Torrevieja City Council has set a tender budget of 5,616,309€, including VAT, for a new municipal vehicle towing, removal, and impoundment service contract. The contract will run for a five-year term with no possibility of extension, equating to an estimated annual cost of 1,123,261€. The service scope also covers the placement and removal of temporary signage and barriers across the municipality’s streets. Participating companies may submit lower bids, which would reduce the final cost. Under the agreement, the winning bidder will receive a fixed annual sum regardless of the number of vehicles impounded, as the contract is not linked to a variable income based on towing volume.
Approved by the governing board last week, the specifications set a target start date of January 18th, 2027. However, meeting this date may prove difficult due to legal bidding deadlines for this type of contract. If payments are not processed for the new contractor after that date, the City Council will begin paying the existing operator, even with outstanding issues. The service is currently run by Estacionamientos y Servicios (Eysa Group), which has operated the service since January 2022. To secure that contract—which had previously run for a long period without a formal agreement—the firm was required to guarantee the construction of a new vehicle depot.
The new contract comes as the City Council anticipates a sharp rise in revenue linked to the towing service. The draft municipal budget for 2027 projects 748,165€ in revenue from vehicle removals, representing a 164.24% increase compared to the 283,136€ allocated for 2026. Projections for traffic fines also show an increase of 26.17%, rising from 1.24 million euro to 1.56 million euro. In total, local authorities expect to collect approximately 2.3 million euro from both sources. This rise coincides with the deployment of 20 traffic officers and fixed speed cameras, though these factors alone do not fully account for the projected increase.
According to the terms approved by the governing board, the primary objective of the contract is the removal of illegally parked or immobilised vehicles, as well as those that must be relocated for safety, roadworks, public events, or other municipal needs. The winning firm will handle vehicle transport, security and custody at the municipal impound lot, and the administrative processes needed to return vehicles to their owners.
The tender specifications mandate a minimum staff consisting of 16 tow truck drivers and a general manager who will act as service manager and liaison with the City Council. Continuous administrative support at the municipal depot will also be required, calculated as slightly more than five full-time administrative employees. Documentation in the file identifies twelve current contractor employees—eleven crane operators and one supervisor—for potential transfer to the incoming company. However, this transfer will not be automatic and will only occur where mandatory under labour legislation and the applicable collective agreement.
Equipment specifications require the successful company to maintain at least five tow trucks and a trailer capable of transporting motorcycles, mopeds, bicycles, and personal mobility vehicles, alongside eight vehicle immobilisation devices. The municipal tow truck service will run 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, operating with varying shift numbers. Standard weekday schedules require three tow trucks during morning shifts and three in the afternoon, while night shifts, weekends, and holidays will have two trucks on duty.
Service coverage will increase during Holy Week and the summer season, running from June 15 to September 15. During these peak periods, five tow trucks must be active on weekday mornings and four in the afternoons, alongside two at night. Weekend and holiday shifts will maintain the standard two-vehicle deployment.
Contract terms specify that tow trucks must arrive within a maximum of ten minutes after a call from Local Police or Urban Mobility officers, unless a delay is duly justified. The municipal impound lot on Avenida de los Nenúfares, built by the current contractor, must remain staffed 24 hours a day for vehicle security and owner collection.
The contractor will be required to install an automated payment machine that accepts cash and bank cards, though fee collection will remain the sole responsibility of the City Council. The service will use software linked to the Local Police to provide real-time updates on operations and impounded vehicles. All removals must be documented with digital photographs of the vehicle at the location of the intervention, with a secondary photograph taken upon arrival at the impound lot.
Other Articles
Alicante to restart tender for beach lift after no bids received
