The Internal Trade Real Estate Company opened the tender for 16 disused state premises until November 28, with the intention of putting them into operation through private or state projects.
According to the newspaper Havana Tribune, Interested parties have, starting today, 7 business days to submit their proposals in sealed envelopes, with offers that must include personal data, name of the project, budget and, if applicable, the work project for repair or transformation of the property.
Properties such as “La Castellana” in Marianao, the “Cafetería San Agustín” in La Lisa or the “Cafetería Siboney” in Cotorro make up the list of rental proposals.
Some establishments are very small, such as “Carnicería La Torre” (Marianao), while others, such as “La Taberna” (La Lisa), have dimensions for a broader service or a greater influx of public.
Five months ago, in June, the Heritage Management Company SA, attached to the Office of the Historian of the city of Havana, launched a similar proposal aimed at public spaces on the Havana boardwalk.
Then, the entity considered the proposal as a “unique opportunity” for entrepreneurs to set up their businesses temporarily so that they would be part of the Malecón environment.
The leased plots could be used to install businesses linked to gastronomy, retail, recreation and cultural activities. In the bidding rules, published on the company websiteinnovative projects that generate jobs in the territory and promote social inclusion would always be evaluated, “with a positive projection in the community.”
Now, the Internal Trade Real Estate Company promises transparency and participation in the management of internal trade properties, “with an impact on urban planning and the economic development of the capital.”
Created in 2021, the Havana Internal Trade Real Estate Company manages more than 1,200 premises, areas and spaces rented to about 5 thousand clients, mainly self-employed workers, MSMEs and cooperatives, according to a report from Cubadebate last year.
Spaces on the Havana Malecón open to private entrepreneurship
Benito Jorge del Pino Reyes, Director of Development of the entity, then explained that the company was born without a history in this type of management and has had to “make its way by walking.”
Havana was the first province to implement this model that centralizes leasing with the aim of making it more efficient.
At least until 2024, the majority of clients were non-state, between 154 MSMEs and 98 cooperatives, in addition to thousands of self-employed workers. Among the rented spaces there are old stores in Old Havana, marketing areas under bridges and kiosks built on temporary land in peripheral municipalities.
According to the media, the process is regulated by public bidding: the premises are published, offers are received, a commission evaluates and the contract is negotiated with the winner.
Resolution 97/2021 allows temporary exemption from rent for those who repair the property, a practice that is already applied in several areas, explains Del Pino Reyes, who highlighted the recovery of emblematic premises in El Vedado such as La Carreta and Club 23.
