Análisis de la Participación y Transición de las Juntas de Acción Comunal Como Sujetos de Contratación Pública en Colombia (2021–2025)

Abstract

Community Action Boards (CABs) have, since their creation, been a fundamental pillar in the social organization of communities in Colombia. Initially conceived as mechanisms for citizen participation and community oversight, and consolidated as social actors within territories, these organizations have evolved alongside Colombian jurisprudence toward a broader and more decisive role in public management, becoming subjects of public procurement. This transition from social actors to counterparts of the State reflects a process of strengthening participatory democracy, in which communities cease to be merely beneficiaries of public policies and instead become executors of projects that directly impact their territorial development, thus acting as non-state public social actors. CABs have been consolidated as a bridge between citizens and the State, capable of executing small-scale infrastructure works and community projects through solidarity agreements, provided that the object involves the execution of works and that the value does not exceed the minimum contracting threshold of the contracting entity. In light of the above, this article analyzes the transition of Community Action Boards (CABs) in Colombia from social actors to subjects of public procurement between 2021 and 2025, using a quantitative approach based on data from the Ministry of the Interior and Colombia Compra Eficiente. The results show a general increase in their contractual participation, with greater concentration in certain departments and a predominance of direct contracting, particularly in public works and community intervention projects. This process has been mainly driven by regulatory changes such as Law 2166 of 2021, although there remains a strong dependence on traditional frameworks such as Law 1150 of 2007. Despite these advances, territorial gaps and technical and institutional limitations persist, restricting their participation in more complex processes, which highlights the need to strengthen their capacities in order to consolidate their role in public management and territorial development.