The board of directors of the Bilbao Port Authority has unanimously approved the call for a public tender for the building and operation of a box terminal on the central quay of the Spanish port.
The central quay is the last large area of the port of Bilbao for which a concession can be awarded.
The process is carried out in two stages. The first phase, which is completed, has resulted in an operating surface area of more than 300,000 m², with 232,530 m² now accessible, following the concession of a part of it to a conventional goods operator.
The construction of the second phase will begin in 2023 and will also have an operational surface area in excess of 30 hectares.
The second phase will have an operating surface area of more than 300,000 m² and the construction works will begin in 2023.
The start of the public tender has been announced in the Official State Gazette by the Port Authority of Bilbao. Proposals must be submitted within three months of the aforementioned publication.
Part or all of the spaces made available in both phases of the Central Quay may be chosen by interested parties. On the one hand, they can choose between partial or complete occupancy of the spaces offered in Phase 1 of the Central Quay, or they can choose between partial and whole occupancy of both Phases 1 and 2, according to the conditions outlined in the tender requirements.
The concession will be granted for a period of up to 40 years, while the minimum annual traffic permitted is set at 1 TEU/m² of the concession plot. Therefore, the proposal must meet or exceed this figure.
The bidding criteria are based on three key components, which will be evaluated based on the substance of the bidders’ technical and economic proposals: revenue for the Port Authority of Bilbao, the traffic produced, and planned investments. The tender will be awarded to the proposal with the highest score against the tender criteria, provided that it reaches a minimum score of 25 points in regard to the technical proposal assessment criteria and 50 points in the total score.
The new container terminal is planned to be open for general use.
