Fabiola Martinez
La Jornada Newspaper
Sunday, November 23, 2025, p. 8
The National Electoral Institute (INE) will pay between 997 and 1,102 million pesos each year (from 2026 to 2031) for the production of the voting card with photography.
By 2026, manufacturing these documents would represent around 6.4 percent of the institute’s approved budget, plus associated expenses; For example, the operation of more than 800 citizen service modules in the country, where license applications are processed and INE personnel work, while the printing of credentials is external, via the awarding of a five-year contract.
Last Friday, the agency applied technical tests to the samples offered by the three companies that presented economic offers in the tender.
Of a dozen companies that presented their intention to participate, only three presented offers, as well as “evidence” that will be evaluated in two ways: 100 credentials will be analyzed by specialists from the INE and the same by a group from the UNAM.
The process will conclude on December 10 with the ruling of the international public tender for the production of the voting credential, which will come into force in June 2026.
The finalists are the following: Cosmocolor, SA de CV in joint participation with lcards Solutions SA de CV and Talleres Graphicos de México (TGM), which submitted an offer for 55.6 million dollars. TGM is a public company and depends on the Ministry of the Interior; It has recent contracts with the INE both in 2024 and this year, when it was the body responsible for printing just over 600 million electoral ballots used in the judicial election.
The second block, with a lower offer, of 54.2 million dollars, is made up of several companies headed by Litho Formas. This company, with experience in other government tenders for the printing of electoral materials, especially in the states of the Republic, is presented this time in joint participation with lndra Sistemas México, Toppan Security, Inetum España, Inetum México, Latin ID and DC Soluciones Tecnológica.
The third competitor is Veridos México, the current producer of voting credentials, with a contract twice extended until May 31 of next year; now presented the highest offer, with 59.9 million dollars, and was registered in partnership with Giesecke and Devrient of Mexico, and Gráficas Corona JE
The cost of each credential is 60 cents. In the documents under review there is no definitive number of credentials to be produced, although the floor is 84 million, while the ceiling is calculated according to the movements and size of the electoral roll, currently integrated with the records of 101.7 million citizens.
