As announced by the Minister of Economy, Luis Caputo, andThis Friday the Government published in the Official Gazette the opening of the tender to sell 90% of the state company Aguas y Saneamiento Argentino, Aysa to private parties.
The state company in charge of providing drinking water to some 11 million users in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan AreaAmba will thus become the first public service company that will go to the private sector for management.
This process is framed in the Base Law, which declared Aysa, along with other companies, “subject to privatization”. According to Caputo, the Government considers that the move to private “will allow us to promote new and better investments, expand the network and improve the quality of service for millions of Argentines.”
This is one more step in the privatization policy of Javier Milei’s administration, that since coming to power began various processes to get rid of state companies.
What will the AySA tender for its sale be like?
Resolution 704/2026, signed by Caputo and published this Friday, authorizes the call for National and International Multiple Stage Public Tender No. 504/2-0003-LPU26 for the sale of all of the State shares in AySA, representing 90% of the share capital.
The tender has no minimum base price and will be processed entirely through the Contrat.ar digital platform. However, Market estimates for its final price are around US$500 million.
The remainder of the capital, 10% will remain in the hands of the company’s workers, members of the Participated Ownership Program. The resolution confirms that this percentage is not subject to sale.
Thus, as El Cronista advanced, The alternative of a sale in parts was left behind, with a majority shareholder who would keep 51% while the remaining 39% would be sold through public offers.
So, A single bidder will have total control of the company without private counterweights. This seeks to make the business more attractive and obtain more funds in a single operation.
Another relevant change established in the specifications is that only companies with specific experience in providing water and sanitation services may apply, a more restrictive requirement than anticipated, which would have allowed any public service operator in general to participate. Among the possible candidates are the Roggio group, the French company Veolia and Brazilian firms.
Schedule and conditions
The call must be published for ten business days in the Official Gazette, on the World Bank site “Dgmarket” and on the websites of the Ministry of Economy and Aysa.
The deadline for consultations on the specifications expires on August 12, 2026 at 10:00 a.m., and offers must be submitted until August 27 at 9:59 a.m. The opening of Stage No. 1 is set for that same day at 10:00 a.m.
The concession that the successful bidder will receive will be for 30 years, with tariff reviews every five years and the obligation to make investments without state assistance.
The State also makes it clear in the resolution that it will be the exclusive responsibility of the bidders to carry out the investigations and diligent analysis of the documentation available on the Contrat.ar portal, without admitting claims due to ignorance of the published information.
