Oeiras municipality under fire for lavish spending on furniture

The municipality of Oeiras has come under renewed scrutiny after launching a €4.5 million procurement for luxury furniture and associated services for its new municipal headquarters, with the overall cost of the project now approaching €77 million, excluding IVA.

The procurement notice, published in state gazette Diário da República on June 5, covers furnishings for the new Municipal Forum building, which Mayor Isaltino Morais has said he intends to inaugurate later this year.

According to figures reported by Sábado, the furniture contract carries a base price of €4,505,245.48 – adding to a project whose costs have risen sharply since construction began.

The main construction contract, initially awarded for €44.99 million, has increased to €66.83 million, while a further €4.27 million has been spent on related works, design changes, studies and complementary services, says Sábado.

Decorative artwork alone for the building’s ceremonial hall is expected to cost more than €300,000, the weekly paper continues. When surrounding public works, including improvements to nearby roads and the Praça da Rua Dr. José da Cunha, are included, the total investment reaches €76.91 million, excluding IVA.

The latest procurement documents, published on the Vortal public procurement platform, specify furniture from several high-end international manufacturers, including Vitra, Minotti, Poltrona Frau and Andreu World.

Among the items listed are premium leather office chairs, marble tables, designer sofas and an executive presidential desk.

The order reportedly includes several Vitra Eames models, including a Grand Executive Lowback leather chair priced from €3,241, a Soft Pad EA219 High Back chair costing €5,230, and 25 Soft Pad EA219 Medium Back chairs priced at €4,175 each.

The municipality also plans to purchase 15 Aluminium 119 High Backrest chairs upholstered in black leather with polished aluminium frames, each costing €4,411, representing a combined expenditure of more than €66,000.

Luxury furnishings extend to meeting and executive spaces – with marble tables from Italian manufacturer Minotti, including Doyle, Brady and Calder models finished in premium stone.

One of the most expensive individual items is a Poltrona Frau H_O Desk, finished in Canaletto walnut and leather. According to the manufacturer’s pricing, the standard model starts at €15,006, while the presidential version can reach around €17,000.

The procurement also includes two Poltrona Frau Nivola sofas, priced from €8,127 each, and an Andreu World Forest Club Sofa SF3030, designed by French designer Philippe Starck, with catalogue prices reaching approximately €6,870, says Sábado..

Morais has repeatedly described the new municipal headquarters as a flagship investment that will modernise Oeiras’ public administration and provide improved facilities for municipal services.

However, the project’s escalating costs and the decision to furnish the building with luxury designer brands are expected to intensify political and public debate over one of the municipality’s most expensive infrastructure projects, with the final bill now nearing €77 million, excluding IVA.

This is just the latest ‘eye-opener’ from a municipality that is already well known for extravagance, as highlighted in the past by Sábado… but this far, political houdini Morais, has soldiered on regardless.

Source: Executive Digest, citing Sábado