The government of Puebla (Mexico) has launched a tender process to develop a museum project, the "Museo Internacional del Barroco", through the PPP model.

The project will be developed on a build, finance, operation and maintenance basis for a period of 23 years. The new museum will be design by Toyo Ito who won the Pritzker Prize for Architecture 2013. The preferred bidder will also be responsible of the museum equipment.

The new building will have a total of 18,000 m2. It will be divided into two main levels and basement, with a total of eight museum exhibition halls, two of them for temporary exhibitions and one for special collections. The project will also have restoration workshops, library, auditorium and service areas.

The investment amount for the project is estimated at P1400 million (US$107 million), of which the preferred bidder will invest a total of P650 million (US$49.6 million). The National Fund of Infrastructure will invest a total of P500 million (US$38.2 million) and the remaining P250 million will be invested by the Government of Puebla.

Interested parties must submit their proposals on or before 13 June 2014. The preferred bidder will be announced on 14 July 2014 while the construction is expected to start on 16 August 2014. The new museum is scheduled to be operational in April 2016.

The "Museo Internacional del Barroco" will have pieces from five different museums: Arte Virreinal, Alfeñique, Bello; Santa Mónica and the Museo Arte Popular Religioso Poblano. The new museum will also have pieces from Puebla's cathedral.

The tender process was published on April 24th in the "Diario Oficial de la Federación (DOF)" with the number FA-CP-APP-2014/001.