The Provincial Council of Bizkaia puts out to tender the ti…

The Provincial Council of Bizkaia has opened a public tender for the exploitation of forest timber in the Astenabieta domain mountain of Ziortza-Bolibar. Provincial Order 5540/2026, dated September 16, issued by Provincial Deputy Arantzazu Atucha Lejarreta, initiates the procedure, which was published in the Official Gazette of Bizkaia on September 25, in issue number 184, section I. Interested parties have a period of 15 calendar days from the publication of the announcement to submit proposals.

Origin and Legal Basis of the Exploitation

The exploitation was previously approved by Provincial Order 1590/2026, dated February 25, and pertains to mountain 460, owned by the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, located in the municipality of Ziortza-Bolibar. The Mountain Services have submitted all documentation: the provincial order, the environmental impact report —without an environmental evaluation—, the technical conditions document, and the location plans.

Law 21/2015, dated July 20, which amends the Mountain Law 43/2003, establishes in article 36.4 that the exploitation of public mountains may be transferred by the owners in accordance with heritage legislation. In this case, Provincial Regulation 3/2006, dated November 16, regarding the Heritage of the Historical Territory of Bizkaia, establishes the guidelines for granting permits and concessions under a competitive bidding regime in article 70. Competence lies with Provincial Deputy Arantzazu Atucha Lejarreta, according to article 66.2 of the same provincial regulation.

Amount and Method of Exploitation

The total economic valuation of the exploitation is 44,800 euros, including VAT (12%). According to the schedules, the modalities are as follows:

A01001: based on measurement.
A01003, A01009, and B01002: risk and adventure modality.

Who May Participate and How

Both natural and legal persons, Spanish or foreign, may apply for the permit, provided they have full capacity to act and contract and do not fall under the prohibitions of article 71 of Law 9/2017, dated November 8, the Public Sector Contracts Law. Legal persons must have their corporate purpose, objectives, or field of activity within the scope of the call.

Proposals must be submitted via the electronic office within 15 calendar days following the publication of the announcement. The award criterion is price, upwards: the exploitation will be granted to the highest economic offer, and in the event of a tie, to the first one submitted.

Guarantees and Technical Obligations

In accordance with article 69.2 of Provincial Regulation 3/2006, a guarantee of 3% of the final offer price is required. The guarantee is 3% (excluding VAT) of the final canon and must be established within 10 days of the notification of the permit, in one of three ways: in cash, via a bank guarantee, or via a surety bond.

Regarding insurance, the contractor must sign a general or exploitation-specific civil liability insurance policy, with a limit of 1,000,000 euros per accident and a maximum deductible of 1,500 euros. The coverages are as follows:

Employer’s civil liability, with a limit of 300,000 euros per victim.
Post-employment civil liability.
Civil liability for accidental pollution.
Defense and guarantees.

Furthermore, the selected company must be adhered to a forest certification (PEFC or FSC®), or to the PEFC Euskadi guidelines for forest management companies, and must present a risk assessment and prevention activity plan before starting the work.

Payment and execution periods

Payment of the canon and the forest services fee must be made within 30 days after the payment slips have been notified. In risk and adventure modality exploitations, the amount and fees will be liquidated within one month from the date of the final award. 70% of the total amount of the exploitation will be directed to the Improvement Fund and fees.

The execution period will be that specified in the technical conditions, after the notification of the permit resolution. Failure to meet the deadline or causing avoidable damage to the tracks or the trees that must remain will be grounds for canceling the exploitation.

Appeals

The resolutions end the administrative route. A contentious-administrative appeal may be filed within two months, before the corresponding contentious-administrative court, counting from the day following the receipt of the notification. Otherwise, a request for review may be filed within one month before the same body that issued the resolution.

This exploitation demonstrates the management model for timber harvesting in the public mountains of Bizkaia: public tender, based on valuation, and strict environmental and safety conditions. For sawmills and forestry companies, this is a call with a basic valuation of 44,800 euros, and since the 15-day period is short, interested parties must prepare their bids quickly.

Fuente: Boletín Oficial de Bizkaia, núm. 184, 25 de septiembre de 2026, Sección I, pág. 1 (referencia oficial: BOB-2026a184-(I-1094)).