Quetzal buys the systems and services that keep a working harbour moving. Its security, control and video-surveillance procurement sits alongside works, energy and maintenance, making this notice relevant to firms that sell both specialist technology and port infrastructure.

KEY NUMBERS
40.0M GTQ
The notice, as advertised
465×
The buyer’s median notice over 180 days
0.1×
Everything else it advertised in 180 days, combined

Across 241 other notices issued by EPQ in 180d, the median advertised notice was 86040 GTQ. That comparison gives suppliers a clearer baseline than the headline amount alone: the security and surveillance requirement is far outside the authority’s usual notice size, even though EPQ also buys major works and utilities.

The notice is not the largest listed EPQ procurement. A construction notice for a road connection with development areas was advertised at 112968159 GTQ, while the security contract sits below that outlier. Its importance is therefore not a claim that it is EPQ’s biggest purchase, but that it is exceptionally large against the authority’s ordinary notice level.

The comparison above places 40000000 GTQ beside EPQ’s median of 86040 GTQ and records the gap as 465 times. Reading the median alongside the headline amount separates a large, occasional procurement from the routine purchasing that surrounds it. Suppliers assessing market opportunity should make the same distinction before using one notice as a guide to expected contract size.

NoticePublishedValue
SISTEMA DE SEGURIDAD, CONTROL Y VIDEOVIGILANCIA2026-09-0140,000,000 GTQ
CONSTRUCCIÓN CALLE CONEXIÓN PASO DESNIVEL CON ÁREAS DE DESAR2026-06-04112,968,159 GTQ
SUMINISTRO DE ENERGÍA ELÉCTRICA Y POTENCIA2026-06-09108,300,000 GTQ
AMPLIACIÓN MUELLE COMERCIAL, PUERTO QUETZAL (URBANIZACIÓN)2026-05-0471,002,245 GTQ
SUMINISTRO DE ENERGÍA ELÉCTRICA Y POTENCIA2026-04-3063,031,025 GTQ
MANTENIMIENTO PREVENTIVO, PREDICTIVO Y CORRECTIVO PARA EL SI2026-08-0317,371,541 GTQ
Advertised values in GTQ, this buyer only. Framework ceilings excluded.

This is an advertised value, not an awarded value, and framework ceilings are excluded. The notice was published on 2026-09-01 and closed on 2026-09-01, so firms examining a similar opportunity need to distinguish the planned amount from the eventual award and check the timetable at notice stage. The procurement title also signals that technical compliance, security systems and video surveillance are central to the requirement.

EPQ’s security notice is 465 times its median advertised notice, but the amount is not an awarded value.

WHY IT MATTERS

For suppliers, the useful signal is the distance between an authority’s normal notice size and a single specialist procurement. EPQ’s 40000000 GTQ advertisement is 465 times its 86040 GTQ median, but it should not be treated as evidence of an award, repeat business or a permanent change in buying volume. The mechanism is transferable: compare the advertised requirement with the buyer’s notice median, then verify award information and deadlines separately.


Data: Otnox — live procurement intelligence across 56 markets. Basis: 242 distinct priced notices published by EMPRESA PORTUARIA QUETZAL -EPQ- in the last 180 days, values as advertised, 2026-04-01..2026-09-28. Reproducible in the Otnox platform.

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Writes on procurement data and what public records do and do not disclose. Based in Riga.
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