Lula government spends R$374 thousand on carpets for palaces – 12/28/2023 – Power

The Lula (PT) government held a tender to spend R$374,000 on the acquisition of 12 carpets to give more Brazilianness to the palaces of Planalto, headquarters of the Executive, and Alvorada, official residence of the President of the Republic.

Carpets have different prices. The cheapest costs R$736 and the two most expensive cost R$113,000 each — both are made of nylon and measure 6.8 by 10.3 meters. The acquisition of the items was revealed by the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo and confirmed by Sheet.

In calling for competition, the government stated that the purchase is necessary to adapt the locations to the country’s culture.

“Bearing in mind that oriental carpets, which are currently used in the rooms and offices of presidential palaces, are not needed in civic spaces, a study was carried out on the types of materials used in the production of Brazilian carpets, as well as on the places and means originating from the manufacture of tapestry pieces in the country, aiming for greater visual integration between the building’s spaces”, says the text.

The Presidency’s press office stated that the pieces “are not for use by the current president but rather as Union assets, and are being replaced because the current ones are not in good condition.”

“In addition, they respect the standards and references of the official Palaces of the Presidency of the Republic. All pieces become part of the Union’s heritage and will be used by future heads of State who reside in the palaces”, he said in a statement.

The government also plans to spend R$156,000 on changing the flooring at Granja do Torto, the Presidency’s country residence, also in Brasília.

The GSI (Institutional Security Office) called for a tender for January to purchase R$109,000 worth of buttons to identify “presidential delegations at national and international events and trips”.

At the end of this year, an electronic auction — a public procurement model — had already been held to purchase R$282,000 in badges and vehicle tags.

In April, the government had already spent R$196,770 on five pieces of furniture and a mattress for the Palácio da Alvorada, as revealed by the Sheet.

At the time, a bed, two sofas and two armchairs were purchased from a store in a design and decoration shopping mall in Brasília. In another store, the government purchased a king size mattress.

The highest expenses were for the sofa with electric mechanism (reclining for the head and feet), which cost R$65,140, ​​and the bed, R$42,230.

When the report was published, Secom (Secretariat of Social Communication of the Presidency) stated that the purchase was due to the condition in which the palace furniture was found and reinforced that the furniture is now part of the Union’s collection.

“The absence of furniture and the poor state of maintenance found in Alvorada’s furniture required the acquisition of some items. The furniture acquired now forms part of the Union’s heritage and will be used by future heads of state who reside there”, said the ministry in a note .

“If the palace had not been found in the condition it was in, it would not have been necessary to purchase furniture,” he added.

During the beginning of his term, Lula and first lady Rosângela da Silva, known as Janja, lived for more than a month in a high-end hotel in Brasília.

At the end of January, Lula complained about not being able to move into the palace, saying he was “homeless” and that they hadn’t even found a bed in the presidential bedroom when they inspected the Alvorada.

In an interview with GloboNews, the first lady took a tour of Alvorada and said she found the place unkempt, broken and missing furniture.