The Port of Algeciras is bidding for the monitoring of the Marpol waste reception service

The Port Authority of the Bay of Algeciras (APBA) has opened the bidding for the contract for technical assistance and consulting for monitoring the operation of the port reception service for waste generated by ships included in Annex V of the MARPOL Convention at the Bay of Algeciras Port. The file sets a base bidding budget of 590,000 euros, excluding taxes, and an estimated value of 983,333.33 euros, corresponding to the maximum possible duration of the contract with extensions. The deadline for submitting offers is set for April 20, 2026, at 2:00 PM. The justification report from the APBA indicates that this contract responds to the need to maintain ongoing monitoring of MARPOL V waste collection, after the experience gained in previous campaigns and in the contract awarded in 2023, which expires in March 2026. According to the document, during that period there has been a general improvement in service delivery, with greater control over operations, material resources, documentary management, and specialized advice, which has led the Port Authority to consider that this type of supervision should be maintained for an extended time. The APBA further justifies that it lacks human resources with the required training to internally assume these tasks under the conditions set out in the specifications. Therefore, it opts to entrust a third party with a provision that, according to the documentation in the file, does not involve the exercise of authority nor compromise safety, and focuses on raising the level of operational monitoring and verification during the process of receiving waste generated by ships. The contract will have an initial duration of 36 months from the communication of the start of the work, with the possibility of two additional extensions of 12 months each, up to a maximum of 60 months. The report sets the base bidding budget at 713,900 euros including VAT, equivalent to 590,000 euros excluding VAT for the initial three-year period, while the estimated value amounts to 983,333.33 euros excluding VAT when incorporating possible extensions. Page 6 of the report also details a monthly quantification of 16,388.89 euros excluding VAT. The object of the contract includes both documentary review and physical inspection of operations. According to the technical specifications, the awarded company must review the request for removal services on the Teleport platform, ensure that the service provider has a valid license, cross-check the declared quantities, and verify the correspondence between the captain's declaration, that of the consignee, and the supporting documentation. They must also analyze the traceability of hazardous waste when it exists and review the removal and delivery certificates at the plant when applicable. To this documentary work is added an operational and auditing aspect. The technical specifications establish "in situ" inspections of the MARPOL V waste collection operations during the assigned day, as well as verifying that the operations comply with the Particular Specifications for the service and the Waste Reception and Handling Plan of the port. The purpose of the contract, as noted in the documentation, is to document incidents and relevant observations during service provision and to provide the APBA with information for the continuous improvement of controls and inspections. One of the most relevant elements of the file is the requirement for specialized personnel. The report and technical specifications state that the contractor must assign, at a minimum, a technical coordinator, a documentary technician, and an inspection technician, all with university degrees equivalent to a bachelor's degree. The minimum experience required is five years for the technical coordinator and two and a half years for the documentary and inspection profiles. In addition, the specifications indicate that the company must have the necessary inspection personnel to cover a weekly schedule of 60 hours of physical inspections, with a minimum of 40 weekly audits. The APBA also sets conditions of independence for the future successful bidder. The technical specifications indicate that the company providing this service cannot currently be a licensee of port services at the Bay of Algeciras nor be controlled or participated in by companies providing such services. The objective of this clause is to preserve impartiality in an activity related to verifying quantities, categories of waste, and compliance with service provision conditions. As for the awarding, the procedure will be open and based on a plurality of criteria. The report indicates a 50/50 distribution between qualitative and economic criteria. Among the criteria subjected to value judgment are technical quality, organization of assigned personnel, qualifications and experience of the team, as well as proposed improvements to the scope of the contract. Offers that do not reach the minimum threshold of 50% in the qualitative block will not be considered to determine the most advantageous offer. The documentation of the file also emphasizes that division into lots is not anticipated and that it will not be possible to subcontract critical tasks. The APBA argues that the complexity of the work, the need for continuous instructions, access to sensitive documentation, and the requirement for independence advise against transferring these functions to third parties other than the main contractor. With this bidding process, the Port Authority continues a model of specialized monitoring of MARPOL V operations that combines administrative review, physical control, and technical support in adapting to new regulatory requirements. The technical specifications add that the awarded company must also collaborate in the preparation of modifications or renewals of the Particular Specifications for the MARPOL service and the Waste Reception and Handling Plan of the port, incorporating a consultative function alongside the inspection.