The selection of harvesting contractors and buyers of the products generally follows a public tender process, conducted in accordance with relevant legislation and government policies.
Tenders, auctions, requests for proposals or calls for expressions of interest can be found on the Tenders WA website.
The Tenders WA website has an email notification service that allows prospective tenderers to receive an email alert regarding tenders about to be released by the FPC. Please refer to the Tenders WA website or contact Tenders WA on (08) 6551 2020 for further information. This website allows tenderers to submit their offers electronically.
Please note: the FPC, for probity and accountability purposes, does not keep mailing lists. It is up to prospective tenderers to check our home page or the Tenders WA website for tenders called by the FPC.
For more details, or to view the FPC's lookahead tenders list, visit the FPC lookahead tender list.
Harvesting of forest products
Show moreHarvesting 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 that focus on accountability, safety, environmental safeguards and proper utilisation of trees felled. These guidelines are contained in a number of publications, including FPC procedures, Contractor Procedures and Safe Work Australia's Forestry operations guidance material.
FPC staff manage harvesting operations and help ensure that all procedures, rules and guidelines are correctly followed.
Other service or supply contracts
Show moreThe 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 and supply of materials such as fertiliser and drainage pipes.
The FPC also engages consultants from time to time to provide specialist advice or services.
Purchase of forest products
Show moreForest 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 Government agreement acts.
Contracts of sale (known as production contracts under the Forest Products Act 2000)
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. Occasionally, a contract of sale is allocated by private treaty pursuant to the Forest Products Act 2000.
'Short form' of private treaty contract of sale (production contract)
Selected staff from the 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 1984 forest produce licence, is known as a Minor Production Contract (MPC).
Products that can be sold under an MPC include:
- Craftwood (i.e. material up to 1.5m long collected from the forest floor using hand tools only).
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 (three or four times per year) of small quantities of a range of native forest timber species. These auctions provide good opportunities for small commercial operators and hobbyists to purchase logs or timber.
