Council continues working towards immediate provision of beach services

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The Formentera Island Council, desiring to clarify the formal proceedings behind the awarding of contracts for temporary, tourist season beach services on the island, wishes to provide certain pertinent explanations.

First, the contracts currently in proceedings will have a validity of eight years, which is twice as long as those awarded under the previous system. This change came at the request of the concessionaires' collective, whose members, with more time to recover their investments, can afford to invest more.

Extending the validity of the contract beyond four years implies that the contract-awarding must meet approval by Council plenary session on two separate occasions. The first in what is known as an initial approval, which was obtained at the plenary session of 22 March. The second instance of approval is definitive, and at this point is awaiting immediate scheduling. This particular facet of the proceedings was made known to applicants from the beginning, as, indeed, the entire process is dictated by the Law on public sector contracts.

The number of applications – practically double the number of those received in 2009 – cannot be ignored as a factor. In the previous round of licitations four years ago applicants numbered just over 60, whereas this year 108 individuals presented applications.

This year 48 seaside plots along Formentera's waterline were opened for public bidding. These include plots for use as beach-front bars, watersport schools, and for beach umbrella, hammock and paddle-boat rental. They are distributed as follows: nine beach-front bars (five on Migjorn, two in Es Pujols, one in Cala Saona and one in Es Caló), nine watersport schools (five in Es Pujols, two along Ses Illetes beach and two in the Migjorn area) and one bookshop kiosk on Migjorn. The remaining contracts permit the provision of rental services for hammocks, beach umbrellas and paddle-boats across the island's coastline.

At the end of last summer the Formentera Island Council solicited annual authorisation before Coastal Demarcations for all of the plots in question in anticipation of the accompanying formalities of current process and in the hope of streamlining proceedings and guaranteeing a maximum number of beach-side services for the start of this year's summer season. However Coastal Demarcation's authorisation wasn't received until February. Upon receipt of this, all of the necessary measures were set in motion to approve the hiring file at the plenary session, however, due to the high volume of land plots and of necessary reports, it was extremely difficult to meet all of the deadlines.

The Formentera Island Council wishes to express our understanding of the concerns voiced by applicants, nevertheless the Council is unable to simply not comply with what the law dictates vis-à-vis the handling of such contracts. From our side of things, the Council is committed to doing everything possible to conclude the process with maximum haste. Indeed, the contracting board is taking special measures and will meet tomorrow – Saturday – so as to not delay the process. We anticipate concessions to be announced in the second half of May.

No one has more of an interest than the Formentera Island Council in seeing the decision-making process completed for the seaside plots. We wish to express our deep regret that summer's first tourists on the island will not have the opportunity to benefit from all of the anticipated beach-front installations ready and in-service, and as such we will continue working to provide an immediate solution to the problem.