Policlinico Umberto I, the commissioner convenes the services conference on the project

The extraordinary Government Commissioner for the construction of the new Umberto I Policlinico Hospital in Rome, Rocca, has convened the decisive services conference for the approval of the Design Guidance Document and has granted a derogation from the Public Contracts Code. The act is Ordinance 21 October 2026 (Ordinance no. 2), published in the Official Gazette of the Italian Republic, General Series no. 254 of 31 October 2026, reference 26A05711, and is immediately effective. The deadlines for opinions are reduced to ten days from notification, and the single authorization is set within five days.

A unique work for the Capital and for the healthcare system

The ordinance justifies the tight timeline due to the entirely exceptional nature of the intervention: the new complex is defined as «currently unique for the Capital and for the regional healthcare system», as well as strategic within the framework of the National Health Service. Financial coverage is based on the Ministry of Health decree of 5 November 2024, which provided an amount of 1,000,000,000.00 euros, code CUP E85F24000370005, for the construction of the work, within the three-year investment plans of INAIL; the construction and direction of the works will be funded by the Institute, following the signing of specific agreements with the Lazio Region.

The administrative framework is the inter-institutional agreement signed on 27 February 2026 pursuant to art. 15 of law no. 241/1990 between the Lazio Region, State Property Agency, Municipality of Rome, Special Superintendency for Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of Rome, Sapienza University of Rome, and the Umberto I Policlinico Hospital Company. The Design Guidance Document (DIP), drafted by the State Property Agency – Design Structure, was transmitted to the Steering Committee on 28 July 2026 and approved in the session of 29 July 2026 together with the Feasibility Document of design alternatives; it then reached the contracting authority on 21 October 2026.

The derogation from the Code and compressed deadlines

The ordinance sets aside art. 38, paragraphs 1 and 3, of legislative decree no. 36/2023 and derogates from the terms of art. 14-bis of law no. 241/1990, exercising the powers conferred by art. 3-quater, paragraphs 1-ter and 1-quater, of decree-law no. 156/2025, converted by law no. 191/2025. The established schedule is as follows:

• transmission of opinions and determinations from the entities: ten days from the notification of the act;
• possible meeting via telematics: 5 November 2026 at 12:45 PM;
• single authorization by the commissioner closing the conference and approval of the DIP: five days from the deadline for opinions, subject to the indications of paragraph 1-quater of art. 3-quater;
• transmission of the measure via PEC (certified email) to the members of the Steering Committee.

The text justifies the compression due to the risk of having to rework the entire design in the presence of obstructive prescriptions, with «serious damage to public finances and implementation times», and the need to align the design with the operational and financial schedules of INAIL’s three-year plans.

The issue of cultural prescriptions

The Steering Committee had made the approval of the DIP conditional upon a favorable opinion from the Regional Commission for the Cultural Heritage of Lazio (Co.Re.Pa.Cu.). Following decree DSR-LAZ n. 276 of December 22, 2025, the Commission issued decree DSR-LAZ n. 134 of September 29, 2026, notified on October 5, 2026, which authorizes the revision but imposes limitations defined as «stringent» regarding architectural, structural, and archaeological profiles:

• unity of the design with respect to the recovery of the Policlinico’s historical buildings;
• authorization regime under art. 45 of legislative decree n. 42/2004, with specific opinions from the Superintendency on the executive projects;
• maximum height of the new volumes set at 30.40 meters, with differentiated development to mitigate the «unitary block» effect;
• conservative restoration of building 30 (former «Laundry»), instead of partial demolition;
• general approval for the demolition of parcel 66, the Infectious Diseases complex and «Giunchi» Hall, with the obligation to preserve walls, the portal, and the historical inscription;
• archaeological prescriptions, including the safeguarding of the area beneath the Urology building.

Previously, the Steering Committee had already mandated that the design be oriented toward the complete demolition of building 40 for reasons of structural and sanitary efficiency.

Commissioner structure and cost invariance

The Ordinance of October 12, 2026 (Ordinance n. 1) established the Support Structure for the Commissioner, composed of a maximum of ten personnel units from the Lazio Region and coordinated by eng. Wanda D’Ercole. The establishment and operation of the structure do not entail new or increased burdens for public finances, and personnel are not entitled to any additional compensation.

For Roman readers, what is at stake is the schedule of the new hospital: the services conference is indicated as the «only suitable institutional venue» for the final approval of the DIP, while the same ordinance allows for an appeal to the TAR of Lazio within sixty days or to the Head of State within one hundred and twenty days.

Official source: Official Gazette of the Italian Republic, General Series n. 254 of October 31, 2026 — Ordinance of October 21, 2026 (Ordinance n. 2), reference 26A05711.