Álava relaunches the auction of thirteen forestry lots with a 25% discount

The Provincial Council of Álava has approved a second call for the bidding process for the disposal of forestry harvests, limited to the thirteen lots that remained vacant, with a 25 percent reduction from the minimum price initially set. Agreement 738/2026, dated November 3, of the Provincial Government Council, proposed by the Department of Agriculture, is published in the Official Gazette of the Historical Territory of Álava (BOTHA) number 131, dated Friday, November 13, 2026. Interested parties have 15 calendar days from the day following publication to submit their proposals through the Contractor Profile.

The origin of the operation is Agreement 368/2026, dated June 9, of the Provincial Government Council, which approved the initial call, the specifications of particular administrative clauses, and the technical prescriptions for each lot and for the western zone. That procedure included lots numbered 1 to 14 and those of the western zone from 1 to 8. On September 11, 2026, the economic proposals were opened, and in thirteen of the twenty-two lots, no admissible proposal was submitted.

The legal framework invoked is Article 40 of Provincial Law 11/2007, on Forests, which establishes that the award “will usually be carried out by the auction system” and allows, if the procurement remains vacant, to announce it again by modifying the economic conditions with the authorization of the competent department. On that basis, and in accordance with the supplementary criterion for the disposal of public assets which limits the cumulative reduction to 25 percent of the original appraisal value, the Provincial Council applies the cut at its maximum limit.

The thirteen lots returning to auction

The lots declared vacant are the five from the general series of consortium and patrimonial forests and eight from the western zone:

• Lot 5: thinning of Pinus nigra, 2,100 steres, in MUP 364 “Zuduguren”, Heredia (consortium 198).
• Lot 6: thinning of Pinus nigra and Pinus sylvestris, 10,800 steres, in MUPs 648 “Sopeña” (Subijana-Morillas), 566-1 (Montevite) and 566-2 (Ollávarre), consortium 114.
• Lot 7: 2,426 steres in MUPs 609 “Sierra de Entzia” and 610 “Sotos y Vargas” (consortium 63 with the City Council of Salvatierra).
• Lot 9: selective thinning of 41.89 hectares and 2,847 m³ with bark in MUPs 189, 200, 204 and 205 of the municipality of Peñacerrada (consortium 84).
• Lot 10: selective thinning of 60.52 hectares and 6,536 m³ with bark in MUPs 198 “Mendilucía” and 204 “Recomendia”, Peñacerrada.
• Lot 11: 3,582 steres in MUPs 192 “Dehesa” and 151-1 “Juan Zamarro”, Payueta (consortia 101 and 150).
• Lot 12: 1,969 steres in MUPs 190 “Dehesa” (Baroja) and 202 “Olagurria” (Loza), consortium 129.
• Lot West 1: 918 m³ of quarter-girth timber, felled at the stump of the Pinus radiata pine forest of MUP 376 “Santa Engracia” (consortium 142 with the City Council of Zigoitia).
• Lot West 2: 689 m³, second thinning in MUP 376 “Biobizker” (consortium 167 with the Administrative Board of Manurga).
• Lot West 3: 1,949 m³ in plots 361 and 383 of polygon 3 “Markijana”, Ayala.
• Lot West 6: 438 m³ in polygon 1 of Zuia, “Hoyo Mayor” and “Isaspe” (consortium 53 with the Carmelites of Murgia).
• Lot West 7: 2,878 m³ of mixed stand of Chamaecyparis lawsoniana and Pinus sylvestris in Zigoitia, “Atxurdin y Zarratuzaharra” (consortium 4 with the City Council of Zigoitia).
• Lot West 8: 315 m³ of mixed stand of Pseudotsuga menziesii and Larix in “Kortabarri”, Zigoitia (consortium 167 with the Administrative Board of Manurga).

Two methods of harvesting and a 15-day deadline

The call for tenders distinguishes between harvesting “subject to” the final settlement, with estimated volume in steres, and “at risk and venture,” measured in cubic meters with bark or quarter-girth and real timber. In total, the second tender mobilizes 20,877 steres and 16,570 cubic meters.

Agreement 738/2026 also approves the specific administrative clauses and technical specifications, which are included as annexes, and establishes that bids be submitted electronically via the Contractor Profile within 15 calendar days. The work will be carried out under the supervision of the Forestry Service and the owning entities. The agreement is signed by the General Deputy, Ramiro González Vicente, the Provincial Deputy for Agriculture, Noemí Aguirre Quintana, and the Director of Agriculture, David Fernández Sarabia.

The reopening is of direct interest to the timber sector of Álava, which gains access to nearly 37,500 units of wood—between steres and cubic meters—with a discount that cannot be further extended in future calls. It also affects the municipalities and consortiumed local entities, the owners of the forests, whose income from the sale depends on this second auction not remaining vacant again.

Source: Official Gazette of the Historical Territory of Álava (BOTHA), no. 131, November 13, 2026, section I – General Assemblies of Álava and Provincial Administration, page 1 (official reference: 2026-03221).