They grant the concession for the Palais de Glace and call for a public tender in twelve months

The National Executive Power has arranged to concede the headquarters building of the National Palace of the Arts (Palais de Glace), declared a National Historic Monument, and to call for a national and international public tender within a twelve-month period. The decision was formalized through Decree 1106/2026, signed on September 25, 2026, and published in the Official Gazette of the Argentine Republic on September 28, 2026, First Section (official reference: 348026).

The regulation is issued in exercise of the powers under Article 99, subsection 1 of the National Constitution and Article 1 of Law No. 17,520, which empowers the Executive Power to grant concessions for public works, infrastructure, and public services. The original file is EX-2026-65139795-APN-DGDA#MEC, and the decree further invokes the Base Law No. 27,742, Law No. 12,665 on the protection of monuments and historical sites, the Law of Ministries, and decrees 570/2004, 403/2005, and 713/2024.

Property Background

The building was declared a National Historic Monument by Decree No. 570/04, when it was identified as the headquarters of the “National Exhibition Halls,” with the main entrance at Posadas Street No. 1725 in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. Decree No. 403/05 replaced that designation with that of the National Palace of the Arts.

The property is subject to the regime of Law No. 12,665, whose immediate superintendence corresponds to the National Commission of Monuments, Sites, and Historical Assets, a decentralized body of the Secretariat of Culture of the Presidency of the Nation, which has already intervened in the file.

Scope of the Concession

Article 1 establishes that the building, located at Posadas Street No. 1725 and Avenida del Libertador No. 1248, will be the subject of a concession for:

• Enhancement, operation, administration, repair, expansion, conservation, and maintenance.
• Provision of services.
• Implementation of new complementary or accessory operations that contribute to its economic sustainability and are strictly compatible with the cultural character of the property.

The procedure aims for architectural restoration, functional enhancement, and proper management of the asset, in order to recover its material integrity, optimize its cultural functionality, and improve its operational efficiency. The operational activities and complementary services are conceived as instruments to finance the project and ensure its economic sustainability, guaranteeing the continuity of public use.

Who is leading the tender

The Ministry of Economy, through the Secretariat of Public Works, will concentrate the following powers:

• Carry out the call for National and International Public Tender, under the modality deemed most convenient.
• Approve the General, Particular, and Technical Specification Bidding Documents, the contract model, and all other process documentation.
• Qualify the bidders and resolve challenges to the qualifications.
• Issue the administrative act of award and sign the respective contract.
• Issue the acts and actions necessary to implement the selection procedure.

To this end, the Secretariat of Public Works will require technical assistance from the National Commission of Monuments, Sites, and Historical Assets. The Ministry of Economy will also issue the complementary and operational regulations to implement the measure.

Validity

Article 4 stipulates that the decree enters into force the day following its publication in the Official Gazette, therefore the twelve-month period to call for the tender runs from that date. The regulation bears the signatures of President Milei and Luis Andrés Caputo.

The transfer of the management of the Palais de Glace to a concessioned scheme under Law No. 17,520 opens a twelve-month process that will define the future of one of the country’s main artistic exhibition venues. For the cultural sector, the critical point will be the compatibility of commercial operations with the heritage character of the building; for investors, the approval of the bidding documents by the Secretariat of Public Works will mark the concrete moment when the tender is opened.

Source: Official Gazette of the Argentine Republic, September 28, 2026, First Section (official reference: 348026).