Doing Business In Argentina

more limited and delivery is a growing sales tool. Home banking services are used by 2
million Argentines.
Joint Ventures/Licensing Return to top
Argentine legislation permits the establishment of temporary associations, equivalent to
"joint ventures", known as UTEs (Union Transitoria de Empresas). This is an association
of two or more individuals or companies that contribute assets to develop or perform a
particular transaction in Argentina or outside the country using Argentina as its base of
operations. The UTE can also perform work or render services that are supplementary
or accessory to its main purpose. UTEs (joint ventures) are not considered to be
companies or legal entities in their own right. Participants may be resident
businesspeople, locally constituted entities, or non-resident companies that have
established a separate branch or other type of presence in Argentina.
A contract must be signed and registered with the Public Commercial Registry at the
Office of the Inspector General of Justice (Inspeccion General de Justicia) in the Federal
Capital, or its provincial equivalent. The contract must contain the objective, term of
duration, name and other specific information regarding their partners' responsibilities,
financial contribution, and many other specific clauses. It must also provide for the
appointment of a legal representative in charge of management.
See below the different forms or structures local investment can take, whether as a "joint
venture" or wholly owned. (Also see Chapter 6: Investment Climate Statement, for
further information.)
Selling to the Government Return to top
Bidding on official government tenders requires a case-by-case analysis of the project
and government situation.
Federal government purchases are referred to as "compras y contrataciones de la
Nacion". These are classified in larger categories or subsections of the expenditure
budget: consumer goods (foods, textiles, office supplies, cleaning products, etc.); nonpersonal
services (basic services, rentals, maintenance, cleaning services, technical and
commercial services, advertising, traveling services, etc.); and fixed assets (land,
buildings, facilities, equipment, books, collectibles, artwork, intangible assets, etc.).
Public service contracts, petty cash purchases, contracts with foreign governments,
contracts with international public law institutions or multilateral credit organizations do
not fall under these categories.
Decree 436/2000, called "Rules for Acquiring, Selling and Contracting Goods and
Services for the National Government", establishes the rules applicable to federal
government purchases. Resolution 515/2000 supplements this decree through a manual
for describing such hiring of services. It can be downloaded from the following web site:
http://www.onc.mecon.gov.ar/pprSistContrataciones.htm.
This decree applies to all federal public agencies (including autonomous or
3/4/2008