A scandal has erupted in Madrid involving 71-year-old painter Miguel González, who over the past eight years has secured a record number of maintenance contracts at Ramón y Cajal Hospital. Since 2016, his company has signed 1,641 contracts totaling 4.7 million euros. All of these agreements were registered as small contracts, allowing them to bypass open tenders.
González owns the company Pinturas Rosell, formerly known as Pinturas Miguel González. He claims to have worked with the hospital for about thirty years, with his company performing standard tasks such as painting rooms, fixing leaks, and renovating bathrooms and curbs. Despite having a modest staff—currently just 11 employees—the hospital’s orders have been consistent and substantial.
Contract system
In Spain, small contracts are intended for urgent or minor work and should not exceed 15,000 euros. For higher amounts, an open tender is required. However, in González’s case, orders were often split into numerous smaller agreements. For example, in just ten days in July 2021, his company was awarded 59 contracts totaling over 62,000 euros.
Public procurement experts believe that this scheme may violate the law. According to them, breaking up large orders into small contracts circumvents mandatory procedures and prevents other companies from competing. This raises questions about the transparency and fairness of budget spending.
Response and consequences
Questions about the procurement system have been raised not only by experts, but also by public organizations. In particular, representatives of Audita Sanidad stated that in Madrid’s healthcare system, almost all contracts are awarded through a simplified procedure. In recent years, around 400,000 such contracts have been signed, with a total value estimated at 800–900 million euros.
Regional authorities said that in 2024 they began changing the contractor selection rules for the Ramon y Cajal hospital. According to them, the goal is to reduce the number of small contracts and make the process more transparent. However, it remains unclear whether these measures will lead to real changes.
Personal opinion
Miguel González himself says he first started working with the hospital after winning an open tender in the 1990s. During the pandemic, his company received a large emergency order worth a million euros to renovate and paint the new intensive care unit. He now admits he is tired of constant orders and dreams of retiring. According to him, he no longer wants to continue working with the hospital.
González’s story sparked discussion not only among professionals, but also among ordinary Madrid residents. Many are wondering how one painter managed to get so many contracts, and why the procurement system allowed this to happen.
