In brief
The Federal Procurement Office (ONC in the Spanish acronym) issued Provision 52/2026 (“Provision”), which regulates the registration and qualification requirements that must be met by parties interested in participating in public auctions aimed at implementing the privatization processes provided for in Law 27,742 on Foundations and Starting Points for the Freedom of Argentines (“Bases Law”) and Law 23,696 on Government Reform. The Provision entered into force on 30 July 2026.
In focus
This Provision falls within the framework of the privatization process promoted by the Bases Law, which declared various state-owned companies subject to total or partial privatization and authorized the Federal Executive Branch to carry out such processes through the mechanisms set forth in the Government Reform Law. The companies and entities covered by these mechanisms include, among others, Energía Argentina S.A. (ENARSA), Agua y Saneamientos Argentinos S.A. (AySA), Belgrano Cargas y Logística S.A., and Nucleoeléctrica Argentina S.A. (NASA).
On this regulatory basis, the Federal Executive Branch has been promoting various procedures for the sale, concession, and transfer of assets through the mechanisms provided for in Law 23,696 on Government Reform. Among the procedures authorized by this law is the public auction, the electronic implementation of which was expressly provided for under Executive Order 416/2025 through the use of the SUBAST.AR platform.
In this context, the purpose of this Provision is to establish the operational conditions for the participation of individuals and legal entities in public auctions related to privatizations. In particular, the regulation stipulates that interested parties must be previously registered and validated in the “Privatizations—Laws Nos. 27,742 and 23,696” module of the CONTRAT.AR platform, in accordance with the procedure approved by ONC Provision 29/2025.
The Provision also stipulates that, in order to operate effectively on SUBAST.AR, interested parties must register as bidders on that platform. However, it introduces a significant exception for suppliers registered in the Supplier Information System (SIPRO in the Spanish acronym), who, once they have completed registration in the CONTRAT.AR privatization module, will be exempt from undergoing additional validation on SUBAST.AR.
From a practical perspective, the Provision does not introduce substantial changes to the privatization regime or to the mechanisms for valuing or awarding state assets. Its significance lies in the creation of a unified electronic registration and validation system designed to reduce administrative burdens, avoid duplication, and facilitate the participation of potential investors in future privatization processes.
In this way, the aim is to simplify access to privatization processes, reduce administrative burdens, and strengthen the mechanisms for monitoring and tracking transactions. In particular, the interoperability between CONTRAT.AR, SUBAST.AR, and SIPRO reduces entry barriers for operators already active in the Argentine market and allows potential domestic and foreign acquirers to prepare in advance for participation in future privatizations of companies subject to privatization.
Download the Spanish version of Argentina: New Registration Rules for Participating in the Federal Government Privatization Auctions.