Transparency

ProMéxico is the Entity appointed by the Federal Executive by means of official letter No. OPR/015/09 dated January 23rd 2009, signed by Patricia Flores Elizondo, Head of the Office of the Presidency, as responsible for the organization and participation of the Mexican State in the “World Exposition Shanghai, China 2010,” where the topic “Better City, Better Life” will be addressed.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for our Pavilion’s Cultural Program, the theme of which is “Living Better.” Mr. Eduardo Seldner Ávila, Head of the Administration and Finance Unit of ProMéxico, was appointed General Commissioner of the Mexican Pavilion.

Design of the Pavilion

ProMéxico made the decision to invite the community of architects to the public and open "National Competition for the design of the Mexican Pavilion" through the notice announced in the newspapers Reforma and El Universal on January 9th and 12th and on the following 19th in the supplement Entre Muros. It should be pointed out that invitations and posters alluding to the merit competition were sent to 72 Faculties and Schools of Architecture of the Mexican Republic, to the College of Architects, to the Federation of Architects, as well as to State Ministries.

The registration of participants closed on January 23rd, 2009, with a total of 490 architects inscribed, estimating the participation of 1,500 interested parties. The following March 13th was the deadline for submitting design proposals. The procedure for delivery of projects was certified by Notary Public No. 60, who attested to the reception of 156 design proposals.

To select the winning design, prominent architects and experts in museography were invited. The Award Committee was made up of the following personalities:

Dr. Gerardo Estrada Rodríguez. He was General Coordinator of Cultural Dissemination UNAM and Director of the National Fine Arts Institute. He was elected by the members of the Jury as Chairman.
Carlos Mijares Bracho. National University Prize and a member emeritus of the National System of Art Creators.
Sara Topelson Friedman. Under Minister of Urban Development and Land-Use Planning, SEDESOL.
Felipe Leal. He was Director of the Faculty of Architecture and Coordinator of Special Projects of UNAM.
Mario Lazo. Ecotourism Architecture Prize 2008.
Miguel Fernández Félix. Director of the National Art Museum, INBA and President of the Mexican Association of Museum Professionals.
Eduardo Seldner Ávila. General Commissioner of the Mexican Pavilion at this Exposition.

From March 18th to 20th the deliberations of the Award Committee took place and the three first places were selected; the decision was announced on March 20th and it was published the following day on ProMéxico’s website. The selection process was certified by Notary Public No. 60 who attested to the events and to the winners of the Competition. The Award Ceremony was held on March 24th at 5:00 p.m.; at this event the ten finalist projects were presented.

Mexican architects Mónica Orozco de la Cruz, Moritz Melchert, Juan Carlos Vidals González, Mariana Tello Rodríguez, Israel Álvarez Matamoros and Edgar Ramírez Corrales, members of the SLOT firm, UNAM and UAM graduates, were the winners of the design competition for the Mexican Pavilion that will be presented at the Universal Exposition Shanghai 2010. The team from Mexico City were the winners of a 300,000-peso prize.

The architectural proposal divides the space into three levels:

The past with the visit to our pre-Hispanic roots.
The modern Mexico, which will display present-day cities and their daily life.
The third level shows the Mexico we want for future generations.

The second place, made up of architects from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Salvador Macías Corona, Alejandro Guerrero Gutiérrez, Margarita Peredo Arenas, Iván Orozco Plazota, Christian Delgado Ruiz and Alejandro Arias Bañuelos, won a 150,000-peso prize.

The 3rd place obtained a 50,000-peso prize, awarded to the team from Mérida, Yucatán, made up of architects Juan Carlos Seijo Encalada, Xavier Abreu Sacramento and Alejandra Abreu Sacramento.

With 4,000 square meters and the motto “Living Better,” Mexico will form part of this display of architectural avant-garde, urbanization proposals and sustainable development.

The national enclosure provides for a Business Center from which the promotion of trade and investment projects will be carried out; as well as a restaurant offering haute cuisine and a shop for typical Mexican articles.

Operation of the Pavilion at the Expo

In order to guarantee the State the best contracting conditions as regards price, transparency, efficiency, financing, etc., the institution took the decision to carry out, for the first time in the Federal Public Administration, a procedure of national public bidding for the Mexican Government’s participation in a Universal Exposition, in this case, Shanghai 2010.

On November 12th 2008 the Head of the Regulations Unit for Acquisitions, Public Works, Services and Federal Patrimony of the above-mentioned State Ministry was requested to include the contracting procedure in question in the Monitoring Program, for which purpose the following, among others, were provided: budget to be applied for fiscal years 2008, 2009 and 2010; strategic importance; high impact on the national and international community; description of the purpose of the project; presumption of opacity and partiality, as well as the establishment of requirements that limit participation; description of problems and critical route.

By means of an official letter dated November 20th, 2008, the Head of the Regulations Unit communicated to ProMéxico the inclusion of the project in the Preventive Monitoring Program, for which purpose she appointed Mr. José de Gracia Lara Salazar as the person in charge of the Committee, and Mr. Luis Eduardo Cabello Montes as the Coordinator of Preventive Monitoring, both public servants assigned to the Regulations Unit.

On November 27th, the Preventive Monitoring Committee was considered installed and among other decisions, it was determined to name the Person Responsible and the Technical Secretary on the part of ProMéxico and present a schedule.

The session of installation of the Committee was followed by the meetings held on December 3rd, 12th and 18th 2008, as well as January 13th, February 11th and April 2nd, 2009.

In accordance with the provisions of Article 31st, final paragraph, of the Law on Public Sector Acquisitions, Leasing and Services, on January 6th 2009 the Preliminary Bidding Conditions were published on ProMéxico’s website.

On January 16th, 2009, an information meeting was held with parties interested in participating in the public bidding in question, which was attended by the companies Corporación Interamericana de Entretenimiento, S.A. de C.V., Integradora de Servicios Interamericanos, S.A. de C.V., Globex Logistics, S.A. de C.V. and Landucci, S.A. de C.V.

On February 12th, the Specialized Section of the Official Gazette of the Federation published notice 002 of National Public Bidding 10251001-004-09 for the contracting of Administration Services for the services of development, execution, assembly, operation, maintenance and dismantling of the Mexican Pavilion at Universal Expo Shanghai 2010.

The decision of the Bidding was awarded on April 3rd 2009, the winning company being Creatividad y Espectáculos, S.A. de C.V.