Competitive Dialogue Procedure

BELLA II is a regional initiative that aims to reduce the digital divide and support the development of the necessary infrastructure to consolidate and expand a digital ecosystem of science, technology, education, and innovation. It seeks to strengthen and expand the digital ecosystem of Latin America and the Caribbean, enabling relations and exchanges between companies, research centers, educational institutions and national research and education networks, which are aligned with the strategic objectives in education, science, technology and innovation from LAC and Europe. The project is co-funded by the European Commission under Contract NDICI LA/2022/ 438-964

The general objective of BELLA II is:

To strengthen and expand the Latin American and Caribbean digital ecosystem, enabler of relationships and exchanges between Latin American and European enterprises, research centres, educational institutions, and academic networks to contribute to achieving the region's strategic goals focused on strengthening education, science, technology, and innovation.

Specific Objective of the BELLA II Project Relevant to This Procedure:

To design, build and operate the digital infrastructure capable of guaranteeing adequate connectivity of Peru, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras with the rest of BELLA's infrastructure and, particularly, with the submarine cable connecting Europe with Latin America since 2021. Also, the project will allow the possibility of extending further, depending on the feasibility analysis, prioritization of the community and availability of economic resources to some of the following countries: Caribbean nations, Mexico, Belize, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

About this Procedure

 The contracting authority seeks partners to design, finance, co-invest in, deploy, and provide long-term maintenance and support for a fiber-optic telecommunications system with a minimum 15-year lifespan. This system will connect Peru, Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador to RedCLARA’s international backbone, with capacities of at least 20 Gbps in the Central American countries and at least 100 Gbps in Peru. The solution must follow a scalable approach that allows for capacity growth over time, and should also consider the possibility of transferring capabilities to other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

While the technical requirements (e.g., route corridors, capacity needs) are broadly defined, the RedCLARA seeks market engagement to develop innovative technical, funding, business and financial models. This procedure is part of a broader strategy to strengthen and expand the digital ecosystem of research and education networks in Latin America and the Caribbean, enabler of relationships and exchanges between Latin American, Caribbean and European enterprises, research centres, educational institutions, and academic networks to contribute to achieving the region's strategic goals focused on strengthening education, science, technology, and innovation.

The Tender will be conducted using a Competitive Dialogue Procedure according to EU Directive on public procurement and repealing Directive 2004/24/EC:

Publication Date:                         May 19th, 2025

Closing Date, first stage:              June 20th, 2025, at 23:59 UTC (GMT)

This publication is available in English only; nevertheless, responses will be accepted in either English or Spanish

Contracting Authorities:

                  RedCLARA:  Cooperacion Latinoamericana de Redes Avanzadas

How to participate

Please register by sending an e-mail to: bellaii.competitivedialogue@redclara.net

RedCLARA will have 24 business hours after the registration request to grant access

Once you are registered you will be able to download the documents through the:

BELLA II Competitive Dialogue process Webpage