CONTRACTS, AUCTIONS AND TENDERS
Introduction:
A core responsibility of the Forest Products Commission (FPC) is the harvesting of forest products (usually logs, but sometimes woodchips or bark) from the State's native forests, woodlands and plantations, and the selling of those products to sawmillers and other timber processors. The selection of harvesting contractors and buyers of the products generally follows a competitive process, conducted in accordance with State Supply Commission guidelines.
Tenders, auctions, requests for proposals, or calls for Expressions of Interest, are advertised in the State Government tenders section inside Wednesday’s edition of the West Australian newspaper.
All FPC's public tender processes and auctions (both for sale of products and for purchase of goods and services) are advertised on the WA Government Contracting Information Bulletin Board.
Harvesting of forest products:
Harvesting of forest products is carried out by contractors engaged by the FPC, usually following the calling of a public tender. Harvesting contractors are required to fell trees, prepare and extract log products to roadside landings, and load and cart logs to the FPC's customers. Some harvesting contracts require logs to be debarked or chipped prior to delivery.
The most common products include sawlogs (large, medium and small; high quality and low quality), chiplogs, firewood/charcoal logs, poles, logs for fencing purposes, and logs for reconstitution into particle board or fibreboard. Tree species harvested include jarrah, karri, marri, blackbutt, wandoo, sheoak, radiata pine, maritime pine, bluegum, sandalwood and a range of native species that grow in arid parts of the State.
Contractors must work to strict rules and guidelines which focus on accountability, safety, environmental safeguards and proper utilisation of trees felled. These guidelines are contained in a number of publications, including the Contractors' Timber Harvesting Manual and the Safety & Health Code for Native Forest/Hardwood Logging and Plantation Logging.
FPC staff manage harvesting operations and help ensure that all rules and guidelines are correctly followed. Firms interested in working as FPC harvesting contractors should write to the General Manager, FPC, briefly outlining their credentials and asking to be placed on the mailing list for future tenders.
Other service or supply contracts:
The FPC engages other contractors for works such as road construction and maintenance, establishment and tending of plantations, carting and application of fertiliser to plantations by ground and by air, carrying out post harvesting treatment of native forest areas, and supply of materials such as fertiliser and drainage pipes. Again, firms interested in such work may write to the FPC and ask to be placed on tender mailing lists.
The FPC also engages consultants from time to time to provide specialist advice or services.
Purchase of forest products:
Forest products (primarily logs) may be purchased from the Forest Products Commission via the following methods:
- State agreements
Major buyers such as Wespine (pine sawlogs),Wesbeam (pine veneer logs), Laminex (pine industrial wood) and Simcoa (charcoal logs) purchase forest products under authority of specific State agreement acts.
- Contracts of sale (known as production contracts under the Forest Products Act)
Most contracts of sale are awarded following a competitive process, typically a public tender or auction. Sometimes the public process follows a different path involving requests for expressions of interest or proposals. Most contracts of sale for native forest sawlogs, firewood logs, fencing logs, feature grade sawlogs and other non-regular sawlog products have been awarded via these competitive processes. Occasionally, a contract of sale is allocated by private treaty, usually when an acceptable offer is made to the FPC to purchase a low grade forest product that is available to be sold and in low demand. Sometimes a private treaty contract of sale is allocated for research or trial purposes, or to special interest groups.
Firms interested in purchasing forest products from the FPC should write to the General Manager at the FPC, outlining their interest and asking to be placed on the mailing list for future tenders or auctions.
- 'Short form' of private treaty contract of sale (production contract)
Selected staff in FPC have the authority to issue, "over the counter", a contract of sale for small, one-off quantities of non-standing forest products to members of the public. This form of contract, which substitutes for the Conservation and Land Management Act Forest Produce Licence, is known as a Minor Production Contract (MPC).
Products which can be sold under an MPC include:
- Craftwood (i.e. material up to 1.5 m long collected from the forest floor using hand tools only).
- Small quantities (e.g. one or two truck loads) of residue logs ex bush landings for trial milling purposes.
- Odd logs of any quality which are lying (i.e. not standing) in places which cause or may cause problems (e.g. log over a road or track, log over a fenceline, logs in gravel pit, etc).
Note: Members of the public are discouraged from entering forests to seek out fallen trees within the forest estate with a view to purchase.
- Cash sales via auction
The FPC conducts regular public auctions (3 or 4 times per year) of small quantities of a range of native forest timber species at its Harvey premises. These auctions provide good opportunities for small commercial operators and hobbyists to purchase logs or timber.
Further Information:
Further information may be obtained by contacting the nearest FPC office, or by writing to the FPC at:
The General Manager
FOREST PRODUCTS COMMISSION
Locked Bag 888
Perth Business Centre
Western Australia 6849
You can also download the following documents which provide additional information.
Downloads:
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