Colombia Public Procurement Data: SECOP II 2025
Colombia public procurement data from SECOP II: 143,396 contracts with companies in 2025 worth COP 140.97 trillion. Who wins, how much, by which method.
Short answer: in 2025, Colombian public entities signed 143,396 contracts with companies, consortia and joint ventures in SECOP II, worth COP 140.97 trillion (USD 35.2 billion), across 3,081 buying entities and 44,088 suppliers. 51.6% of contracts were awarded through competitive methods and the rest through direct contracting or special regimes. Small and mid-sized suppliers signed 53.5% of contracts but only 22.2% of the value. All of it is in our Colombia public contracts 2025 dataset, US$299 one time.
This guide summarizes who sells to the Colombian government, for how much, and how to use the data to sell or to analyze competitors.
Quick definitions
- SECOP II: Colombia's transactional e-procurement platform, run by Colombia Compra Eficiente. Its data is published as open data on datos.gov.co.
- Competitive methods: public tender, abbreviated selection, reverse auction, merit-based selection and minimum-value procurement.
- Direct contracting and special regime: contracts without an open competition, allowed by law in certain cases or for entities with their own procurement rules (for example, public hospitals or universities).
- Consortium or joint venture (unión temporal): companies bidding together.
Colombia public procurement data: the 2025 figures
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Contracts with companies and consortia | 143,396 |
| Total value | COP 140.97 trillion (USD 35.2 billion) |
| Buying entities | 3,081 |
| Distinct suppliers | 44,088 |
| Contracts of COP 1 billion or more | 17,152 |
| Median contract value | COP 77,988,000 |
By quarter, signing grows toward year end: 26,894 in Q1, 32,170 in Q2, 34,992 in Q3 and 49,340 in Q4.
Procurement methods: competition versus direct contracting
| Method | Contracts | Median value |
|---|---|---|
| Direct contracting | 42,051 | COP 80 million |
| Minimum value | 36,360 | COP 29.6 million |
| Special regime | 27,379 | COP 120 million |
| Direct contracting with offers | 10,046 | COP 205 million |
| Abbreviated selection, lower value | 8,167 | COP 260 million |
| Special regime with offers | 7,496 | COP 242 million |
| Reverse auction | 6,828 | COP 270 million |
| Merit-based selection | 1,984 | COP 323 million |
| Public tender | 1,857 | COP 1,819 million |
| Public works tender | 962 | COP 3,046 million |
By value, competitive methods add up to COP 78.26 trillion and direct or special-regime contracting COP 62.71 trillion. Territorial entities (departments and municipalities) use direct contracting more (52.5% of their contracts) than national entities (39.6%).
For a foreign supplier this matters: if you only watch open tenders, you see a small slice of the market. Public tenders are few but large, while minimum-value and reverse auctions are the usual entry points.
Who wins: SMEs, large companies and consortia
- SMEs: 76,735 contracts (53.5%) worth COP 31.27 trillion (22.2% of value), with 21,595 suppliers.
- Non-SMEs: 66,654 contracts worth COP 109.70 trillion.
- Consortia and joint ventures: only 4,779 contracts, but COP 27.20 trillion; they are the vehicle for large works and services.
The market is concentrated at the top and fragmented at the bottom: more than half of suppliers (23,302 tax IDs) signed a single contract in the year, 2,718 signed 10 or more, and the top 1% of suppliers by value took 56.5% of the total. Only 29.3% of suppliers worked with more than one entity, which suggests many companies depend on one or two public clients.
Where the money goes
| Department | Contracts | Value (COP trillion) |
|---|---|---|
| Bogotá D.C. | 29,500 | 55.45 |
| Antioquia | 21,848 | 23.09 |
| Valle del Cauca | 9,904 | 8.72 |
| Cundinamarca | 9,479 | 4.54 |
| Boyacá | 8,516 | 3.51 |
| Santander | 7,018 | 4.11 |
| Caldas | 4,637 | 1.46 |
| Tolima | 4,444 | 2.10 |
By contract type, service contracts lead in count (44,399), while works (7,972 contracts, COP 16.85 trillion) have one of the highest medians (COP 183 million).
How to analyze competitors in 6 steps
- Find your UNSPSC code and search contracts by
codigo_categoria_unspscand keywords inobjeto(the contract purpose, in Spanish). - List the winning suppliers in your category with
proveedor,nit_proveedorandproveedor_valor_total_2025_cop. - Check their client portfolio with
proveedor_entidades_distintasand the list of entities. - Compare prices and methods. If competitors win through direct contracting, the relationship with the entity matters; if they win reverse auctions, price matters.
- Check their financial strength. Match the NIT tax ID with Colombia company financial statements for revenue, leverage and corporate contact. We explain it in Colombia and Ecuador company financial statements data.
- Pick target entities. Prioritize those that buy your category through competitive methods from many distinct suppliers: they are the most open to new bidders.
2025, 2026 or the regional file
| Dataset | Contracts | Period | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colombia public contracts 2025 | 143,396 | January to December 2025 | US$299 |
| Colombia public contracts 2026 | 48,600 | January to September 2026, COP 50 million or more | US$399 |
| Latin America public procurement 2025-2026 | 470,221 | Colombia, Brazil, Paraguay and World Bank | US$599 |
The 2025 file covers every method, including direct contracting, and holds about 95% of 2025 SECOP II contracts with a company tax ID. It excludes contracts with individuals and removes personal data of representatives and supervisors. It has 49 columns, including values paid, invoiced and pending, a USD value at the monthly average exchange rate, and a link to each process. For a regional view, read our guide to Latin America public procurement data.
FAQ
How much did the Colombian government contract with companies in 2025?
COP 140.97 trillion (USD 35.2 billion) across 143,396 SECOP II contracts with companies, consortia and joint ventures.
What share of contracts were direct awards?
69,430 contracts (48.4%) were signed through direct contracting or special regimes, and 73,966 (51.6%) through competitive methods.
Does it include contracts with individuals?
No. They were excluded to avoid personal data; the file only includes suppliers with a legal-entity tax ID (NIT).
Can I see the original process for each contract?
Yes. The url_secop column links to the process in SECOP II.
What format is the download?
CSV, Excel (.xlsx) or JSON, your choice, paid once with Mercado Pago or PayPal. You can see the schema and 25 rows for free without signing up and request 500 free rows by email.
Start with the sample
Open the Colombia public contracts 2025 dataset, look for your category in the sample and request 500 free rows. More sources are in our public tenders category.