The Ayuso Government directly awards María Pombo's cousin the design of the Sol reform for almost 60,000 euros

The Government of Isabel Díaz Ayuso has awarded, without tender and for almost 60,000 euros, the design of the reform of the Real Casa de Correos to the studio of Alejandra Pombo, cousin of the well-known influencer María Pombo. The contract was published this Friday on the Community of Madrid's Procurement Portal through a negotiated procedure without publicity.

The commission includes the design and drafting of the project, the technical assistance necessary to obtain licenses, and the subsequent facultative direction. The material execution of the works is left for a later tender, whose cost has been calculated by the Madrid Executive at around 1.65 million euros.

The Ministry of the Presidency presents the intervention as a "unique artistic performance" and argues that the historical protection of the headquarters requires resorting to a specific professional. The report concludes that the contract "can only be entrusted to Alejandra Pombo" due to the singular nature of her work and her experience in protected buildings.

The works will affect the interior courtyards of the ground floor, the main staircase, and the north wing of the second floor, where Ayuso's presidential area, the Institutional Hall, the Canalejas Hall, and the Government Council Room are located. The included area reaches 710 square meters on the ground floor and another 1,136 on the second.

The complete schedule extends for 19 months. The studio will have three months to draft the project, followed by four months to process licenses and award the works. The execution will take another twelve months, so part of the reform will continue during 2027 and 2028.

Alejandra Pombo has previously worked on several protected buildings in Madrid. Her studio signed the interior design of Cornamusa, Azotea Cibeles, and Café Cibeles, three gastronomic spaces located within the Palacio de Cibeles. Her projects also include the Capitol Building, the Zarzuela Hippodrome, and Gran Vía 66.

The contract appears amidst controversy over the Chamberí penthouse

The publication of the file comes after Ayuso used these works to justify the purchase of a luxury penthouse in Chamberí for 6.3 million euros. The Madrid President assured that she needed an alternative space to hold meetings while the Puerta del Sol headquarters was being renovated, although during the first days of the controversy there was hardly any public information about these works.

The report supporting the hiring of Alejandra Pombo has been signed since June 2, but its data appeared on the Contracting Portal this Friday. That same day, Planifica Madrid put the penthouse up for sale for 6.69 million euros, just four months after acquiring it and after the accumulated contradictions about its true purpose.

The Royal House of Correos was already the subject of another major remodeling in 2025. The Community then allocated 963,197 euros to repair its facade and part of the interior roof on the occasion of the building's 40th anniversary as the headquarters of the regional government. The new intervention will raise the planned investment in the dependencies from which Ayuso works by another 1.65 million.